One of the problems of having iTunes backups is storage space. It's a huge problem if you run a Windows machine with a lot of software / data in the C: Drive. This is because iTunes, by default, puts all the backup data into the C: drive and there's no way to move this location from within iTunes's preferences. (You can only move the media folder).So what do you do when you find yourself in a fix where iTunes backups are eating up a lot of space and you absolutely need to move them out of the C: drive? Here's what you can do:
Relocate iOS device backups
- Make a new folder called MobileSync at the root of the drive you want the backup data to live on, e.g. as D:\MobileSync
- Use Windows Explorer to move current Backup folder at <SystemDrive>\Users\<User>\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup into the folder you just made. If the backup folder is large this may take some time.
- To make iTunes look for the data in the new location copy the text below, open a command prompt, click the small icon at the top left to paste in the command, edit the drive letter if needed, and then press <Enter>.
MkLink /J "%AppData%\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup" "D:\MobileSync\Backup"
If you want the backup elsewhere replace D:\MobileSync accordingly.
Note that while this method works for iOS device backups it cannot be used to redirect sections of the media library.