How to Backup MacBook Pro? – Before You Start
Thousands of people buy MacBooks because of their beautiful design and impressive operating system. However, the apps and files are more crucial than the device itself.
Should damage or failure happen, it’s crucial to know how to backup a MacBook to iCloud or an external hard drive to ensure all your files are safe. Fortunately, Apple knows how critical personal files are to its clients. As a result, the tech giant ships all its devices, including iPhones and MacBooks, with tools purposely engineered to help you back up all your content.
Time Machine is an in-built app for macOS that allows users to backup files such as apps, files, and photos. To use Time Machine, you’ll need to connect an external HDD to your MacBook. In addition, you can backup your MacBook on iCloud if you have adequate space.
Now we’ll give a detailed description of how to backup your MacBook using iCloud and Time Machine. In addition, we will look at how to backup, select files on a MacBook.
The Backup Process: iCloud
Backing up a MacBook to iCloud is relatively easy, and the process is as follows:
- Click on the Apple logo in the upper-left corner of the screen.
How to Backup MacBook Pro
- Next, click on ‘System Preferences.’
- Click on ‘Apple ID.’
- Then click on ‘iCloud’ in the menu on your left it’s not already selected.
- Next, check the box next to ‘iCloud Drive’ if it’s not already checked.
- Then click on the ‘Options’ button next to ‘iCloud Drive.’
- Now you need to check the boxes next to anything you want to be backed up on iCloud, such as Books and Desktop and Documents folders. Once you’ve finished, click on ‘Done.’
How to Backup MacBook Pro
- To save space on your MacBook, you can click on ‘Optimize Mac Storage.’ However, this means some files may only be kept in iCloud and not your local storage. Therefore be aware of this if you also use an external hard drive to back up your MacBook Pro.
- If you need to buy more storage on iCloud, click on ‘Manage.’
- Then click on ‘Change Storage Plan’ to buy more iCloud storage.
How to Backup MacBook Pro
- To view your MacBook iCloud Drive, launch a ‘Finder Window.’
Once you’re done, you should be able to access all these files on other Apple devices such as iPads and other MacBooks as well.
Now you’ve backed up your MacBook data on iCloud, so you can rest easy knowing your files are safe if something happens to your device.
The Backup Process: Time Machine (Entire Storage)
- Start by connecting an external hard drive to your MacBook.
- Click on the Apple logo in the upper-left corner of the screen
- Next, click on ‘System Preferences.’
- Then click on the ‘Time Machine’ option
- Next, click on ‘Select Backup Disk.’
- Then pick a drive and click on ‘Use Disk.’
- Check the box next to ‘Back up automatically’ to back up your device instantly.
- If your MacBook Pro doesn’t start to back up to the external hard disk drive immediately, you can commence the backup process manually. To do this, click on the box next to ‘Show Time Machine in the menu bar.
- Finally, click on the ‘Time Machine’ icon in the menu and then click on ‘Back up Now.’
The Backup Process: Time Machine (Select Files)
If you don’t want to backup all files to an external hard drive using Time Machine, or the external hard drive doesn’t have adequate space, you can back up select files. Here’s how:
- Start by clicking on the Apple logo in the upper-left corner of the screen
- Next, click on ‘System Preferences.’
- Then click on the ‘Time Machine’ option.
- Next, click on ‘Options.’ This option is in the bottom-right corner of your screen.
- Click on the Plus (+) button.
- Next, select the files and folders you’d like to exclude from your backup. You can select apps, documents, and folders to exclude. What’s more, you can exclude several items at once by pressing and holding the ‘Command’ button on your keyboard.
- Then click on ‘Exclude.’
- Finally, click on the ‘Save’ button.
How to Backup MacBook Pro
Note: Apart from iCloud and Time Machine, which are in Apple’s ecosystem, you can back up your MacBook Pro using other means. For instance, if you use Google Drive, Dropbox or Ms. OneDrive, you can use them as well to back up your Mac.
Final Thought
To sum it all up, now you know how to backup a MacBook to iCloud. You can use iCloud to back up applications, documents, photos, etc., on your MacBook so that you won’t have to worry about losing your data. What’s more, you can use Apple’s native backup feature, Time Machine, to back up your entire storage drive or select files if that’s what you want.
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