On my MacBook Pro 2019, 16 inch, running Tahoe 26.4.1, in ~/Library/iTunes/iPhone Software Updates/ I notice a 10.28 GB file labeled iPhone14,4_26.4.2_23E261_Restore.ipsw.
Is this the backup for my iPhone 13 mini?
If so, I thought iPhone backups were stored in ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/? (All I have there is a 2.42 GB folder labeled Backup containing numerous small files.)
David
No. These “ipsw” files are system software images. A full or incremental system software installer package.
The fact that it is in an “iTunes” folder tells me that it is either old, or you are running iTunes on your Mac. Either way, it looks like an installer package that was downloaded but never installed.
The name says that it’s an installer for iOS 26.4.2 (the latest version). According to MacTracker, a 13 mini has a model identifier of “iPhone14,4”, so that image is definitely for your phone.
If you are still running iTunes, then I would say that it’s auto-downloaded a pending update and is waiting for you to install it. (Have you upgraded to 26.4.2 yet?).
But this is definitely not your backup. The folder under MobileSync/Backup is your backup.
Thanks for this helpful information, @Shamino
As far as I know, the iTunes folder was inherited from a previous OS.
Yes, I am running iOS 26.4.2, so is it safe to just delete this installer?
David
[EDIT]: P.S. Any idea how this got into the iTunes folder, which I now see has another folder labeled “iPhone Carrier Support”?
On my Mac, updating my iPhone via a Finder window results in the two files you mention from the outdated iOS getting put into the Trash. So if your iPhone is up to date, you probably don’t need to keep either file. I’m not an iOS expert, though, so you might want to check around the Web before deleting anything. I also wouldn’t delete anything whose name contains an iOS version you haven’t installed yet.
I can only assume that that iTunes folder is being used by your current macOS system for caching these kinds of files. Presumably resulting from migrating an older system to your current version of macOS. Or because Apple’s developers just haven’t changed that location for some reason.
If someone had an ipsw file for an older version of iOS, could that person revert his or her iPhone to the earlier iOS version? (I’m assuming the older version of iOS is at least as recent as the earliest iOS that shipped with the phone.)
If so, it would be interesting to know how to get the ipsw file. I’ve poked around iMazing (not recently) but couldn’t see a way to save the ipsw file.
Only if the digital signature for the old version has not been revoked by Apple. Signature revocations for iOS occur within a month, often weeks, of the release of a minor or major update (iOS 18 is an exception).
For example:
Thanks for the tips, @Halfsmoke.
I didn’t see anything definitive on the Web, so I called Apple support, who said it was fine to delete the entire iTunes folder.
Since iOS 18 is an unusual case, does anyone know if it is now possible to “downgrade” an iPhone 13 mini to iOS 18.7.8 from iOS 26.4.2?
I accept that app data won’t easily transfer, but I dislike the iOS 26 experience enough that I’d actually be willing to do a clean installation of iOS 18.7.8, even at the cost of losing data.
I’m slowly becoming open to abandoning iPhones. We’ll see what iOS 27 is like.
Follow-up:
What was in your iPhone Carrier Support folder?
In mine there is an ATT_US_iPhone.ipcc file that unzips to ATT_US.bundle. Neither Apple support nor AT&T have been able to say what is in the bundle or whether it can be safely deleted.
Here is the only online reference I have found:
https://theapplewiki.com/wiki/Filesystem:/System/Library/Carrier_Bundles
I have been unable to go to the /var folder mentioned in the above article to verify that ATT_US.bundle is there.
In any event, anyone know anything about this bundle and whether it is safe to delete it?
I’ve never opened it. But I’m confident that it is related to the “Carrier Settings” that are periodically updated. And you can force your iPhone to check that you are up to date:
——————————
ETA: information about the bundle can be dug up online. One thing you can do is use the prompt “What is in the Carrier Support Folder on a Mac?” with a search engine such as Google Gemini or Perplexity.ai and see if the results match what you found.
On my Mid-2011 iMac limited to MacOS 10.13.6 I use iTunes 12.8.3.1 to sync and backup my iDevices every Sunday. I went to ~/Library/iTunes/Mobile Backups and it is empty! I also checked ~/Library/iTunes/Device Support which is also empty. So now I wonder where are the backups that iTunes said it was writing?
Fortunately I was also using iMazing to back up the iDevices. Its backups are in the Application Support/iMazing/Backups folder.
Thanks for all the helpful information. (Clearly I need to up my search game.)
Before I saw your edit, I used this prompt with Gemini:
”On my MacBook pro 2019 16-inch running macos Tahoe 26.4.1, why do I have an iTunes folder in my User library? Isn’t iTunes no longer used by macos?”
Here are the main points of the answer relevant to the present discussion:
"Even though you now manage your devices through Finder, macOS still uses the legacy iTunes folder structure to store your local iOS/iPadOS backups. . . .
The Music app is essentially a stripped-down, modernized version of the old iTunes code. Because of this, it often keeps the iTunes folder in your Library to store previous iTunes Libraries . . . and iPhone Software Updates (.ipsw files). . . .
Is it safe to delete? Generally, no, don’t delete the folder itself. While the iTunes app is gone, the folder is now a shared resource for the Music app and Finder’s device management."
So, not sure how absolutely reliable all this is, but for now I’m going to let sleeping dogs lie and leave the folder alone. Maybe when I upgrade to an Apple Silicon machine later this year (my current one is Intel) it won’t be migrated.
[Edited to avoid quoting the entire AI answer.]
Pull up the list of backups from the Finder (or iTunes, if you have it). Right-click on one and there should be an option to show it in the Finder.
On my system, they’re in ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backups.
Thank you David, that is also the location of mine in High Sierra. However there are 5 backup folders with gobblygook file names so no way to determine WHICH file belongs to WHICH of the 4 iDevices I back up. And then there is the 5th back up folder which probably goes with an iDevice that I either no longer have or is in storage. I have 2 of the latter: an iPhone 3GS I converted to an “iPod 3GS” and an iPhone 6. I last saw both when I packed up for a downsize move 5 years ago; I STILL have boxes I haven’t yet unpacked!
So how do I ID which backup goes with which device? iMazing uses the device name for their backup folders unlike Apple’s stupid naming.
I wrote this in another thread:
You should be able to pull up your list of backups from iTunes or the Finder. This will present a list with more friendly names. Right-click on one and pick the option to show it in the Finder.
Not the most convenient, but it works