How to back up Mac. MacOS backup. How to make a backup of the system disk

October 25, 2018 09: 26

Already too late to back up your MacBook when you cannot access these files. Even if you are careful enough about the safety of your computer MAC.It is difficult to say whether you can protect its internal data. In other words, your Mac can be attacked by many situations, including malware, system failures, update failure, accidental removal, etc. To avoid these unpleasant cases, you better reserve copy MAC. In ICloud. Make a copy.

If you want to do backup Mac without outdoor hard disk, then icloud - one of best programs For backup Mac. You do not need to prepare an external Mac backup storage storage, as ICloud offers free 5GB cloud storage and appropriate plans. Therefore, this article shows how quickly and easily make a backup copy of MacBook in ICloud.

Part 1: Why make backup MacBook on ICloud

As mentioned above, currently digital devices are easily affected by the attacks of viruses and malicious programs, including MacBook Pro. or MacBook Air.. If you cannot afford the loss of data, then it is absolutely necessary to make a backup copy of MacBook Pro on an external hard disk or in a cloud storage. And these two methods are also widely used by most Mac users to protect mAC dataBook.

Some people can still wonder if Mac backup is better to external hDD via Disc utility or Time Machine. Well, you can not deny the benefits of MacBook backup to an external hard drive, but you can also extract much benefit from the backup copy icloud.. For example, you can access information about backup by air. Therefore, it does not matter whether the state of your external hard disk or not. And as soon as you enter your account record icloud.You can restore the data of any Apple product directly. As a result, you can move backup Time Machine in ICloud for future use. And this is why Mac needs backup ICloud.

Part 2: How to make a backup MacBook in ICloud

As soon as you configure iCloud to back up files on your Mac, it can work automatically. In addition, you can restore all data from the backup. copies icloud. on the new Mac by wireless network. Despite the fact that there is only 5 GB in the ICloud repository, you can update it using a flexible management plan. therefore using icloud. For backup Mac without Time Machine stops.

Step 1

Open the Apple menu and select "Software Update" to see if there is affordable update. Before backing up MacBook in ICloud, make sure that MacBook is installed latest version OS X.


Step 2, enable iCloud to backup MacBook

Run " System settings»From Apple menu. Then find "icloud" and click on it. Enter iCloud account using your Apple ID and password. You can view all available file types for backup, including photos, mail, contacts, calendars, reminders, etc. Thus, it is quite simple if you are going to create backup copies of documents in ICloud on Mac.


Step 3, enable backup settings photos icloud. on MAC

Click "Parameters" next to the "Photo", and then you can check the ICloud Photo Library, My Photo Stream and ICloud Photo Sharing in accordance with your personal needs. After that you can import the latest photos and view video on all Apple devices wireless communication. After all this will begin automatic backup MacBook to the icloud disk.


Step 4.

You can also open iTunes and find it settings to configure the iTunes automatic backup to Mac. Select "Downloads" and check the "Music, Movies" and TV shows "to back up available wireless network files. Click "OK" to save the changes.


If left iCloud Store It is not enough to store the entire backup of Mac on iCloud, you can click the "Management" button in the lower right corner to go to more close-up Storage, which begins with 50GB for only $ 0.99 per month.

Do not miss: Best methods to find backup iPhone on Mac

Bonus Tips: Backup and Restore Mac with Time Machine

If you want to back up MacBook Air and MacBook Pro using Time Machine, you can perform the following steps to solve the problem.

Section 1: How to make a backup MacBook on an external hard drive

Step 1

Connect the external hard disk to the MAC computer and select "Use as a backup disk" when you are asked to use it to back up Mac with Time Machine.


Step 2.

Select "Create a backup now" to back up Mac data to an external hard disk. In addition, check the box " Backup Automatically "so that if necessary, automatically do the hourly / daily / weekly backup copies. When you first use Time Machine to back up your MAC computer, you will need more time to complete the MacBook backup process.


Section 2: How to restore Mac using Time Machine Backup

Step 1, open the window you want to restore

For example, you need to open the "Documents" folder if you want to restore the accidentally remote document.

Step 2, MacBook Restore with Time Machine

Open the Time Machine menu and select "Enter Time Machine" to find a specific file from your previous backup file. Press the gap to view in the details. Finally, click "Restore" to restore Mac data from Time Machine selectively.


If you want to restore the Mac data entirely, you can select the "Restore from Time Machine" utility in MacOS Recovery.

Using the iCloud backup and backup method described above, you can describe the key points of the Mac data backup. If these files are really important, it is better to simultaneously create backup copies of MacBook on ICloud and Time Machine. This is all how to make a backup of MacBook in ICloud. Feel free to contact us if you have problems during backup and restore Mac.

The problem of data loss was relevant as 10 years ago, and now will be in the future. Lose all the necessary information can be lost. different ways: damage the carrier, as a result of infection with viruses or you are inadvertently removed. To restore information information, not so much and most reliable is considered to be recovered from the backup. What is the meaning - you will protect yourself and make a backup copy of the necessary data when everything is in order with them when an unexpected problem happened you just restore them from the backup. No need to think that creating backups is hard handmadeMost at all, today there are quite a few programs that will all be done for you, once configuring such a program, you can forget about it and remember only when it is necessary to restore something. Mac OS has a similar program for backing up data and is called on-Time Machine.

In order to download backups (it is also called - Backup / Bacup) With Time Machine, you need OS X 10.5 Leopard or above + external carrier where backup will be made (it may be outdoor HDD, connected via USB, Thunderbolt or Firewire, network Disk, AirPort Time Capsule or other similar apple devices). Next, it is necessary to determine the size of the external carrier, the calculation occurs in the following way Occasional mAC disk OS multiplied by two, i.e. If you have 50 GB on your disk, then you just have to highlight 100 GB of backup space. In order to look at how much the place is occupied on the hard disk, click "Finder" - "Programs" - "Utilities".

Then select "Disk Utility".

Select your main disk and see the information about how much space is on the disk.

In my case, there will be about 60 GB for backup. The backup process will look as follows, the first backup will be "full", i.e. All OS with the data and will take the same place as busy on Mac OS, all subsequent backups will back up only changed data and will need much less space for them. Time Machine Stores:
- hourly copies for the last 24 hours;
- daily backups for the last month;
- Weekly backups for all other months of work.

As soon as there are places on external carrier Will not be enough, the old data will be raised new.

From the theory I propose to go to practice, connect the media to which you will make a backup, go to "Finder" - "Programs" - "Time Machine".

In the window that opens, select "Select a backup disk".

Select the media to which backup will be performed. If you wish, you can pass back the backup, for this, check the box in the "Encryp Copy" item. This procedure is not necessary and needed only as the protection of your backup from outsiders.

If there is any information on this media, it must be transferred, since Time Machine will delete all the information on it and format the media in Mac OS Extended (magazine).

If necessary, you can exclude some folders from the backup, for this click the "Parameters" button, click on the "plus" and specify those folders that do not need to back.

The Time Machine backup system is great for newcomers and everyone who is simply aware of the need to create backups, but has never come across a difficult recovery of data from the copy.

Time Machine does not have any settings at all and does not have advanced parameters for advanced users. The system is made in the Apple style: everything just works by pressing one button.

You can not specify a flexible copy schedule or complex conditions to change its parameters. There are other essential drawbacks.

I do not argue that the system described by me is better and safest. Just share my experience and alternative way Reserve copy.

Why I don't like Time Machine

Firstly, most convenient way Backup with Time Machine - Saving on a network drive. Apple has long coal over the production of branded routers with a built-in disk, the direction is clearly not in the priority of Cupertinov.

SecondlyWorking with plug-in drives for backup sooner or later annoying. First you try to connect the disk every day, then you make backups once a week, and then you drive at all to this process.

ThirdlyYou need to independently draw backup backup. When storing data on an external disk or network storage, they must be duplicated into a more protected place.

The home devices are not protected from external factors (fire, flooding, robbery, etc.) and are not a fairly safe place for backups. It is necessary to periodically throw copies into the cloud.

FourthFor recovery from a backup time, Time Machine needs a work Mac. The computer broke down and there will be no new sense from backup.

You can't get data from it, you can't boot, only to deploy Apple on another computer.

To get rid of all the specified Time Machine problems, I decided to switch to the third-party backup system.

How I Store Data on Mac

You already know that I do not use the original Mac, but with the installed. Inside my computer, three drives were fitted at once: SSD disc 256 GB with macos., SSD drive 256 GB with Windows and HDD to 1 TB under the files and data that I formatted in exFat.To work with them from any OS.

All working files and data I storing exactly exFat. To work from MacOS or Windows. In addition, the disc is installed in a laptop through an adapter Optibay. Instead of a regular DVD drive. This allows you to unscrew the entire pair of screws from the bottom of the laptop, remove the drive and connect to any computer using a screw adapter.

Temporary files and not the most important data is stored already in each operating system separately.

For backup, I allocated two tasks: keep current backup folder with working data and regularly create a backup copy boot disk To restore the system.

How to make backup work files

I prefer to store the folder with the data in the cloud. Chose the most universal option - Dropbox.. It has long been expanded to 22 GB, it's enough for me to have a head for working data so as not to buy a paid subscription.

Periodically, I spend cleaning and delete unnecessary or outdated data, keeping about 15-17 GB of topical information. If someone is not enough for this, you can always.

To synchronize the folder, the usual Dropbox client is used, which instantly unloads all new and modified data into the cloud.

Very important data can be encrypted or simply placed in a password archive.

As a result, all the necessary data for work is at hand and, if necessary, access to them can be obtained from any other computer or mobile device. Of course, after authorization in Dropbox. I recommend in this service.

How to make a backup of the system disk

Here it will be necessary to help third-party utilities. Such solutions can be found a couple of dozen. One of the search criteria for me was the ability to create boot copies.

Found three suitable solutions: Carbon Copy Cloner, Chronosync and Get Backup Pro. I will say honestly, there was no time to deal with all the nuances and the peculiarities, I installed the first trial version Carbon Copy Cloner.. I realized that the utility suits everyone and did not want to deal with other programs.

When you first start Carbon Copy Cloner offers to create a backup rule. Select the target disk, the destination disk (it can be network) and the copy schedule.

In the future, the system will record only modified or new data, the process will occupy a few minutes.

After creating a backup, do not forget to confirm the creation of a boot disk with a copy. Carbon Copy Cloner will record a little additional files And hold the necessary manipulations.

All, now this disc You can simply connect to any Mac or a working hackintool and boot off it. We get familiar working environment With everything you need at the time of creating backup.

No recovery procedures and data downloads from the network or cloud are required.

Carbon Copy Cloner can store modified or deleted data. Option is responsible for it SafetyNet.. When updating the copy, the special folder will be old copies of the modified or lined data. It will continue until the end of the free space on the disk with the Becar, then the oldest data will begin to be deleted.

How to protect backup system disk

After the first creating backup system Disc On the drive we get our operating system in the open form. It is not encrypted, which is not very safe.

Solutions Two: Initially, when formatting a disk for backups to make encrypted APFS Drive either boot from the backup disk and on it enable FileVault Encryption.

In the first case, you will have to remember the password to access the protected drive and enter it when loading, and in the second, the backup will continue with the built-in encryption.

After that, I turned off the drive from the computer and connected to network media player on the base Raspberry PI. After that, reconfigured the backup rule in Carbon Copy Cloner and installed the appropriate frequency of creating backups.

You can make copies once every 3-6 hours or bingpay data 1 time per day. Here everyone will configure in its needs. It is convenient that the creation of backups can be limited, for example, during a large load on the home network.

It is possible to even output a computer from sleep mode or include it at night to create a copy.

If the changes from the moment of the previous backup was not so much, then the copy update will take a few minutes. The load on the system will be minimal, and network activity is compared with the transfer of a similar amount of data between home devices.

As a result, you can stay on creating 1-2 backups per day. Do this will happen even during working hours.

To "take a backup", I decided to upload it to the cloud. I got the required volume in pumped free Yandex.Disk. Configured the unloading of the entire contents from the connected drive on Malinka.

Did your computer ever fell? Have you ever lost a laptop? If not, you are very lucky. This happened to many of us. Ask anyone who ever lost your computer, and he will tell you:

This is not fun.

In the end, most of us stores all data on the computer. Thesis, working files, family photos, finance - all this is almost everyone.

But when your computer fails ... The question arises how to restore the data ...

That's why important Make a backup of your hard disk. Your Mac can work perfectly, you can be sure of it 100%, but you never know what can happen tomorrow or now 10 minutes later. And when something happens, you must be in all weapons.

Fortunately, there are several in different ways Create a backup of all files. All these methods are pretty simple and will take you less than quite a bit of time.

Mac backup using Time Machine

Apple allows you to easily create backup copies of your laptop, creating a copy of the hard disk. Since 2007, Apple has equipped every laptop and desktop software TIME MACHINE.

In fact, this program is a built-in backup function that allows you to create copies of the hard disk at any time. It's great because it not only allows you to recover your computer if it completely stops working, but also allows you to restore individual files if you deleted them.

Accidentally devastated his basket with an important folder in it?

Do not worry! If you have created a backup copy of your computer using Time Machine, you can recover this file back in just a few minutes!

After you turn on Time Machine, it will periodically archive all files on your computer depending on your program settings. We offer you to configure automatic backup to a weekly or daily backup (you can even make it hourly backup if you want). Thus, you do not need to specifically allocate time for backup, because your computer will do it automatically.

That's how to use it:

First, you will need external disk To store your files. It can be a traditional external, which is connected via USB, FireWire or Thunderbolt. Or you can use one of the branded apple devices Time Capsule, if you have it.

You can even store your files on another computer on your network if this computer is compatible with the function of the General Apple File Protocol (AFP).

All duplicates of files after their rendering will be stored on this disk. Thus, to make a backup, you need to connect it.

Therefore, before proceeding to work, you need to take an external disk and connect it. If you want to save your materials on another computer with general access To files, you can skip this step and move on.

Setting Time Machine:

Does Time Machine all backup every time?

New users are often wondering when they use Time Machine, whether he creates a copy of each separate file. Every time reserves a computer.

Answer ... yes!

The program automatically copies all the wiles to your hard drive.

Thus, every time it starts, it will copy your system files, accounts, applications, settings, images, videos, documents, music and even emails.

It may seem strange that on the external disk there is a full copy of your computer. But do not worry. If something goes wrong, you will be glad that you have it.

Mac backup on iCloud

You do not have an external hard disk for backup? No need to worry! There are ways to save your security files, even without an external disk.

One of best ways Make it with. Advantages in using clouds as a backup - access to data from anywhere. Well, this is the fact that you do not need to carry an external disk with you along with a laptop.

iCloud is fairly easy to use. All you need to do is drag files directly to the cloud storage. You will sleep peacefully at night, knowing that your security files, even if your computer does not cope with the task, and your external hard disk will break.

This is how to use it:

  1. Before using the ICloud disk, you must. You need the latest version operating system Mac when you are trying to access the cloud. Otherwise, you may have difficulty.

Can you back up the entire computer in ICloud?

Want to create a copy of your hard disk and download it in ICLOUD?

Short answer: Yes. But this is a kind of problem. The problem is that Apple provides you with a limited space in the cloud. And although they give you 5 GB of disk space for free in your account, they will make you pay for the expansion of space.

The cost of data placement in ICloud varies from the region to the region. Currently you can buy 50 GB of additional cloud storage for $ 0.99 per month. Or, you can invest in 2 TB of an additional place for $ 9.99 per month.

Unfortunately, your computer probably contains more than 5 GB of data. Therefore, if you want to back up the entire hard disk in ICloud, you will have to pay the Apple monthly subscription.

And there is another obstacle in this process ...

You will need to create a copy of the hard disk before you can export it into the cloud. Most likely, there is not enough space on your device for two copies.

Thus, you probably need an external disk. Thus, you will have a device for storing your copy. After copying, you can drag this file to your ICLOUD account.

There are several benefits of having two copies of your hard disk. As I said, it's nice to have a local backup and a cloud backup so that you never lose your files.

But you will have to pay for it - both in the cloud and in the physical space.

Mac backup on Google Drive

Another way to make a backup of your Mac is to save all your files on Google disk. Like iCloud, this option gives you the ability to store all your data in a reliable and secure folder on the Internet.

Now we understand that Google Drive is not the first choice of Apple user in data storage solutions. I mean, why do you use it when you already have access to ICLOUD?

As the owner of Mac, ICloud will be your first choice. Who wants to open a completely new site when they can simply drag their files to the folder, which is already on their computer?

But if you are looking for an extra storage place, Google Drive may be the best option. When you register in the Drive account, Google provides you with 15 GB of free disk space. It is more than 5 GB that go with accounting icloud.

And you can do anything if necessary. You can get 100 GB for $ 1.99 per month, which may cost if you consider 15 free GBs that they already give you.

Google Drive is also relatively easy to use. In fact, you probably already have an account if you have a Gmail address, so everything you need to do is go to or you can download the application through the App Store.


Regardless of whether you install it or use it on your website, all you need to do is drag files or folders to disk. They will be downloaded instantly.

It is so simple!

How can I use backup and synchronization?

Disadvantage Google disc It is what you have to upload each folder separately. It is impossible to simultaneously drag the entire hard disk into the app.

But with help google Apps Backup and Sync You can create a copy of your hard disk and save it on the Internet.

Somehow is uncomfortable that you have to download an additional application. But if it hurts me to lose all my files, if my computer breaks, such efforts will not be in vain.

That's how it works:


You can get common data by clicking the Apple icon in the upper left corner of the desktop and selecting "On this Mac". When the Overview window opens, select the "Storage" tab to find out how much GB you saved on your computer.

Make sure you have free enough space on the disk (or icloud) to store all the files you plan to save.

Using MacOS backup, you can avoid problems such as loss of data when driven by a drive or system troubleshooting that cannot be corrected.

Any - unsuccessful system update, disk damage, software and system errors, Or the need for a pre-configured and saved system. In this manual, you will learn how to create backup copies of MacOS, securing yourself from losing important data and other problems.

Creating a backup using Time Machine

To create a backup copy, Time Machine requires an external disk connected to a computer, such as a USB-drive of sufficient capacity.

Time Machine automatically performs hourly backup in the last day, daily, within a month and every week in all past months. As the disk is filling, previously created copies will be replaced.

Connect an external disk to your Mac, go to the system settings and open " Time Machine".

Click " Select backup disk".


Select an external disk, check the box " Encrypt copies"(To ensure backup security) and click" Use disk".

Create a password to be used to encrypt your disk.

Important . If you forget the password, the backup recovery will be impossible.


If the disc is not formatted accordingly, it will be proposed to erase it.

After that, Time Machine will start periodically create backup copies of your system.

If you want to disable automatic backup, just remove the checkbox with " Create backup copies automatically".


If necessary, you can run backup manually by selecting in the top menu " Create backup now".

And also, view the status of the backup, stop backing up, log in to Time Machine and open the settings.

ICLOUD backup

Open " System settings"And go" icloud.".


Check the data for which you want to back up.

Do not forget to look into " Parameters".

Now you can save your data from loss and restore them when necessary.