iTunes is a universal tool for storing media content and managing apple devices. Many users use this program to create and store backups. Today we will look at how unnecessary backups can be deleted.
A backup copy is a backup of one of the Apple devices, which allows you to restore all the information on the gadget in case all the data on it is lost for some reason or you simply move to a new device. For each Apple device, iTunes can store one of the most recent backups. If you no longer need the backup created by the program, you can delete it if necessary.
A backup copy of your gadget can be stored in two ways: on a computer, created through iTunes, or in the cloud through iCloud storage. For both cases, we will consider the principle of deleting backups in more detail.
Deleting an iTunes backup
1. Launch iTunes. Click on the tab in the top left corner "Edit" , and then from the list that appears, select "Settings" .
2. In the window that opens, go to the "Devices" tab. The screen will display a list of your devices for which there are backups. For example, we will no longer need a backup for the iPad. Then we need to select it with one click of the mouse, and then click on the button "Delete Backup" .
3. Confirm the deletion of the backup. From now on, the iTunes backup of your device on your computer will no longer be available.
Delete an iCloud backup
Now let's look at the process of deleting a backup when it is not stored in your iTunes, but in the cloud. In this case, the backup will be managed from the Apple device.
1. Open on your gadget "Settings" and then navigate to the section iCloud .
2. Open item "Vault" .
3. Go to point "Control" .
4. Select the device you are deleting a backup for.
5. Select button "Delete copy" , and then confirm the deletion.
Please note that if there is no such need, then it is better not to delete device backups, even if you no longer have the device. It is quite possible that soon you will again please yourself with apple technology, and then you will be able to recover from an old backup, which will allow you to return all the old data to a new device.
If you tried to delete copies of Time Machine from the disk, but they are stuck in the trash and cannot be deleted from there, then this article is for you. Below we will explain how to solve this problem.
This instruction applies only to cases where copies are not deleted from the trash due to protection by the SIP system. Files may not be deleted for other reasons. If you don't get the "System Integrity Protection" error message, then the method below won't work for you.
How to fix an error when deleting Time Machine copies
Error message " Some items in the Trash cannot be deleted because of System Integrity Protection» means, What files Not may be removed from– behind protection SIP. The SIP system blocks the deletion of important system files, as well as old copies of Time Machine. Accordingly, in order to empty the recycle bin, you will need to temporarily disable the SIP system.
- Save a backup of your Mac via Time Machine or another method.
- Go to the Apple menu and restart your Mac.
- When the Apple logo appears on the screen, hold down the Command and R keys to put your Mac into recovery mode.
- On the Utilities window, select the Terminal program.
- Enter the following command:
6. Press Enter to disable the SIP system and restart your Mac.
7. Wait for your Mac to boot up.
8. Now you can move all old unnecessary copies to the trash and empty it.
9. Now you need to re-enable System Integrity Protection.
10. Reboot your Mac and hold down COMMAND + R to put it back into recovery mode.
11. Go to Terminal and enter the following command:
csrutil enable; reboot
12. Press Enter and wait for the computer to boot up.
Please note that deleting Time Machine copies can take a long time. If the copy is very large, it may even take a whole night to empty the recycle bin. The main thing is not to forget to enable SIP security again, as it performs a very important function.
If the problem persists, you can simply return the stuck copy to its place and delete the others instead. They are located in the "Backup.backupdb" folder.
Alternative way
There is another way to delete Time Machine copies. To do this, the copy must be in its original folder. You can restore it there directly from the trash.
- Launch the Terminal program.
- Enter the following command, replacing "DRIVENAME" with the name of the drive where Time Machine copies are stored, and "SPECIFICBACKUPNAME" with the name of the folder containing the specific copy.
3. Press Enter and enter the administrator password.
When the copy stuck in the Trash is deleted, you can continue
If you sold your iPhone or iPad, or if you stopped using it, such as giving it to a relative, you need to take care of deleting the iTunes backups of the device. The process of deleting old or unnecessary backups is quite simple, however, users who are superficially familiar with iTunes may find it difficult to find the right settings. In this guide, we will show you how to delete an iTunes backup in detail.
How to Delete iTunes Backup on Mac
Step 1Launch iTunes
Step 2. Select the menu item iTunes → « Settings»
Step 3: Go to Settings Devices»
Delete backup» 
Step 5: Confirm the deletion
How to Delete iTunes Backup on PC
Step 1Launch iTunes
Step 2. Go to the menu " Edit» → « Settings» 
Note: in order for the menu bar to appear, you must press the Alt key.
Step 3. Select the settings section " Devices»
Step 4. Select the backup you want to delete and click the " Delete backup» 
Step 5: Confirm the deletion
like this in a simple way You can delete older iTunes backups of your devices, or backups of devices you no longer use. Deleting unnecessary backups is a very useful procedure, since in some cases their size can be calculated in gigabytes.
During the operation of the iTunes iOS device, if you do not disable the corresponding setting, regularly back up the contents of the iPhone and iPad. There is nothing wrong with this, but it takes up a lot of time and space on your computer. This begs the question, how to delete old backups created by iTunes and? Let's figure it out.
Where does iTunes store backups and how to delete them
Most often, people think about deleting backups when they are faced with a shortage free space on the computer. In this case, you will see an error similar to this:iTunes could not update iPhone (iPad) "Name" due to insufficient free space on this computer.
Deleting files and emptying the Recycle Bin will free up additional space.
The thought immediately comes to mind that you need to delete old backups. You yourself know how to empty the trash, but it’s a little more difficult to get even with heavy backups. And so what needs to be done:
- launch iTunes;
- go to the settings section;
- switch to the "Device" tab;
- select and delete backups.
- C:\Documents and Settings\Username\Application Data\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup.
How to delete iCloud backups on Mac or Windows
To do this, you must have an iCloud client installed on your computer. You can download iCloud on Windows, on Mac the panel is installed by default.Is everything installed? Then let's get to the instructions:
- open the iCloud client;
- next to the information about the amount of storage, click on the "Manage" button;
- select the "Backups" tab;
- click on the unnecessary backup;
- The "Delete" button will appear at the bottom, click.
How to delete iCloud backups on iPhone or iPad
Deleting backups on an iOS device is much easier. You just need to proceed to the following settings section:- Settings - iCloud - Storage and copies - Storage
Periodic backup of data stored in iPhone memory and iPad, before each recovery, update or jailbreak of the device - the procedure is necessary. This allows you to protect yourself from losing vital data (phone book, personal photos and videos, notes or calendar) in the event of any failure, software or hardware. Good to have on hand Personal Computer with iTunes installed, in this case the size of the backup does not matter. But if you are actively using iCloud for storage important information both content and free space in the cloud storage is limited to 5 GB (free), you should think about the relevance of the copy. If the need arises delete backups from iCloud or set up iPhone backup, it is very easy to do this.
The functionality of iOS is enough to set up a very flexible backup of the data stored in the memory of the iPhone or iPad and keep the copy up to date. In some cases, you may need to completely delete the backup copy of the device from the Apple cloud storage, for example, as unnecessary.
The iOS backup control panel is located along the path: “ Settings -> iCloud -> Storage -> Storage -> Chapter Backups“.
You can access this menu only if iCloud is connected to your device, i.e. V " Settings -> iCloud"Your Apple ID is connected.
Each Apple ID holder gets 5 GB free in iCloud. This space can be filled with data from iCloud-enabled apps (Pages, Numbers, VPocket, 1Password), your own files in iCloud Drive and copies of data from devices connected to your Apple ID.
If you have several devices "hanging" on one iCloud account and store the data there free seat the storage may run out quickly enough and the question will arise how to delete backups from iCloud and free up space.
Or, suppose you sold another iPhone that was connected to an Apple ID and whose copy was stored in iCloud. Of course it would be wise to delete the files this device and thus make room for other kinds of information. It is very easy to do this from any iOS device connected to your Apple ID.
Delete a backup from iCloud
Connect your iPhone or iPad to the Internet (preferably via Wi-Fi, it will be faster).
Follow the path: “Settings -> iCloud -> Storage -> Storage -> Chapter "Backups" and select the device whose copy you want to delete.
Swipe up to scroll down the page and tap on the inscription “ Delete copy”.
Simultaneously with the removal of the copy, the backup of the device whose data you have deleted will be disabled.
I draw your attention to the fact that the function Reserve copy An iPhone or iPad in iCloud can be managed from another iOS device connected to the same Apple ID, but just remember to turn it off.
Backup setup
If you can disable backup and delete a copy of the device remotely from another device, then you can configure copying (enable or disable individual elements) only on the device whose function you are configuring.
To cancel or enable data backup of individual iCloud-enabled programs, just turn off / on the switch opposite the corresponding program in the menu: “ Settings -> iCloud -> Storage -> Storage -> Device backup” and the backup function of its data will be disabled, i.e. when creating a copy of your device, the data of this program will not be added.
This allows you to save free space in iCloud for other data, especially if there are a lot of iCloud-enabled programs (and there are more and more of them) on your device.
As you can see, there is nothing complicated in the question of how to remove the backup a copy of the iPhone from iCloud no, there are no difficulties in setting up backups. Before following the steps above, think twice if you really don't need a copy of your device or data in a separate app.
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