How to access the iPhone file system. How to View the File System of an iOS Device on Windows
File managers There are already quite a few for the iPhone. Among this motley assortment there are both incompletely translated Chinese crafts and sophisticated specimens with dozens of different buttons. We’ll leave their big comparative review for later, but for now let’s turn our attention to the DiskAid program. It has two obvious advantages - ease of learning and use + cross-platform (new versions of the program are simultaneously released for Macs and PCs).
Let's not talk about the need for a file manager for an iPhone - for owners of jailbroken devices, its absence negates all the advantages of the jail. But DiskAid is not a simple file manager. Its developers managed to do the impossible - it seems that their program would never have been able to receive approval from Apple, but the App Store has officially released a client for viewing files that you have uploaded to the device.
All you have to do is install the program, connect your iPhone to your computer and launch DiskAid. You will see this window:
The most important thing about it is the lower left corner. If your iPhone is jailbroken, then you can select the item in the drop-down list Root Folder- this will take you to the root of the iPhone file system.
Paragraph Media Folder- this is the /var/mobile/Media folder. It is notable for the fact that it stores music from the iPod, podcasts, voice notes and much more useful things.
Paragraph DiskAid Folder- this is exactly the folder that will be visible to you from the FileAid program on your iPhone.
The purpose of the buttons on the top toolbar is clear even without English captions. Let's just tell you about a useful button Bookmarks. Let's say you regularly need to look into the documents folder of one of the programs installed on your iPhone. Traveling through its depths, you will be surprised to find that in the folder /var/mobile/Applications there are not the programs themselves with readable names, but creepy-looking type identifiers 3A686EC7-17D6…. Already inside these folders are the programs themselves. So, so that you don’t have to remember where everything is hidden, just go to the desired folder once, open the bookmarks panel and click on the plus sign there.
Everything is great, of course, but there is a big drawback: DiskAid does not support access rights. This can seriously complicate your (and your iPhone's) life if you're dealing with system files. Therefore, we recommend using the program in conjunction with Cydia.
About DiskAid's younger brother - the program FileAid there's not much to say. Its story is sad - before, it actually allowed you to upload files via DiskAid to a special folder on your iPhone from one computer and access them on another. When you connect an iPhone to a PC computer, in Explorer you will see its photo album as a special folder. FileAid made it possible to see another folder there - in which all the uploaded files were located.
But recently, App Store censors finally realized their mistake and demanded that the ability to transfer files via USB be removed from FileAid. Now she has changed her name to and is no different from dozens of similar viewers. Files are now offered to be uploaded via Wi-Fi.
View supported:
- images (JPG, PNG, GIF, TIFF), PDF
- Microsoft Office, iWork and OpenOffice documents, TXT, RTF
- audio MP3, AAC, ALAC, AIFF, WAV
- video MP4, MOV, M4V
- HTML web pages and Safari archives
One last thing: FileApp is free. DiskAid costs $9.90.
Unlike Windows and Android, iOS does not have a file system accessible to users, but this does not mean that the iPhone or iPad cannot be used as a file manager. If your job involves processing files and documents that you need to upload, edit, and forward, third-party applications are almost indispensable. Below we will look at several file managers for iOS devices that will help you work with documents.
First, let's figure out what requirements a good file manager should meet. A good file manager should excel at the following functions:
Import: A file manager is required to quickly import files and documents, and the more import options, the better.
Control: A good file manager should give the user complete freedom of action with files. The user should be able to create folders, set tags, change the color indicators of files, archive folders, and much more.
Export: A file manager from which you can’t “get” anything is useless. Users should be able to export any file to another application for viewing and editing.
Documents 6 is the best third-party file and document manager for iPhone and iPad. The app is completely free and comes with every feature you can imagine. Documents 6 makes it easy to import files (from your computer, cloud storage, web pages, etc.) and manage them (drag, share, archive, tag, and more).
Documents 6 works great with all formats, including text, video and audio files. The application allows you to read books, listen to music, share files, view PDF, etc.
In the era of cloud-based data syncing, Documents 6 gives you the peace of mind that all your important files are stored locally on your device, and iCloud won't delete old, but important photos if you suddenly run out of free space. With Documents 6, you don't have to worry about Dropbox not syncing properly when you don't have a strong internet connection. Everything you need will always be at your fingertips.
Files from Apple
iOS 11 introduces a new Files app, replacing the outdated iCloud Drive. Mac users may find the new file manager similar to Finder.
The Files app is built into iOS and allows you to connect to multiple cloud storage services within one app. If you use multiple cloud services, such as iCloud, Dropbox, and OneDrive, and want one central place where you can manage all the files they store, the Files app is just what you need.
As for importing files, the Apple application has a drawback here - the application does not have the ability to download files from the Internet or transfer via Wi-Fi. However, this shortcoming is fully compensated by the presence of a wide range of functions for managing and sharing files. For example, Files lets you drag and drop documents not only within the app (you can use this feature to add tags, mark favorites, and move files and folders) but also into and out of it.
The oldest popular powerful tool for working with files, appreciated by millions of users.
If you often work with PDF documents on your iPhone or iPad, GoodReader will become an indispensable assistant for you. The application allows you to import files from cloud storage, local servers or your computer and sort them into folders.
GoodReader makes scrolling through documents on your iPad a pleasure. Of course, smooth scrolling is not something out of the ordinary, but many applications fail to cope with this task. GoodReader is one of the few apps that will let you scroll through countless pages of multi-volume PDF documents without huffing or puffing.
Among other things, the application allows you to add annotations to documents. You can type in the provided text fields or write by hand using the Apple Pencil. GoodReader also has the ability to add stickers to pages of PDF documents.
FileBrowser not only has features that no decent file manager would be without, but it also allows you to connect to a remote computer and work with the files on it!
The application allows you to view, copy, move, download and upload, stream files between computers, servers, NAS drives and cloud storage without the need to download additional software. Geeks and system administrators will appreciate it.
FileBrowser supports a huge number of different media file and document formats.
It has everything you could possibly want from a file manager for iOS: access to remote computers, file servers and NAS, an interface for working with cloud storage and files on your gadget, a built-in reader for all popular photo, audio and video formats, documents and PDF files.
A file manager that many iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch owners simply cannot do without when managing their device. An indispensable tool, even called a more functional version of iTunes, seemed ideal, but not for the utility's developers. Not long ago, DiskAid was reborn, received even more features, became more convenient and is now known under the name iMazing.
iMazing is the same file manager for iOS devices as its direct predecessor DiskAid. However, the developers decided to change the name of the utility for a reason. iMazing is a file manager taken to a whole new level, allowing owners of Apple mobile devices to take full control of their device.
Possibilities
The range of functions of iMazing, as a completely new utility, is extremely wide. iMazing users get unique opportunities when working with both the file system and individual applications, for example, the same Music, like iMazing, which was reborn in iOS 8.4. But let's look at all the functions of iMazing in order.
Working with the file system
But there are always workarounds, and iMazing offers one of them. Without any interference in the operation of systems and without the need to jailbreak, the utility allows you to load files of any type into the memory of your iPhone or iPad. At the same time, iMazing offers many possibilities for transferring. Files can be copied to several connected devices at once, and connected to the file system via Wi-Fi.
Accordingly, there are no restrictions. However, there is no need to worry that the iPhone or iPad will be full and because of this iOS will start to work unstable - iMazing controls everything and will not allow the device to fail.
Working with applications
When you delete an application from your iOS device, all associated files, which may include important documents, are automatically erased along with it. Applications, of course, allow you to save the necessary documents via email or cloud storage, however, this process can hardly be called easy.
Using iMazing, you can make copies of any files from standard or third-party applications installed on your iPhone or iPad. At the same time, this is done extremely simply - you need to right-click on a document or even an entire folder and select “Save to PC”.
Applications using iMazing can be copied entirely, for subsequent restoration in their original form. That is, you can make a backup copy of a game that you have not yet completed and delete it from your device in order to free up space. Afterwards, the game can be restored using iMazing on an iPhone or iPad without losing your progress. And this is just one example of how you can use the function of creating full backup copies of applications.
Backup
But not only applications can be saved as a backup using iMazing. The utility makes it very easy to create a complete copy of your iPhone or iPad, which you can later “roll” back.
Unlike iTunes, iMazing backs up every app and all of its associated documents, as well as all your photos, videos, contacts, notes, reminders, and more. However, the most remarkable thing is that you do not have to look for access to this backup copy in the wilds of the system - you yourself choose the path where the full backup of the device will be saved.
The backup function in iMazing has flexible settings. If necessary, you can select only certain information or files to be saved in the copy. This way you can make the backup copy much easier, leaving only important information in it.
Music
Allows iMazing to operate with your music collection very conveniently. Through the utility, you can either copy new songs and entire albums to the device, or upload music to your computer. Of course, we are only talking about those songs that were downloaded to the iPhone or iPad from a computer.
Working with music on iOS devices using iMazing is really pleasant, and most importantly, all this is done bypassing iTunes, which many still dislike. You still can’t do without launching iTunes once, since in the program settings you need to check the box “Give other programs access to the XML file of the iTunes Library.”
It is very convenient through iMazing to download not only music to mobile devices, but also podcasts or audiobooks downloaded outside of iTunes.
Messages and contacts
A separate point worth highlighting is iMazing’s work with text messages. SMS is now fading into the background, due to text messengers like WhatsApp or Viber, however, “SMS” is dear to many simply as a memory.
Using iMazing, you can copy your entire text message history from your iPhone or iPad to your computer, so that your important information is as safe as possible. iMazing supports importing SMS messages both in plain text format and in CSV or PDF.
The flexibility of the settings is worth noting here too - unnecessary text messages, or just spam from taxi drivers or food delivery services, can not be exported.
You can transfer contacts from your device to your computer in a similar way. Much more valuable information, even the thought of losing which makes many people’s hair stand on end, can be exported as an elegant vCards file, which can then be “eated” by any program, such as Microsoft Outlook.
Photos
Well, where would we be without photographs? As an exemplary, if not perfect, file manager, iMazing can keep all your iPhone or iPad photos in a safe place. In this case, the program works both with locally saved pictures and photos located in iCloud.
Finding a specific photo using iMazing is also very easy. Small thumbnails and identification of previously created albums in the Photos application make the search process very convenient.
Why iMazing and not iTunes?
Previously, iTunes seriously frightened users - many could not even transfer their favorite music to an iPhone or iPad on their own, let alone the process of restoring a mobile device from a backup. Now the situation is gradually changing, because Apple has begun to make its multimedia processor simpler.
However, it becomes simpler only gradually and the process of managing multimedia files is not the most convenient, constant synchronizations and, albeit infrequent, errors in the operation of iTunes continue to repel ordinary users.
And this is precisely the main advantage of iMazing over iTunes. Yes, not even in the set of functions that iMazing can offer, and iTunes, due to its closed nature, does not. It is this simplicity that makes iMazing better than the giant Apple app.
In addition, one cannot help but highlight the speed of iMazing. Imagine the situation - you urgently need to download a file to your iPhone and leave your home or office. In iTunes, the process of downloading a file to the device cannot be called long, but before and after that, you will need to endure synchronization, which can take a long time, depending on the last time you connected the device to the computer. In iMazing, it’s enough to drag the necessary files into the program window with the mouse and be ready to rush to urgent matters as soon as the loading bar crosses the finish line.
Bottom line
iMazing is a worthy successor to DiskAid. The utility has become even faster, learned to work with iOS 9, and also acquired a number of interesting functions. A convenient, visually pleasing interface, full availability in Russian and the simplicity with which iMazing fulfills all requests sent to it, makes iMazing the best file manager for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.
iMazing is a paid utility, however, with a promotional code from our portal: APPLEIPHONEGETSIMAZING, you can get a 30% discount on purchasing a licensed version of the program for one user. You can purchase iMazing for Windows and OS X at
When working with a jailbroken iOS device, problems may arise that can only be solved by modifying the files. And for this you need to know the basic structure of the file system, understand where everything is and which files are responsible for what, where programs and tweaks are installed and how they interact with each other. We'll talk about all this.
Main directories and files
iOS is a UNIX-like operating system and uses a very similar file system structure to UNIX and OS X. The "folder" here is called a "directory", and the file system "grows" from the root /. The ~ sign denotes the user's home directory. In normal mode, this is the directory /var/mobile/, in root user mode - /var/root. Some directories are standard for UNIX systems. This is /boot - here in UNIX the system kernel and RAM disk are located (in iOS the kernel is located in the /System/Library/Caches/com.apple.kernelcaches/kernelcache directory), /etc - settings for low-level services, /tmp - temporary files, /bin - commands to run using the terminal, /mnt - mount point for external file systems (flash drives, etc. are connected here).
The directories that are most interesting to us are /System, /Library and /var. This is where the operating system itself (the first directory), system data (the second), application settings and their data (the third) are stored.
Standard (pre-installed) applications are located in the /Applications directory. The executable files of Cydia, Zeusmos and some other .app programs are also located here, the installation of which requires a jailbreak. There are many more files here than there are icons on the iOS desktop, since some internal services are also located here, separated as separate applications (Facebook service built into iOS, Print Center and some others). On an unjailbroken device, this directory is updated only when the entire firmware is updated, but some applications from Cydia are installed in it, like the Cydia store itself.
Applications downloaded from the App Store are stored in /var/mobile/Containers/Bundle/Application , each in its own subdirectory. The names of these subdirectories are encoded, and in order to understand what kind of application it is, you need to go into the directory and move to the next one. Applications installed from outside the App Store are also usually found here. Each application is assigned a subdirectory in the /var/mobile/Containers/Data/Application directory, inside which the application stores its settings and data created during operation. We will look at its structure in more detail later.
System updates are downloaded to the /var/mobile/MobileSoftwareUpdate directory. They can be deleted through the standard Settings application. All wallpapers are stored in /Library/Wallpaper, and system sounds are stored in /System/Library/Audio/UISounds, music and videos from the computer are stored in /var/mobile/Media/iTunes_Control/Music.
The directory /var/mobile/Library/caches/com.saurik.Cydia is especially worth mentioning. This is where tweak deb packages are stored until Springboard is restarted. If you need to download a tweak to your computer, you can get it from here. Also, during installation, tweaks often create additional directories where they store their own data. Usually such directories are mentioned in the tweaks' documentation.
Programs for working with the device's FS directly
There are several programs for working with the FS of a device after jailbreak.
- iTools is a program for Mac and Windows that allows you to add and delete files to the file system. This is where its functions end. An advantage for many may be the bookmarks bar to the left of the FS viewing window, where you can find programs, tweaks, ringtones or device wallpapers.
- iFunBox - has significantly more features. With its help you can create directories, delete, rename files or export them to a PC. The only thing that is surprising is the lack of search in the FS.
- Filza File Manager - allows you to view file metadata directly on the device, rename, move, delete them, and open many types of files. There is a built-in search for folders and simultaneous work with several files.
- iFile is superior to Filza File Manager in many ways. Some features are available only after paying for the full version of the program, but the interface in the utility is more convenient and understandable.
Of course, you can also work with the file system using the terminal. There is full support for UNIX commands, so managing the FS will be very fast and convenient.
Application directories and sandboxes
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iTunes is, at times, an extremely inconvenient program. All sorts of synchronization, movie and music management - it cannot be said that all this is implemented in the best way. There are already many legends about the difficulties of working with iTunes. Those who talk about a certain “slowness” of the application are also partly right. Often, you want to quickly transfer files to an iOS device and neatly organize everything into folders. You cannot, for example, view SMS messages or download music downloaded to your iPhone. But it doesn’t matter, that’s why third-party file managers were invented to work with iOS devices.
DiskAid is a file manager that provides access to content on your iOS gadget. Unlike iTunes, the program has several advantages. The application window is divided into two parts: the left part contains categories that you can switch between. They duplicate standard iOS applications: photography, video, music, notes, and so on. The right side is the category content window. It displays content from the category you select on the left. For example, if you select a category with music on the left, the music files downloaded to your iOS device will appear on the right. The same is true for the other categories: select Camera Roll on the left, all photos on the right, Notes on the left, and their text on the right.
Of course, all data can be downloaded from the device. Photos, music, videos, etc. are “pulled out” in a couple of clicks, and you can copy them not only to a local drive, but also directly to iTunes. For many, “pulling” songs downloaded to their smartphone onto a guest computer is a big problem that DiskAid solves in no time.
In addition, the smartphone does not need to be connected to the computer using a cable; one checkbox “Enable WiFi connection” on the application’s start window solves many problems. After enabling this option, the iOS device and your computer only need to be on the same network for them to communicate with each other.
But the most interesting thing that can really distinguish DiskAid from iTunes is viewing messages and call logs. The first option is a convenient means of finding the messages you need. If you forgot something that was once sent to you in an SMS message, using DiskAid and the built-in search you can find the necessary information in a matter of seconds. It’s the same with contacts; finding the right ones is not a problem.
It’s worth looking at it from the other side: what if your smartphone falls into the hands of an attacker? Even from a phone taken for a couple of minutes, you can quickly export all messages, which is not good, as you understand. Unfortunately, locking your smartphone with a password won’t help in this case either – DiskAid doesn’t give a damn about any passwords.
After reading this text, you have two options: if you are a simple user, you will have to watch your phone more carefully and not leave it unattended for a long time, and if you are an evil “hacker”, then now you know exactly how to quickly steal valuable information from any iOS device.
You can download DiskAid on the developer’s website (for OS X and Windows)
