Backing up your MacBook is the most important thing you can do before something goes wrong. A drop, a spilled drink, a broken drive or theft, and without a backup your photos, documents and work are gone. Fortunately it is easy: with Time Machine and iCloud you arrange most of it automatically. This article explains how to back up your MacBook, and how to check that it works.
Blue Apple repairs MacBooks in Amsterdam and helps with data recovery. We know how frustrating it is when there turns out to be no backup. Especially on newer MacBooks, where the storage sits on the logic board, a backup is your best insurance.
Time Machine: a full backup on an external drive
- Connect an external drive or SSD at least as large as your MacBook's storage, preferably larger.
- Open System Settings, General, Time Machine.
- Click Add Backup Disk and choose the drive. The Mac may format it; anything on it is then lost.
- Choose whether to encrypt the backup (advisable for a drive you carry around).
Time Machine then makes a backup automatically every hour while the drive is connected. So connect the drive regularly, for example every evening or every week.
iCloud: your files in the cloud
- Desktop and Documents: in System Settings, your name, iCloud, iCloud Drive, you can sync the Desktop and Documents folders.
- Photos: turn on iCloud Photos in the Photos app.
- Notes, calendar, contacts, passwords: these are in iCloud by default.
Note: iCloud syncs. If you delete a file on your Mac, it also disappears from iCloud (though it stays in Recently Deleted for a while). That is why iCloud is no replacement for a real backup. Free iCloud storage is limited; for more you pay a subscription.
The best approach: both
Use iCloud for your daily files and photos, and Time Machine for a full backup of your whole Mac. If you want it really safe, keep another copy somewhere else, for example a second drive at family or at the office.
Test that your backup works
- Check in System Settings, Time Machine when the last backup was.
- Open Time Machine (via Spotlight) and try restoring an old file.
- Sign in on icloud.com and check that your files and photos are there.
Your photos: extra attention
Photos are often the most valuable and hardest to replace. If they are only on your MacBook, a fault takes them all at once. Turn on iCloud Photos, or also copy the Photos library to your external drive. If you use the option to optimise Mac storage, the originals are only in iCloud; then make sure your plan is big enough.
Restoring a backup
You restore a single file via Time Machine. A whole Mac is restored with Migration Assistant or via Recovery mode. See resetting your MacBook to factory settings.
Your MacBook no longer starts and there is no backup
Do not keep switching it on to try, and do not have it "fixed" by erasing the drive. First have it examined to see what can still be saved. Read data recovery from a dead MacBook.
What we do at Blue Apple in Amsterdam
Before we repair a MacBook, we ask whether there is a backup. If there is none and the MacBook no longer starts, we first try to secure your data. More on our pages about MacBook data recovery and MacBook repair in Amsterdam.
Frequently asked questions
How big should my backup drive be?
At least as big as your MacBook's storage, preferably twice as big, so Time Machine also keeps older versions.
Can I use Time Machine wirelessly?
Yes, with a network drive that supports Time Machine.
How often should I back up?
Time Machine does it every hour while the drive is connected. Connect it at least every week.
