Running low on space on your Mac while trying to back up your iPhone? 📱💻 Apple may not have made it straightforward to use an external hard drive for this purpose, but don’t worry—it’s definitely doable.
This guide will walk you through the steps to back up your iPhone data to an external hard drive using iOS 13 and macOS Catalina (or later versions).
How to Find Your Current Backup on MacOS
Navigating through your Mac to find your iPhone backup might seem tricky, but we’ve simplified it into easy steps. 🛠️
- Connect Your iPhone: Use a USB cable to link your iPhone to your Mac. This will make your device show up in the Finder.
- Access Your iPhone in Finder: On your Mac, go to Finder and look for your iPhone under the Locations section.
- For Users with Older macOS Versions: If you’re using a macOS version earlier than Catalina, you’ll need to open iTunes to locate your iPhone instead.
- Manage Your Backups: Click on Manage Backups to see a list of existing backups.
- Find the Specific Backup: Hold down the Control key and click on the backup you wish to locate—whether it’s labeled simply as “Backup” or consists of a series of letters and numbers.
- Reveal in Finder: From the drop-down menu, choose Show in Finder to view where the backup is stored on your Mac.
🌟 Voila! You’ve now pinpointed where your iPhone backup is on your Mac.
How to Move iPhone Backup to an External Hard Drive
Now that you’ve located your iPhone backup, let’s move it to an external hard drive—a process that’s simpler than it sounds! 🚀
- Connect Your External Hard Drive: First, ensure your external hard drive is connected to your Mac.
- Find Your Backup: Open the Finder window where your iOS backup is displayed. Look for a folder named Backup or one with a sequence of numbers and letters.
- Transfer the Backup: Simply drag and drop this folder to the Locations section in the Finder sidebar, onto your external hard drive.
- Admin Password: You might be prompted to enter your administrator password to authorize the move.
- Rename on External Drive: Once the backup is on your external drive, rename the folder to ios_backup to avoid any confusion in the future.
- Rename the Original Backup: Go back to the original Finder window and change the name of the old backup folder to old_backup.
If you’re not familiar with using the Mac Terminal and prefer a straightforward approach, you can stop here and repeat these steps whenever you need to back up your iPhone to the external drive. This method ensures your data is safe and easy to manage!
Can You Change Where Your Mac Saves iPhone Backups?
Ever thought about changing the default location where your Mac saves iPhone backups? If you’re up for adjusting a few settings, this guide is for you! Just remember, while working with the Terminal command, you’re dealing with a powerful tool that’s not the most user-friendly. 🛠️
Safety First: Before you dive into the Terminal, it’s a good idea to perform a full system backup using Time Machine. This way, if anything goes off track, you can easily revert to your original settings.
Creating a Permanent Solution
The trickiest part of this process is setting up a symlink—a shortcut that tells your Mac to look to an external hard drive for iPhone backups. This isn’t absolutely necessary, as you can continue to manually move backups, but setting up a symlink makes the process automatic and hassle-free. This means you won’t need to worry about running out of space on your Mac’s internal drive!
Adjusting Mac Permissions
Before changing the backup location, you’ll need to update your Mac’s permissions:
- Access System Preferences: Click the Apple icon and select System Preferences.
- Navigate to Security Settings: Go to Security & Privacy > Privacy.
- Unlock Changes: Click the Lock icon to make changes and enter your admin password.
- Allow Full Disk Access: Select Full Disk Access, click the plus (+) sign, scroll through the applications, and select Terminal.
By following these steps carefully, you can safely change where your Mac saves iPhone backups. Not only does this keep your system organized, but it also frees up essential space on your Mac!
Change iPhone Backup Locations
Great job on setting up the permissions! Now, let’s move on to actually changing the iPhone backup location on your Mac. This involves creating a symlink, which is essentially a shortcut that directs your backups to a new location on an external hard drive.
Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Symlink
- Open Terminal: You can find it in your Applications folder under Utilities, or you can search for it using Spotlight.
- Enter the Command: Copy and paste the following code into the Terminal. Remember to replace yourexternalharddrivename with the actual name of your external hard drive:
ln -s /Volumes/yourexternalharddrivename/ios_backup ~/Library/Application\ Support/MobileSync/Backup/ - Execute the Command: Press Return to run the command.
- Close Terminal: You’re all done here. Simply close the Terminal window.
🔗 What Just Happened? You’ve successfully created a symlink. This means that from now on, your Mac will save all iPhone backups to the external hard drive, specifically in the folder you designated (ios_backup). This setup not only frees up space on your internal drive but also makes backing up your iPhone more straightforward.
How Do I Know the New iPhone Backup Worked?
Ensuring your backup is successful is crucial, so let’s confirm that your new iPhone backup location is functioning correctly. Here’s a straightforward way to check:
- Initiate a New Backup: Connect your iPhone to your Mac and select it in Finder. Then, click Back Up Now to start a new backup.
- Check the Backup: Once the backup is complete, navigate to the ios_backup folder on your external hard drive.
- Verify the Date: Look at the Date Modified field next to the backup folder. If it shows the current date and time, your new backup location is working perfectly!
This method is a reliable way to ensure that your backups are being saved exactly where you want them, without taking up valuable space on your Mac’s internal drive.
How to Disable Automatic Backups
If you prefer to back up your iPhone manually and avoid issues when your external hard drive isn’t connected, here’s how you can disable automatic backups:
- Open Finder: Start by opening Finder on your Mac.
- Select Your iPhone: Look in the Locations section and click on your iPhone.
- Disable Automatic Sync: Uncheck the box next to Automatically sync when this iPhone is connected.
Remember to Backup Manually! It’s important to regularly back up your iPhone manually to ensure your data is safe, especially after disabling automatic backups.
This setup gives you full control over when and how your iPhone is backed up, helping you manage your device backups on your terms.
Conclusion
Congratulations on taking control of your iPhone backups! By now, you’ve learned how to locate your existing backup, move it to an external hard drive, change the default backup location permanently, and even disable automatic backups. These steps not only free up space on your Mac but also allow you to manage your data more efficiently.
Remember, while setting up backups to an external drive can save you space and hassle, it’s important to perform backups regularly and ensure your external drive is connected when needed. Always double-check that your backups are successful to safeguard your valuable data.
By following these tips and instructions, you’re now equipped to handle your iPhone backups like a pro, ensuring your data is secure and your Mac stays organized.
FAQ
How can I find the current location of my iPhone backup on a Mac?
To find your iPhone backup on a Mac, connect your iPhone via USB, and use Finder (or iTunes for older macOS versions) to locate your device. Then, navigate to Manage Backups and select Show in Finder from the context menu.
Is it possible to back up my iPhone to an external hard drive using a Mac?
Yes, it’s possible to back up your iPhone to an external hard drive on a Mac. You’ll need to manually move the backup folder from your Mac to the external drive, or set up a symlink to automate the process using Terminal commands.
What is a symlink and how does it help in backing up iPhones to an external hard drive?
A symlink, or symbolic link, is essentially a shortcut that points to a directory on a different storage device. Creating a symlink for iPhone backups tells your Mac to save future backups to an external hard drive, thus freeing up space on your internal drive.
How do I ensure that my new iPhone backup location is working correctly?
After changing your backup location, perform a backup by selecting Back Up Now in Finder. Then, verify the backup by checking that the Date Modified in the new location reflects the current date and time.
What are the steps to disable automatic backups of my iPhone on a Mac?
To disable automatic backups, open Finder, select your iPhone under Locations, and uncheck the Automatically sync when this iPhone is connected option. Remember to manually initiate backups regularly to protect your data.
What should I do before changing the backup location of my iPhone on a Mac?
Before changing the backup location, it’s recommended to back up your system using Time Machine. This precaution allows you to restore your settings if something goes wrong during the process of changing the backup location.
