iPad Pro to iMac backup

I have been routinely been backing up the iPad pro to the iMac for some time without difficulty. However on the last attempts there has been a problem.
Towards the end of the backup process during syncing with the message "preparing to copy items" I get a small window that states "Attempting to copy to the disk Macintosh HD failed. "The required folder cannot be found"
I click ok and then the activity cycle continues indefinitely.
Hope this makes sense
Any help would be greatly appreciated
SRL

I don't know the answer or what you're using for backup software, but I'd strongly suggest either of these if you aren't using either:
iMazing ( I don't know if it's free to try or not now)
https://imazing.com

iExplorer (free to try)
https://macroplant.com/iexplorer




- Patrick
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Backups from your iPhone and iPad are located here on your Mac:

Macintosh HD/Users/your user name/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/

Note: In order to view that folder you will have to unhide your user library. You should check that folder on your Mac to see if it does contain the backups. And by the way, both iMazing and iExplorer will place the backups they make in the same place. So if that folder is non existent it won't matter how or what you use to backup. Don't forget that you can still make backups to iCloud.

And by the way, both iMazing and iExplorer will place the backups they make in the same place. So if that folder is non existent it won't matter how or what you use to backup.

Click to expand...

Just for the record, but I don't know about the latest version of iExplorer.app, but at least the iMazing.app v. 2.2.x allows various optional locations to store any of its backups.





- Patrick
======

However, by default iMazing 2 will place the backups in the folder I specified above. Anyway, it has nothing to do with the fact that the folder somehow is missing on the OP's machine. The iMazing site says "free download" but doesn't mention anything about a trial version. And I'm not sure iExplorer is fully functional until registered? I have the registered version (was a free download at the time - on special).

the folder somehow is missing on the OP's machine.

Click to expand...

Unfortunately a quick google search on 'the folder somehow is missing on the OP's machine.' seems to show a similar problem seems to have been going on for some years now:
https://www.google.ca/search?client...&oe=UTF-8&gfe_rd=cr&ei=UalEWaeeHfLe8Afu8qHQBw

I'd be inclined to try using iMazing, and at least get a current working backup.




- Patrick
======

Thanks for getting back chscag and others. I have checked in the library and there are many directories and files but they are not in a form that I understand and therefore I am unable to determine which are backup files, which device they appertain to and what date they were created. Does anyone know how to understand them?
SRL

chscag said:

And I'm not sure iExplorer is fully functional until registered? I have the registered version (was a free download at the time - on special).

Click to expand...

I registered iExplorer last night to recover audiobooks and some other stuff from my wife's iPad. I think it lets me see some things I wasn't quite sure how to see with iMazing. The iExplorer demo seems to be fully functional in terms of what can be recovered but seems to limit how much can be recovered until it's registered.

SRL said:

Thanks for getting back chscag and others. I have checked in the library and there are many directories and files but they are not in a form that I understand and therefore I am unable to determine which are backup files, which device they appertain to and what date they were created. Does anyone know how to understand them?
SRL

Click to expand...

Did you follow the path I specified above in Post # 3 ? If you did, that will take you directly to the backup files themselves. Here's an example of what they look like:

Macintosh HD/Users/you/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/01ca46d46b1cd4c3e29a12a6f9c9ac704fde94dc/

That last group of numbers is further broken down into numerous small folders each containing backup data. It's complex. But you should be able to separate the backups by the date they were made.

Navigate to the location chscag has identified, use the list view in Finder and the date created will appear. The date should give you a clue to the most current backup areas. On my system are many subfolders, and the data within them is pretty much useless as-is, but it's there. So perhaps iTunes has lost the location, or the permissions on the folder got mucked up. What I should do would be to copy the entire folder to some other location, then delete it from the original position. Now restart iTunes and it should create the location new. Make backups of the iMac before you do anything, so that you can get back to where you were before you try this. Nothing *should* go wrong, but this is computing!

Thanks for getting back again chscag. I followed the path specified by yourself and got exactly the same as the example you provided so I know I am the right track now and will continue to investigate further in the way you and more recently MacInWin have suggested. Once again my thanks to everyone who has provided help and advice
SRL