iPhone backups on Windows sit in one of two folders. The Apple Devices app and iTunes from the Microsoft Store use %USERPROFILE%\Apple\MobileSync\Backup. iTunes downloaded from Apple’s website uses %APPDATA%\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup. Each backup is a folder named with the iPhone’s device ID, a long code such as 00008110-001A2B3C4D5E6F7A on newer iPhones (older models use 40 characters). Apple’s page on locating backups covers both starting points.
Finding the folder is usually the first step of a bigger job: reading a conversation from an old backup, checking whether a backup holds messages at all, or clearing space before you delete one. AppData is a hidden folder in File Explorer by default, and the backup folders have long coded names, so it helps to know the exact path before you start clicking.
Found the backup? Open it read-only and see the conversations it holds.
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Which app uses which folder?
The folder depends on where your app came from. The Apple Devices app and iTunes from the Microsoft Store save backups under your user profile. iTunes downloaded from Apple’s website saves them under AppData. The table shows each app and its full path.
| App | Backup folder |
|---|---|
| Apple Devices app | %USERPROFILE%\Apple\MobileSync\Backup |
| iTunes from the Microsoft Store | %USERPROFILE%\Apple\MobileSync\Backup |
| iTunes downloaded from Apple’s website | %APPDATA%\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup |
Not sure which iTunes you have? Apple’s page says that if iTunes shows Check for Updates in its Help menu, and you are not using the Apple Devices app, you should look under %AppData%. If you have used both kinds of app over the years, check both folders.
How do I open the backup folder?
Press the Windows key + R, type %USERPROFILE% or %AppData%, and press Enter. Windows opens that location. Then follow the path from the table to the Backup folder. Apple’s page gives the same starting points. The steps below cover both routes.
- Press the Windows key + R.
- Type
%USERPROFILE%if you use the Apple Devices app or iTunes from the Microsoft Store. Type%AppData%if you use iTunes from Apple’s website. Press Enter. - Open Apple, then MobileSync, then Backup. For
%AppData%, open Apple Computer, then MobileSync, then Backup.
If the Backup folder holds no folders, no backup is stored in that location. To make one in Apple Devices or iTunes, connect the iPhone with a cable and select it. Choose to back up to this computer, then choose Back Up Now.
How do I tell my backups apart?
Each backup is a folder named with the iPhone’s device ID, a long code such as 00008110-001A2B3C4D5E6F7A on newer iPhones (older models use 40 characters), and each folder is one device, so the names alone do not say which phone is which. There are two practical ways to match a folder to a device.
- In Apple Devices or iTunes. Apple’s page on encrypted backups describes the backup list under Manage Backups (or the Devices pane of iTunes preferences). It shows your device’s name, a lock next to encrypted backups, and the date and time each backup was made. In Apple Devices, right-clicking a backup in that list offers Show in Explorer, which opens its folder.
- In BackupPaper. BackupPaper shows the device name and the backup date after you open a folder. If you have several folders, open them one at a time.
Once you have the right backup, see how to save iPhone text messages as a PDF on Windows. If you are sorting old backups to clear disk space, our guide on deleting old iPhone backups on Windows covers the safe order.
Does the backup hold your text messages?
It depends on Messages in iCloud. Apple says a backup made on a computer leaves out iMessages and text (SMS) and multimedia (MMS) messages that already sync to iCloud. If Messages in iCloud is on, the backup may hold few or no conversations. BackupPaper then says the backup has no conversations.
Read Backup methods for iPhone or iPad for Apple’s wording. Apple explains the setting in its guide, Set up iCloud for Messages on all your devices. Use the free trial to see what your backup holds. BackupPaper reads the Messages app only: iMessage and SMS texts.
Meet BackupPaper
BackupPaper reads the backup folder you just found and lists the conversations inside it, without changing a file.
It is a Windows app that saves one conversation from an iPhone backup on your PC as a PDF or CSV file. It opens backups made by iTunes or Apple Devices for Windows, including the default backup folders in the table above, and reads encrypted backups when you type the password you set. It makes no network connections, needs no account, and does not need the iPhone connected. For a broader look at what it shows, see our iPhone backup viewer for Windows page.
How to read a backup folder with BackupPaper
- Open BackupPaper and choose the backup folder. Pick the folder for the device you want.
- Type the password if the backup is encrypted. On our test PC the password check took about five seconds.
- Read the conversation list. BackupPaper lists the conversations with message counts and last dates, newest first, under the device name and backup date.
- Select a conversation. Each message shows its time, sender and text, plus reactions, replies and attachment names.
- Export if you need a file. Choose Export PDF or Export CSV and name the new file in the Windows Save dialog.
Screenshots use a synthetic backup with fictitious names.
BackupPaper reopens the last backup when you start it again, so you do not have to find the folder twice. Our page on reading text messages from an iTunes backup covers the reading side in more depth.
Point BackupPaper at the backup folder and read the conversations inside.
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What other ways are there to see what is inside?
Knowing the path gets you to the folder, but not to the messages. File Explorer shows you the backup’s files; it does not show the conversations inside them. These are the usual routes from there.
| Method | Works well for | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Browsing the folder in File Explorer | Checking that a backup exists and how much space it takes | You see files, not conversations |
| Restoring the backup to an iPhone | Putting the backup’s information back on a phone | You need a phone to restore, and an encrypted backup needs its password |
| A Mac with the same messages | Printing a conversation to PDF from the Mac’s print dialog | You need a Mac that has the messages |
| Reading the backup on the PC with BackupPaper | Reading and exporting one conversation from the folder you found | The backup must hold the messages |
Reading the backup where it sits is the practical route on a Windows PC. There is no restore and no second device, and the backup stays as it was, because BackupPaper opens it read-only.
Leave the files in a backup folder alone
Do not move, rename or edit files inside a backup folder. A change can damage the backup. This is general care advice. BackupPaper opens the backup read-only and never changes it. It refuses to save an export into the backup folder, and every export is a new file that you name.
Frequently asked questions
Where does the Apple Devices app store iPhone backups?
The Apple Devices app stores iPhone backups in %USERPROFILE%\Apple\MobileSync\Backup on Windows. iTunes from the Microsoft Store uses the same folder. iTunes downloaded from Apple’s website uses %APPDATA%\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup. Each backup is a folder named with the iPhone’s device ID. Apple explains both starting points on its support site.
How do I access an iPhone backup on a PC?
Press the Windows key + R and type %USERPROFILE% or %AppData%. Open the Apple or Apple Computer folder, then MobileSync, then Backup. To read the messages, choose one backup folder in BackupPaper. It opens the backup read-only and lists the conversations with message counts and last dates.
Does BackupPaper need my iPhone connected?
No. BackupPaper reads a backup that is already on the PC, so you do not need to connect the iPhone. To make a new backup, use Apple Devices or iTunes, then open that backup in BackupPaper. BackupPaper makes no network connections and uploads nothing.
How do I know if an iPhone backup is encrypted?
Look for a lock. Apple says the backup list under Manage Backups in Apple Devices, or the Devices pane of iTunes preferences, shows a lock next to your device’s name when the backup is encrypted, along with the date and time it was made. BackupPaper asks for the password when you open an encrypted backup.
Try BackupPaper
BackupPaper is a one-time purchase in the Microsoft Store, with a 15-day free trial run by the Store. The trial has every feature, with no watermark and no message limit, so you can open the folder you found and see what it holds before you pay. The Store installs and updates the app, and the receipt comes from Microsoft. Read more on the BackupPaper product page.
See what your backup holds during the 15-day free trial.
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Last updated 5 October 2026. Published by Automata Labs, a software company in Canada.
iPhone, iMessage and iTunes are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries and regions. BackupPaper is not affiliated with or endorsed by Apple.