Is it safe to delete the contents of Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup if using iCloud?

My /Users/{username}/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup is 5GB and I'd really like to reclaim that space if I can.

I back up my iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch to iCloud, so is there any reason not to simply delete the 9000+ legacy backups in this folder?

Solution 1:

Yes, it is safe to delete it, if you are sure you want to lose those backups.

To do so, in a more elegant way, just:

1. Open iTunes Preferences
2. Click Devices
3. Locate the backup for the iOS device you want to delete, select it, and click Delete Backup.
4. Confirm you wish to remove the selected backup by clicking Delete Backup.
5. Click OK to close the iTunes Preferences Window.

Extracted from Apple's support document about iOs backups.

Confirmed: Deleting through iTunes will delete all the backUp files of the selected device.

Solution 2:

Added macOS Catalina 10.15 update below for delete backup instructions

1. Connect the device
2. On a Mac with macOS Catalina 10.15 or later, open the Finder. On a Mac with macOS Mojave 10.14 or earlier, or on a PC, open iTunes. Click your device.
3. In Finder, under the General tab, click Manage Backups to see a list of your backups. From here, you can right-click on the backup that you want, then select Delete or Archive. In iTunes, choose Preferences, then click Devices. From here, you can right-click on the backup that you want, then choose Delete or Archive. Click OK when you're finished.
4. Click Delete Backup, then confirm.

Official documentation: https://support.apple.com/en-hk/HT204215#deleteiTunes