Back Up a Mac

This article teaches you how to back up the data and files on your Mac to an external hard drive and/or Apple's cloud-based storage service, iCloud.

Steps

Using Time Machine

  1. Connect your Mac to a Format-an-External-Hard-Drive. Connect the drive to your computer using the cable provided (usually USB, Lightning or eSATA).
  2. Click on the Apple menu. It's the  icon in the upper-left corner of your screen.
  3. Click on System Preferences. It's in the second section of the drop-down menu.
  4. Click on Time Machine. It's near the bottom-center of the window.
    • For older versions of macOS and Time Machine, make sure the Time Machine switch is set to the "On" position.
  5. Click on Select Backup Disk…. It's in the the right pane of the dialog box.
  6. Click on a disk. Select the external hard drive you connected to your Mac.
  7. Click on Use Disk. It's in the lower-right corner of the dialog box.
    • Check "Back Up Automatically" in the left pane of the dialog box if you want your Mac to back up at regular intervals.
    • Check "Show Time Machine in menu bar" to create a shortcut in the menu bar to Time Machine preferences and backup status.
  8. Click on Options…. It's in the lower-right corner of the window.
    • Check "Back up while on battery power" to allow Time Machine backups when your Mac is not plugged in.
    • Check "Notify after old backups are deleted" if you'd like Time Machine to let you know when it's deleted older backups to make space for newer ones.

Backing up to iCloud

  1. Click on the Apple menu. It's the  icon in the upper-left corner of your screen.
  2. Click on System Preferences. It's in the second section of the drop-down menu.
  3. Click on iCloud. It's on the left side of the window.
    • If you're not automatically logged in, enter your Apple ID and password.[1]
    • To see how much storage you have in your plan, or to upgrade, click on Manage... in the lower-right corner of the dialog box, then click on Change Storage Plan... in the upper-right corner of the dialog box.
  4. Check the box next to "iCloud Drive." It's at the top of the right pane. Now you can store files and documents on iCloud.
    • Do so by choosing "iCloud Drive" in any "Save" dialog box or dragging files to iCloud Drive in the left pane of a Finder window.
    • Select which apps have permission to access iCloud Drive by clicking on the Options button next to "iCloud Drive" in the dialog box.
  5. Select the types of data to store on iCloud. Do so by checking the boxes below "iCloud Drive".
    • Check "Photos" if you want to back up and access your Photos on iCloud.
    • Check "Mail" to sync and store email messages on iCloud.
    • Check "Contacts" to keep a copy of your contacts on iCloud.
    • Check "Calendars" to keep a copy of your calendars on iCloud.
    • Check "Reminders" to keep a copy of your reminders on iCloud.
    • Check "Safari" to keep a backup of your Safari data, such as browsing history and favorites, on iCloud.
    • Check "Notes" to keep a copy of your notes on iCloud.
    • Check "Keychain" to share an encrypted copy of passwords and payment data across the devices signed in with your Apple ID.
    • You may need to scroll down to see all the selections.

Tips

  • Stay proactive and regularly check on your backup devices to check their integrity, ensure that your stored data is current, and to see if new, better methods for backing up your data are available.
  • Prioritize the data you back up to make sure that you are protecting the materials that are most valuable and irreplaceable.
  • Include one off site backup away from your computer, either using iCloud or an external hard drive, where you can retrieve your data should something disastrous take place near your computer.
  • iCloud may not offer enough space to back up all of your data, especially if you have lots of music, videos and photos. In that case, you may want to consider another cloud storage program such as Google Photos or Microsoft OneDrive.
  • Back up your data to multiple places[2], including external hard drives and iCloud storage, to ensure that you have a variety of options in case one backup fails.
  • Save your data on CDs[3], DVDs or Flash Drives as a supplementary backup.

Warnings

  • No single backup option is completely foolproof, so again, be sure your backup plan includes multiple locations for your data.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.apple.com/icloud/setup/mac.html
  2. ↑ http://mac.tutsplus.com/tutorials/security/create-a-foolproof-backup-system-for-your-mac/
  3. ↑ https://www.wikihow.com/Burn-a-CD-Using-Mac-OS-X
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