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Mac: How to delete iPhone backups in macOS Catalina

Want to remove old iPhone backups stored on your Mac but aren’t sure how, since iTunes isn’t around in the latest version of macOS? Read on for how to delete iPhone backups in macOS Catalina in a few easy steps.

Deleting iPhone backups used to hide in iTunes preferences. Now that Apple has done away with the app in macOS Catalina and is using Finder to manage devices like iPhone and iPad, that’s where you’ll remove iOS backups in the latest macOS release.

Better yet, it’s easier than ever to access your iPhone or iPad backups in macOS Catalina.

Mac: How to delete iPhone backups in macOS Catalina

  1. Plug your iPhone into your Mac with a Lightning cable
  2. Launch Finder and click your iPhone in the sidebar on the left
  3. Under the Backups section, click Manage Backups…
  4. Select the backup(s) you want to delete
  5. Click Delete Backup in the bottom left corner of the window
  6. Confirm the deletion if needed

Keep in mind the above steps will only offer the option to manage/delete Mac backups. To delete iPhone backups stored on iCloud, on your iPhone head to Settings > Your name > iCloud > Manage Storage > Backups.

Here’s how the process looks:

Now you’ll see all the iPhone or iPad backups stored on your Mac. You can delete them individually or use command or shift to select multiple backups.

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