iTunes Backup Explorer: a graphical viewer for iOS backups
A graphical tool that can extract and replace files from encrypted and non-encrypted iOS backups
At a glance
- What is it?
- iTunes Backup Explorer is a Java application that shows, extracts and replaces files inside iPhone and iPad backups, working with both encrypted and unencrypted backups from iOS 10.2 onwards. It suits someone who needs to look inside their own backup without a command line, and the encrypted path is where the interesting work is.
- Who is it for?
- Adopt iTunes Backup Explorer if you need to inspect or pull files out of your own iOS backup and want a graphical interface rather than a Python script, since the file search with LIKE patterns and the export-to-directory workflow are the parts that make it practical. Skip it if your backup format predates iOS 10.2, and note that the tool is a viewer and editor, not a device forensic suite.
- Can I use it commercially?
- Yes. MIT is a permissive licence: you can use, modify and sell software built on it, as long as you keep its copyright and licence notices.
- Is it still maintained?
- Activity is slowing. The repository last received commits 6 months ago.
- What is it written in?
- Mainly Java, according to GitHub's language statistics.
Answers come from the project's GitHub data, last synced on October 23, 2026, and from our analysis. They are not legal advice.
Editorial analysis
What the tool does
iTunes Backup Explorer is a graphical open-source tool that can show, extract and replace files in iPhone and iPad backups. It supports both encrypted and non-encrypted backups, currently from iOS 10.2 onwards. The gap the project identifies is a specific one. Most programs that support encrypted backups are either limited trials or expensive, and the README states that there are apparently only very few open-source projects that target this issue and none that are also useful for the average user. The primary language is Java, the licence is MIT, and the last push was on 2026-04-18 with releases v1.7 on 2025-02-17, v1.6 on 2025-02-09 and v1.5 on 2024-08-05. The topics list covers the whole surface, with backup-explorer, backup-extractor, backup-viewer, encrypted-backups, ios-backups, ipados, iphone, itunes-backup-viewer and itunes-backups, which tells you the tool is aimed at people who already have a backup and want to get at what is inside it.
Installers, and the jar route that predates v1.7
Starting with version 1.7, the recommended way to install the program is the installer for your operating system from the latest release. On Windows that is the `_win_x64.msi` installer, which by default installs the program just for your user and does not require administrator privileges, after which you double-click the desktop shortcut or use Windows search to launch it. On macOS there are two disk images, `_mac_arm64.dmg` for Apple silicon processors such as M1 and M2, and `_mac_x64.dmg` for Intel-based Macs. On Debian and Ubuntu you download the `_debian_x64.deb` and install it with `sudo apt install ./path/to/package.deb`, and the application is installed to `/opt/itunes-backup-explorer` and added to the desktop menu as an archiving utility. The earlier jar-with-dependencies route is still documented for versions before v1.7, and it needs Java 18 or newer, which you check with `java -version`. On Windows you can double-click the file or run `java -jar JARFILE.jar`, and on macOS and Linux you `chmod +x JARFILE.jar` first, falling back to `java -jar JARFILE.jar` if double-clicking does not work.
The macOS permission problem, and why it is unavoidable
There is one platform-specific failure that will get you if you hit it, so it is worth reading before you start. When exporting data from the backup files you might get `Operation not permitted` errors on a MacBook, and the fix is to go to System Settings, then Privacy & Security, then Full Disk Access, and add both the `java` binary and the jar file you downloaded. The same applies to the application on macOS with the disk image installer, where you might have to grant the application full disk access to prevent the same errors when exporting files. This is not a bug in the tool. The backup directory on macOS is protected by the same system privacy controls that protect mail and messages, and a process that has not been granted full disk access simply cannot read it, so a tool that has to read the backup has to be granted that access. The README links a Stack Overflow question on why a jar file has no permissions to read from disk when started via double-click for the details.
File Search, and the SQLite LIKE patterns it accepts
The File Search tab is the feature that separates this from a plain file browser. You can search for files using case-insensitive SQLite LIKE syntax, and it supports two wildcards. The `%` matches any sequence of zero or more characters, and the `_` matches any single character, with a backslash-space as the escape character. The examples in the README show how far this goes, and they are worth reading because the pattern is a path fragment rather than a filename glob. Videos in the camera roll is the `CameraRollDomain` domain with a relative path of `%.mov`, files under the DCIM directory is `CameraRollDomain` with `Media/DCIM/%`, all .sqlite files is the `%` domain with `%.sqlite`, the .db databases in the home domain is `HomeDomain` with `%.db`, all WhatsApp files is the `%whatsapp%` domain with `%`, and app documents on iCloud is `HomeDomain` with `Library/Mobile Documents/iCloud~%`. Finding the largest files is a query plus a click on `Search` and then twice on the column name `Size`, and the `Export matching` button on the bottom right exports every matching file to a directory you choose.
The Files tab, and replacing or deleting individual entries
The second view is the hierarchical Files tab, and the right-click menu there is where the tool earns the word Explorer rather than Viewer. By right-clicking on a file row you can open, extract, replace or delete a single file, and the same set of actions works on a row in the search results. If a file is a symbolic link, you can show the target location, which is a detail that matters in an iOS backup because the domain structure is full of them. Two distinctions are worth keeping straight. Replacing a file rewrites it inside the backup, so the backup is modified in place and the operation is not a read-only extraction. And deleting a file from a backup removes it from that backup, which is a different act from deleting it from the device, since the device copy is unaffected. Neither operation touches the device, and the tool works entirely on the backup directory.
Privacy, stated plainly
There is a Privacy section in the README, and its content is short enough to quote almost as it stands. The author says that for him it was a matter of course, but that it was pointed out that he should clarify it anyway. No personal data is collected, and in fact the program does not even use an internet connection at this time. If that should change at some point in the future, the notice will be updated. That last sentence is the one that matters for anyone reading this later, because it is a commitment to a change rather than a claim of permanence, and a tool that could later phone home is a different proposition from one that cannot. For a tool whose entire purpose is reading the most personal data on a device, the no-network property is a meaningful part of the design, and it is also the reason the tool can be trusted with a backup that contains credentials and message history.
Building it yourself, and the cross-platform jar
The build instructions cover three outputs. For native executables, you install a current JDK and Maven, run `mvn clean package`, and find the built executable in `target/app-image` with an installer in `target/installer`. For a jar file with dependencies for your system, you use `mvn clean compile assembly:single`. And for a fairly cross-platform jar with dependencies for Windows, Linux and ARM macOS, you use the most_platforms profile, `mvn clean compile assembly:single -Pmost_platforms`. You can also run it directly using Maven with `mvn exec:exec`. The repository root is a standard Maven layout with a `pom.xml`, a `src/` directory, a `packaging/` directory for the installer configuration, a `3RD-PARTY-LICENSES.txt`, a `FUNDING.yml` and a `LICENSE`. The credits section is unusually specific about where the knowledge came from, starting from a Stack Overflow answer by andrewdotn on how iOS backups are structured and encrypted, which had been viewed more than 220,000 times, and continuing through a conference paper on iPhone Data Protection, iOS Hacker's Handbook, a GitHub comment, the iphone-dataprotection project and the Apple iOS Security Guide for iOS 11.
Editorial conclusion
Adopt iTunes Backup Explorer if you need to inspect or pull files out of your own iOS backup and want a graphical interface rather than a Python script, since the file search with LIKE patterns and the export-to-directory workflow are the parts that make it practical. Skip it if your backup format predates iOS 10.2, and note that the tool is a viewer and editor, not a device forensic suite. Before you start, check that you have Java 18 or newer for the jar route, grant full disk access on macOS if you hit Operation not permitted errors, and remember that the encrypted path needs the backup password, since the tool decrypts the backup rather than bypassing it.
Frequently asked questions
What does iTunes Backup Explorer do with encrypted iOS backups?
It supports both encrypted and non-encrypted backups from iOS 10.2 onwards, and the project positions itself against alternatives by noting that most programs handling encrypted backups are limited trials or expensive, while few open source projects target this and are also usable by a non-expert.
How do I search for files inside a backup?
Use the File Search tab, which supports case-insensitive SQLite LIKE syntax with two wildcards: % for any sequence of characters and _ for a single character, with a backslash-space as the escape character. The pattern is a path fragment, so camera roll videos are %.mov and iCloud app documents are Library/Mobile Documents/iCloud~%.
How do I install iTunes Backup Explorer on macOS?
From version 1.7, download the _mac_arm64.dmg for Apple silicon or the _mac_x64.dmg for Intel Macs. You also need to grant full disk access under System Settings, Privacy & Security, otherwise exporting files fails with Operation not permitted errors.
How do I build iTunes Backup Explorer from source?
Install a current JDK and Maven, then run `mvn clean package` for native executables, `mvn clean compile assembly:single` for a jar with dependencies, or `mvn clean compile assembly:single -Pmost_platforms` for a cross-platform jar covering Windows, Linux and ARM macOS. You can also run it with `mvn exec:exec`.
Official sources
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