Usually while you back up iPhone through iTunes on Windows or Mac, the backup file will be automatically saved in default location on the limited disk space. In order to release the disk space the backup files occupy, you can backup iPhone to external hard drive instead.
This post will tell you how to backup iPhone to external hard drive, such as USB flash drive without software on Windows and Mac.
Before manually backup iPhone to external hard drive, please make a copy of original backups that have been ever saved on the default backup location. And then delete this folder 'Backup'.
Select the Time Machine hard drive that's connected to your new Mac, and select the most recent backup. Next, you'll be asked to confirm which information you want to transfer - including home. Get a backup drive. This can be just about any USB external hard drive, and you can get them at most electronics stores. Try to get one that has twice as much space as your computer. Although we all wish automated backups ran perfectly, you sometimes have to find files manually to restore a backup on your iPhone or iPad. If you want to restore an iPhone or iPad backup via the conventional method of a local backup (and your computer knows where those backups are), you can use iTunes for Windows or macOS 10.14 or earlier. If your Mac runs macOS 10.15 or later, you can also.
Part 1: How to backup iPhone to external hard drive on Windows
Preparation:
Backup Macbook To External Hard Drive
1. Format USB flash drive to Windows NT file system (NTFS)
2. Create a new folder called 'iPhoneBackup' in the root of USB flash drive
Step 1: Change iPhone backup location with Command Prompt
You just need to simply create a symbolic (virtual) link in Windows, to a folder on your external hard drive. Connect prepared USB flash drive to Windows computer. If a mklink symlink creation error appears, see how to fix it at first.
1. Close iTunes and run Command Prompt as administrator on Windows computer.
2. Type following command lines and press Enter.
mklink /J 'C:UsersisunshareAppDataRoamingApple ComputerMobileSyncBackup' 'H:iPhoneBackup'
Best Apple Backup Drive
Note:
- Default iPhone backup location: C:UsersisunshareAppDataRoamingApple ComputerMobileSyncBackup
- New backup location for iPhone later: H:iPhoneBackup
3. Instantly you will see there is a new folder called 'Backup' created with an arrow on it in the default iPhone backup location.
Step 2: Back up iPhone in iTunes to USB flash drive on Windows
Apple Hard Drive Backup
Connect your iPhone to Windows computer, and open iTunes. When iPhone is checked by iTunes, click on its icon and tap on Back Up Now to wait for backing iPhone to connected USB flash drive.
As long as you don't cancel the Mklink routing to the external drive with command below, the iTunes backup will be stored on external drive from then on.
mklink /J 'C:UsersyourWindowsusernameAppDataRoamingApple ComputerMobileSyncBackup' 'C:UsersyourWindowsusernameAppDataRoamingApple ComputerMobileSyncBackup'
Part 2: How to backup iPhone to external drive on Mac
1. Connect your USB flash drive to Mac.
2. Format USB flash drive in MS-DOS (FAT) on Mac.
While you find USB flash drive is read-only on Mac, please run Disk Utility to erase it with format MS-DOS (FAT). It will allow you to read and write files in USB flash drive on Mac.
3. Create a new folder iPhoneBackup in the root of USB flash drive.
4. Go to FinderApplications Utilities and choose Terminal to run on Mac.
5. Type following commands to tell iTunes the new locations of your iPhone backups.
ln –s /Volumes/External/iPhoneBackup ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync
Note:
Make sure you have deleted the Backup folder from ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync before running Terminal. 'External' means the name of your external drive. Then the process of backing up iPhone to external drive on Mac is similar to descriptions on Windows.
How can you copy file or folder path in Mac OS X?
Right click the target file or folder, press and hold on Option key, then choose Copy 'xxx' as Pathname from context menu. Paste it on a text and you can get the file or folder path. It is better for you to directly paste the folder path in Terminal than typing path manually.
Summary:
This is an effective tutorial of backing up iPhone to external hard drive on Windows and Mac computer. It is also a useful guide for you to change iTunes backup location, save and move iPhone backup to external drive without any software.
Related Links:
How can I restore (from iTunes) iPhone backup from external hard drive, I saved the backup file in external hard drive, I am using PC/w8. I did my backup on iTunes and I transfer the file backup to an external hard drive. I had to format my computer, and now whenever I open iTunes I can't restore previous/old backup from external hard drive. please. iPhone 5S, Windows 8
Maybe you have known that when you use iTunes to back up your iPhone or iPad, the backed up file will be saved in a default folder in your computer. Macbook pro vs air for development. When you restore lost data from your iTunes backup, iTunes will extract data you need from the local default folder, but when you transfer iTunes backup folder from your computer to an external hard drive, iTunes will be unable to reach those iTunes backup files. Then the question is, how can you restore iPhone backup from external hard drive? Is there any method to extract and restore iTunes backup from external hard drive? Of course there is.
I think the most easy way is to copy the iTunes backup file to your default MobileSync / Backup files. In later emails, the user told me that this user had tried this way but he did not succeed. So when this method does work, what to do? Try this way.
When the first method doesn't work, you can try to use iFonebox. iFonebox is a professional iOS data recovery software which can not only recover deleted data like contacts, notes, messages and more from iDevice, but extract lost data from iTunes or iCloud backup. You can find that iFonebox supports to extract and restore lost data from iTunes backup. When it comes to iTunes backup, iFonebox also needs to reach the default folders in your computer. But the difference between iFonebox and iTunes is that iFonebox can let you select your backup file from external hard drive. So you can use iFonebox to restore iPhone backup from external hard drive.
How to use iFonebox to restore iTunes backup from external hard drive?
Of course, the first thing is to download and install iFonebox. Two versions are available: Windows version and Mac version. You can also use Free Trial Version (Win and Mac). Now, follow the listed steps:
- Run iFonebox. Choose Recover from iTunes Backup.
- Select one iTunes backup to scan. You can click 'Select more'button to scan data from your external hard drive.
- Preview and select data from iTunes backup.
It is quite convenient to restore iPhone iTunes backup from external hard drive with iFonebox. You can have a try and share your own experience here.
