- Plug the iOS device into the PC you normally sync with. Load up iTunes, wait for it to be recognised in the bar on the left of the window, right-click and select Backup. Make sure you also Transfer Purchases to keep any apps or media you’ve bought directly on the device itself.
- Your backup now needs to be moved to the Mac, along with your music. Using a local network or external hard disk, copy everything in your iTunes folder to your Mac. For apps and other settings, locate your backup and copy the whole folder across. The precise source and destination folder paths are:
Windows 7 or 8
c:\users\username\appdata\roaming\applecomputer\mobilesync\backup
OS X
/library/application support/mobilesync/backup - Without connecting your device to the destination Mac just yet, fire up iTunes on it, go to Edit | Preferences | Devices and tick the box to Prevent iPods, iPhones and iPads from syncing automatically. Only then should you plug in the device, and authorise it when iTunes makes that request.
- Right-click on your device in the left menu and select Transfer Purchases. Then finally right-click and select “Restore from Backup”. Provided you put all your files in the right place earlier, the sync should run and your files should remain intact. If there are any problems, you still have the backup on your old computer.
I.T. Tips from fergus.it