How to get photos from an old iPhone backup on your Mac

An old iPhone backup on your Mac can hold photos you no longer have anywhere else. Getting them out takes a few steps, because Finder can back up and restore an iPhone, but it can't open a backup and show you what's inside.

Quick answer First check that the photos are in the backup at all: if iCloud Photos was on, they're kept in iCloud, not in the backup. If they are in it, Apple's way is to restore the backup to an iPhone in Finder, then import the photos to your Mac with the Photos app. Restoring replaces everything on that iPhone, so use a spare iPhone, or back up your current one first.

Step 1: Check that the photos are in the backup

A backup made with your Mac holds almost all of your iPhone's data and settings, but not what's already kept in iCloud. If iCloud Photos was turned on when the backup was made, your photos and videos were in iCloud, not in the backup.

iCloud Photos was on: look for the photos in iCloud Photos instead. On a Mac signed in to the same Apple Account with iCloud Photos turned on, they're in the Photos app.
iCloud Photos was off: the photos that were on the iPhone are in the backup. Read on.
Not sure: go ahead with the steps below. You'll see what comes back.

Step 2: Find the backup and its date

Connect an iPhone to your Mac and select it in the Finder sidebar.
In the General tab, click Manage Backups.

You'll see the backups on this Mac. Note the one you want. If it's encrypted, find its password: without it, the backup can't be restored.

Step 3: Choose which iPhone to restore it to

Restoring is all or nothing. It puts the whole backup on an iPhone and replaces what's on it now. You can't pick only the photos.

Best: a spare iPhone, such as your old one. Nothing you need is replaced.
Your current iPhone: first make a fresh backup of it, so you can put it back the way it is now when you're done. Its newer photos and messages are replaced until you restore that fresh backup.

To back up your current iPhone first:

Connect it to your Mac and select it in the Finder sidebar.
In the General tab, click Back Up Now.
Wait until the backup finishes.

Step 4: Restore the old backup in Finder

Connect the iPhone you chose to your Mac with a cable.
Select it in the Finder sidebar. If asked, unlock the iPhone and tap Trust.
In the General tab, click Restore Backup.
Choose the old backup from the list, then click Restore.
If the backup is encrypted, enter its password.
Keep the iPhone connected to your Mac while it restarts and syncs.

Step 5: Import the photos to your Mac

Now the photos are back on the iPhone, so the Photos app on your Mac can import them.

Connect the iPhone to your Mac with a cable.
Open the Photos app.
If the Import screen doesn't open by itself, click the iPhone's name in the Photos sidebar.
From the Album menu, choose an album, or make a new one such as "Old iPhone."
Select the photos you want and click Import Selected, or import all new items.
Disconnect the iPhone when all the photos have been imported.

On macOS 15.4 or later, photos in the iPhone's Hidden album aren't imported while that album is locked. If you need them, turn off the lock for the Hidden album in the iPhone's Photos settings first.

Step 6: Put your iPhone back

If you used your current iPhone, restore the fresh backup from Step 3 the same way as in Step 4. If you used a spare iPhone, you can leave it as it is or erase it.

An easier way to the same photos

The restore route works, but it ties up an iPhone and takes time. An app that reads backups directly skips the restore: you open the backup on your Mac, see the photos, and copy out the ones you want.

That's what Mirivilo does. In a device's Browse tab, open Photos to see the camera roll from the backup, by month. Select the photos you want and click Save to Mac to copy the originals to your Mac. The iPhone doesn't need to be connected.

Earlier days: Mirivilo keeps a backup for each of the last 30 days. Choose an earlier day to see photos you've since deleted on your iPhone.
Backups Finder made: Mirivilo also lists backups made with Finder, so you can browse and export those too. Reading Finder's folder needs Full Disk Access.
Export: export all of Photos as Originals (full quality, as taken) or as JPEG (smaller, opens anywhere).
Encrypted backups: Mirivilo asks for the backup's password to open it.

Hidden and deleted photos aren't shown, and photos kept only in iCloud aren't in a backup, the same as above.

Updated November 2026