How to restore older, archived iPhone backups from iTunes or Finder

It’s wise to keep an archived backup of your iOS or iPadOS devices if you plan to test beta software. That way, if something goes wrong on your iPhone, you can restore the older, archived backup to fix it. Without archives, your new backups would automatically overwrite the older ones.

This post explains how you restore archived backups of your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. We’ve included instructions for Windows and Mac computers, whether you back up using iTunes or Finder.

Related:

• Archive iOS & iPadOS backups using iTunes or Finder
• iTunes backup not working after macOS upgrade? Tips to consider
• How to back up iPhone to an external drive using iTunes and Terminal
• iTunes could not back up or restore because ‘the backup was corrupt or not compatible’

Why are archived backups so important?

Normally, when you make a new backup of your iOS or iPadOS device, it overwrites the previous backup, updating it with all the new data. That makes it impossible to restore older backups of your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.

This is disastrous if you’re part of the Apple Beta Software Program because if you revert to the normal software, you can’t restore backups you made in the beta program.

Fortunately, it’s possible to archive your iOS or iPadOS backups using a Mac or Windows PC. When you do this, it locks the backup so it isn’t updated anymore. The next time you back up your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, iTunes or Finder creates an entirely new and separate backup.

We’ve already written about how to create archived backups of your devices for Mac users. So now, let’s explain how you restore an archived backup to get all the data back on your device.

How to archive iPhone backups on a Windows PC

Archiving an iPhone backup with Windows involves a different process to using a Mac. You need to locate the backup folder in your system files and rename it. That way, iTunes doesn’t recognize the folder and stops updating it as you make new backups.

Find your iTunes backups by going to:

1. C: Drive > Users > [Username].
2. App Data > Roaming > Apple > MobileSync > Backup.
3. Be sure to keep your renamed backup in the same location.

How do I restore an older backup of my iPhone?

It’s easy to restore archived iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch backups you already saved to your computer. Since Apple discontinued iTunes for macOS Catalina, we’ve written separate instructions for using iTunes and Finder.

Click the relevant link below to jump straight to the right section:

• Restore archived backups using Finder in macOS Catalina or later.
• Restore archived backups using iTunes on a Mac or Windows PC.

If you didn’t make an archived backup to a computer, you might be able to restore older iCloud backups instead.

Restore archived backups using Finder in macOS Catalina or later:

1. Unlock your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch and connect it to your Mac using the Lightning-to-USB cable it came with.
2. Open Finder and select your device from the sidebar, under Locations.
3. If prompted, enter your passcode and agree to Trust This Computer.
4. Select the General tab in Finder, then scroll down to the Backups section.
5. Click Restore Backup… and select your archived backup from the drop-down menu. Use the date and time to see when you made the backup.
6. Click Restore.
7. Wait until your device restarts before you disconnect it.

Restore archived backups using iTunes on a Mac or Windows PC:

1. Unlock your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch and connect it to your Mac using the Lightning-to-USB cable it came with.
2. Open iTunes and select your device from the top-left of the window.
3. If prompted, enter your passcode and agree to Trust This Computer.
4. Select the Summary page from the sidebar.
5. Click Restore Backup and select your archived backup from the drop-down menu. Use the date and time to see when you made the backup.
6. Click Restore.
7. Wait until your device restarts before you disconnect it.

Archive your backups to avoid corrupted files

Without an archive, later iPhone backups only save the data that has changed. This means if a file gets corrupted in one backup, that corruption is present in all the following backups too.

You should occasionally archive an older iPhone backup on your computer to protect against this possibility. Alternatively, find out what to do if you do have a corrupted backup in iTunes or Finder.

Dan Helyer( Senior Writer )

Dan is a freelance writer based in South West England.

He spent two years supervising repairs as a Genius Admin for Apple Retail and uses that knowledge to keep our troubleshooting guides up to date.

Long before that, Dan turned to Apple products from a musical background. Having owned iPods for years, he bought a MacBook to learn sound recording and production. It was using those skills that he gained a first-class Bachelor of Science in Sound Technology.