When we update an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch through iTunes are downloading an IPSW file containing iOS in full. These files are stored in a specific folder on your computer and take up storage space (up to about 2 GB in some cases) that, perhaps we want to recover some day. iTunes does not allows us to delete them manually, so in the following lines we will see the route in which iTunes saves the IPSW files on computers with macOS or Windows iOS.
As mentioned, these IPSW files are those who need to update or restore an iOS device (if you already have it downloaded to our iDevice, iTunes does not need to download it again). In addition, in some cases they can also be necessary to jailbreak to any device. Therefore, the location in which they are stored can be useful in certain cases.
For each device is necessary to count with a file concrete, by what not can use, for example, the IPSW of an iPhone 7 to update an iPhone 7 Plus. Is something to have in has and that we can help to recover space of storage, e.g., deleting files of devices that already not have or that perhaps downloaded only to update a device of a family or friend.
Location of the IPSW files in macOS
If are users of Mac, the files IPSW that download through iTunes are located in the following path:
~/Library/iTunes/
To access it we have different folders of type * Software Updates, where the asterisks are the name of each device. Within each one of them are the IPSW files for the device that indicates the folder (iPhone, iPad, or iPod).
Older versions of macOS (or Mac OS X as the operating system was called at that time), the route may vary and be as follows:
~/Library/Application Support/iTunes/
Location of the files IPSW on Windows
In the case of Windows there are several options of location according to the version of the system operating that are running. In addition, these routes also include the user name that you use, so that every computer is different. Specific routes are (changed user name that on your computer):
- Windows XP: Documents and SettingsuserApplication DataApple ComputeriTunes
- Windows Vista and Windows 7: UsersUSUARIOAppDataRoamingApple ComputeriTunes
- Windows 8 and 10: UsersUSUARIOAppDataRoamingApple ComputeriTunes
These are the routes in which iTunes stored by default all them files IPSW that download when we do a update or restoration of iPhone, iPad or iPod. Now that already know where are saved, can access to those routes and eliminate those who already not need without fear, so will recover space of storage in our computers; something that is always appreciated.
