Guide · 5 minute read

Four steps,
no phone needed.

You don't need the phone. You don't need your Apple ID. You don't need an internet connection. You just need a backup that's already on a computer you own.

01

Find your backup

If you've ever plugged an iPhone into this computer and hit sync, a backup is already here. OpenExtract scans the usual spots automatically:

~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/ (macOS)
%APPDATA%\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup\ (Windows)
Worth knowing

On Linux, or if your backup lives on an external drive, just point OpenExtract at any folder and it'll find Manifest.db.

02

Unlock if encrypted

If you ticked "Encrypt local backup" when you made it (good call — encrypted backups contain more data, including saved passwords and Safari history), type your backup password. It goes to the decryption code on your laptop and nowhere else.

Worth knowing

Forgotten the password? There's no backdoor. OpenExtract will tell you which backup is encrypted so you can try known passwords, but it can't brute-force one.

03

Browse what's in there

You get a dashboard: message threads, photo albums, voicemails, contacts, notes, call history. Open any conversation, play any voicemail, preview any photo.

Worth knowing

It's all read-only. Nothing you click modifies your backup.

04

Export what you want

Tick what you need. Pick a format. Everything lands in a neatly organized folder on your Desktop.

Messages → PDF, HTML, CSV, or .txt
Photos → originals (HEIC/JPEG/MOV) with EXIF preserved
Contacts → vCard or CSV
Call history → CSV
Voicemails → .m4a files with timestamps
Worth knowing

You can hand the folder to someone else, print it, archive it, or import pieces of it into another tool. It's just files.

You're at step 0

Grab it and try.
About two minutes.

If you don't have a backup yet, plug your iPhone in, open Finder (or iTunes on Windows), and click "Back up now." Then come back here.

What if I don't have a backup?

Make one now. It's what the official Apple tools are actually decent at.

On a Mac (macOS 10.15+)
  1. Plug your iPhone in.
  2. Open Finder. Click your iPhone in the sidebar.
  3. Tick "Encrypt local backup" and set a password you'll remember. This is worth doing — encrypted backups get you saved passwords and Safari history.
  4. Click "Back up now." Wait.
  5. Come back here.
On a PC (Windows)
  1. Install iTunes if you don't have it. Or Apple Devices from the Microsoft Store.
  2. Plug your iPhone in, open iTunes.
  3. Click the iPhone icon near the top.
  4. Pick "This computer," tick "Encrypt local backup," set a password.
  5. "Back up now." Wait.

Common snags

OpenExtract says "no backups found."

Your backup lives somewhere non-default (external drive, different user account). Use File → Open backup folder and browse to it. Any folder with a Manifest.db file will work.

It's asking for a password I don't remember.

There's no workaround. Apple designed encrypted backups so no tool can get in without the password. If you have an older unencrypted backup lying around, try that instead.

The photo dates are wrong after export.

Check your OS — both macOS and Windows sometimes hide EXIF dates in favor of "date modified." Open the photo's info panel; the original capture date will be there.

My messages only go back a year.

iOS may have been set to auto-delete old messages. Check Settings → Messages → Keep Messages. For everything in the backup to show, the backup must have been made while the messages still existed on the phone.

Ready to get your data?
Free, open source, nothing uploaded. Mac · Windows · Linux.
Download OpenExtract →