Having your content backed up is a wonderful thing. If you are not backing up your iOS devices, or your Mac, then you should be. Consider it as insurance against information loss. If you are struggling with how to begin, please drop into the store to discuss your requirements. We can offer solutions to suit any user or budget.
Also take the time to check out our other backup related articles:
iCloud: Your Content With You, Wherever You Are
Whilst Time Machine and the iCloud backup process will automatically manage the removal of old duplicated backups, this is not the case when you backup your iOS device to your Mac.
Each backup remains stored on your computer and is accessible via iTunes. With iTunes launched, simply proceed to iTunes > Preferences from the Menu Bar. Then make sure you are in the devices tab as shown below.
As you can see, I have backups going back to 2011. By this stage, I am sure the information in that backup is not relevant to my current workflow. As such we will take a look at how to remove them and regain some of the lost hard drive space that they currently consume.
To do this, simply highlight the backup you wish to remove. You can hold down the Shift key to select and subsequently remove multiple entries. When selected, click the Delete Backup… button. Doing so will present you with the following warning.
After clicking Delete, they will disappear from the Device Backup list. It is imperative that you click the OK button when closing the iTunes Preferences. If you click Cancel, the backups will not be removed from your computer.
When you have clicked OK, the backup or backups selected will be permanently deleted from your computer. They will not be moved to the Trash and can not be restored.
Please ensure when removing these backups that your devices already have a current, tested, and reliable backup prior to deletion.