How to change where device backups are made to and read from in TouchCopy

Summary

Using the TouchCopy software on your computer, you can access content from your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch and copy it to your computer. To access certain information like Messages, Contacts and Call Logs, TouchCopy requires a backup of the device to read from.

Given the vast amount of data you can store on these mobile devices, these backups can take up a significant amount of space on your computer.

For greater flexibility, TouchCopy allows you to choose where to save the backups it creates. You can back up to your computer, or if you are running low on space, back up to an external drive instead.

Learn how to:

• Change the backup location on Windows
• Change the backup location on Mac
  • Set permissions to use the System Default Location
• Manage your backups in TouchCopy
• Choose the best backup destination for you
• Troubleshoot backup issues

How to change your device backup location in TouchCopy on Windows

1. Launch TouchCopy on your Windows PC or laptop.
2. Connect your iPhone to your computer via USB cable.
3. In TouchCopy, click "Settings" from the toolbar on the left of the program window.
4. Click "Backups" to view all your backup options.
5. Select your desired backup location. You may need to restart TouchCopy to apply your changes.

How to change your device backup location in TouchCopy on Mac

1. Launch TouchCopy on your Mac or MacBook.
2. Connect your iPhone to your computer via USB cable.
3. In TouchCopy, click "Preferences" from the toolbar on the left of the program window.
4. Click "Backups" to access the backup options.
5. Select your desired backup location. You may need to restart TouchCopy to apply your changes.

Setting permissions to allow TouchCopy to access backups in the System Default Location

This step is only necessary for Macs running macOS Mojave 10.14 and higher.

For TouchCopy to access the system default location for your backups, you'll need to grant Full Disk Access. Here's how to do it...

1. From your Launchpad, open System Settings > Privacy & Security > Full Disk Access.
2. Scroll down and click the "+". If prompted, enter your password to allow changes.
   (On macOS Sonoma and earlier, you'll need to click the lock icon before being able to click "+".)
3. Select TouchCopy from the list and click Open to grant Full Disk Access.

Managing Backups

In Settings/Preferences, you can see all the device backups that TouchCopy has created. On Mac, you can right-click a backup for the option to locate the backup in Finder.

To delete a backup, simply select it from the list, and click the Delete button.

You also have the option to enable "Automatically delete backups upon disconnecting device". This is a great way to keep that precious storage space available in between uses of TouchCopy!

Choosing a Backup Location

You have 3 choices in TouchCopy as to where you'd like to store and read device backups from:

• TouchCopy backup location: Backups will be created and read from the following location:
  • On Windows: /Users/{your username}/Apple/MobileSync/Backup
  • On Mac: ~/Library/Application Support/Wide Angle Software/MobileSync
• External backup location: Choose a location on a connected external drive to create backups to and read the backups from.
• iTunes Backup location (PC) / System default backup location (Mac):
  • The location used on Windows can vary depending on the version of iTunes or Apple Devices app you use. Click the folder icon next to this option to find out what location is used. Find out more about where your backups are stored on PC.
  • When you create a backup of a device on your Mac using Finder (or iTunes on older Macs), your backups will be stored here:
    ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/
    If you choose this option, you'll need to grant Full Disk Access so that TouchCopy has the correct permissions needed to access this location.

Troubleshooting TouchCopy not reading your backups

If you are having trouble with creating and reading backups in TouchCopy - help is at hand.

When you select a section in TouchCopy which would require a backup to read data from (like Messages, Contacts and Call Logs), TouchCopy will get working to create a backup of the device to read from.

While a backup is in progress, the device will show a spinning icon at the top of its screen (if you are using an iPhone with the "notch" at the top of the screen, you'll need to swipe down from the top of the screen in order to check for the spinning icon in your Control Centre).

Creation of a backup can take some time depending on how much content is stored on the device.

My Backup is stuck!

If the backup seems to freeze up, or if TouchCopy closes during a backup, the most common cause is insufficient storage space on your computer. If you don't have enough space to store the backup, you can try: freeing up some space on your PC, or clearing disk space on your Mac.

Alternatively, if you have an external drive with enough space to store your backup, choose to use your external drive location in TouchCopy using the steps in this guide!

If the issue persists, please follow the steps in our guide to set extra permissions and create a backup outside of TouchCopy.