In the Apple environment, managing backups is crucial for maintaining optimal storage and ensuring that your system runs smoothly. Deleting old or unnecessary backups can free up valuable disk space and help in organizing your backup strategy. This article will guide you through the process of deleting backups on macOS, focusing on Time Machine backups and iOS device backups stored on your Mac.

Examples:

Deleting Time Machine Backups

1. Using Finder:

   • Open Finder and navigate to the external drive where your Time Machine backups are stored.
   • Open the folder named "Backups.backupdb".
   • Inside this folder, you will see subfolders named after your Mac. Open the folder corresponding to your Mac.
   • You will see a list of dated backup folders. Select the backup you wish to delete.
   • Right-click on the folder and select "Move to Trash".
   • Empty the Trash to permanently delete the backup.

2. Using Terminal:

   • Open Terminal from the Applications > Utilities folder.
   • Use the tmutil command to delete a specific backup. For example:

     sudo tmutil delete /Volumes/YourBackupDrive/Backups.backupdb/YourMacName/YYYY-MM-DD-HHMMSS

   • Replace YourBackupDrive with the name of your external drive, YourMacName with the name of your Mac, and YYYY-MM-DD-HHMMSS with the date and time of the backup you want to delete.

Deleting iOS Device Backups

1. Using Finder (macOS Catalina and later):

   • Connect your iOS device to your Mac.
   • Open Finder and select your device from the sidebar.
   • In the General tab, click on "Manage Backups".
   • A list of backups will appear. Select the backup you want to delete.
   • Click on "Delete Backup" and confirm the action.

2. Using iTunes (macOS Mojave and earlier):

   • Open iTunes and go to Preferences.
   • Click on the Devices tab.
   • You will see a list of device backups. Select the backup you want to delete.
   • Click on "Delete Backup" and confirm the action.