backing up Mac

[brick33308]

I'm looking for a backup solution that mirrors the simple system I"ve been using on my Windows machines for years. That solution simply keeps a mirror image on external drives of selected folders/files on my PC. And it works automatically in the background anytime I add, change or delete a file on my PC such that at all times if I look at what's on my external drives it mirrors what's on my PC. What I don't want is to have to "restore" folders/files. Instead for example when I set up my new Mac, I'll simply drag and drop files that are on one of my external backup drives onto the new Mac.

Also, I'm not looking to create a bootable disk, nor to backup to the cloud.

Any suggestions for a simple program that basically keeps carbon copies of selected folders/files on my Mac written to an external drive?

 

[brick33308]

I just saw Backup Pro by BeLight. It has a feature that keeps files synced in one direction - from the Mac to an external drive. I need to investigate, but this seems to be what I'm looking for.

 

[Philip Eihuyar]

I'm looking for a backup solution that mirrors the simple system I"ve been using on my Windows machines for years. That solution simply keeps a mirror image on external drives of selected folders/files on my PC. And it works automatically in the background anytime I add, change or delete a file on my PC such that at all times if I look at what's on my external drives it mirrors what's on my PC. What I don't want is to have to "restore" folders/files. Instead for example when I set up my new Mac, I'll simply drag and drop files that are on one of my external backup drives onto the new Mac.

Also, I'm not looking to create a bootable disk, nor to backup to the cloud.

Any suggestions for a simple program that basically keeps carbon copies of selected folders/files on my Mac written to an external drive?

You are correct. The latest Mac hardware and OS does not allow for cloned external boot drives. That is not really a problem as the need to have an external boot drive is not required. Things have improved vastly since older systems.

To back up all data simply with no problem, download Carbon Copy Cloner -

https://bombich.com/download

I have used this and it has all you would need. No cloud storage needed. Time machine to me is problematic. I stay away from it.

 

[brick33308]

related question: am I correct in understanding that the only way to use iCloud Storage is if it moves files off my computer so that the only way to access them is if I've got an internet connection to reach them in the cloud? Is there no way to store backup files in iCloud while keeping the originals on my Mac?

 

[Philip Eihuyar]

urelated question: am I correct in understanding that the only way to use iCloud Storage is if it moves files off my computer so that the only way to access them is if I've got an internet connection to reach them in the cloud? Is there no way to store backup files in iCloud while keeping the originals on my Mac?

You can have both local and cloud backup on mac through iCloud. BTW. iCloud has improved over the years. An article of changes through the years:

https://eclecticlight.co/2023/12/24/last-year-on-my-mac-1-icloud-drive-changes-gear/

My first and last experience with iCloud backup was that I accidently lost my local files in the process of sending files to the 'cloud' so I, to this day, do not use that service. As I say, it was my mistake but, I would just recommend to be careful you know how to use service before hand.

 

[Greybeard2017]

I'm looking for a backup solution that mirrors the simple system I"ve been using on my Windows machines for years. That solution simply keeps a mirror image on external drives of selected folders/files on my PC. And it works automatically in the background anytime I add, change or delete a file on my PC such that at all times if I look at what's on my external drives it mirrors what's on my PC. What I don't want is to have to "restore" folders/files. Instead for example when I set up my new Mac, I'll simply drag and drop files that are on one of my external backup drives onto the new Mac.

Also, I'm not looking to create a bootable disk, nor to backup to the cloud.

Any suggestions for a simple program that basically keeps carbon copies of selected folders/files on my Mac written to an external drive?

I use time machine to an external drive - it just works - and easy to restore backed up files.

Its also possible to use multiple external drives and it will alternate between them for more safety.

 

[robgendreau]

I'm looking for a backup solution that mirrors the simple system I"ve been using on my Windows machines for years. That solution simply keeps a mirror image on external drives of selected folders/files on my PC. And it works automatically in the background anytime I add, change or delete a file on my PC such that at all times if I look at what's on my external drives it mirrors what's on my PC. What I don't want is to have to "restore" folders/files. Instead for example when I set up my new Mac, I'll simply drag and drop files that are on one of my external backup drives onto the new Mac.

Also, I'm not looking to create a bootable disk, nor to backup to the cloud.

Any suggestions for a simple program that basically keeps carbon copies of selected folders/files on my Mac written to an external drive?

Chronosync could do that.

But it's not really a robust backup (if at all), since it will mirror deletions, corrupt files, etc. You might want to consider using Time Machine instead, or any other macOS backup solution that does versioning. TM is free, a nice point in its favor.

And in some cases you cannot simply drag and drop to set up a new Mac. Works OK for data files like photos, not as well for applications and their supporting files.

 

[CAcreeks]

I'm looking for a backup solution that mirrors the simple system I"ve been using on my Windows machines for years. That solution simply keeps a mirror image on external drives of selected folders/files on my PC. And it works automatically in the background anytime I add, change or delete a file on my PC such that at all times if I look at what's on my external drives it mirrors what's on my PC. What I don't want is to have to "restore" folders/files. Instead for example when I set up my new Mac, I'll simply drag and drop files that are on one of my external backup drives onto the new Mac.

Also, I'm not looking to create a bootable disk, nor to backup to the cloud.

Any suggestions for a simple program that basically keeps carbon copies of selected folders/files on my Mac written to an external drive?

We use Free File Sync on Windows and Linux. Haven't tried it yet on MacOS but it exists:

FreeFileSync

Download FreeFileSync 14.5. FreeFileSync is a free open source data backup software that helps you synchronize files and folders on Windows, Linux and macOS.

freefilesync.org

It has an option to "retain" meaning don't delete from the sync'd disk when you delete from the mirrored disk.

I use time machine to an external drive - it just works - and easy to restore backed up files.

Its also possible to use multiple external drives and it will alternate between them for more safety.

Why did you not consider Time Machine, brick33308?

 

[Nick on the Baltic]

I'm looking for a backup solution that mirrors the simple system I"ve been using on my Windows machines for years. That solution simply keeps a mirror image on external drives of selected folders/files on my PC. And it works automatically in the background anytime I add, change or delete a file on my PC such that at all times if I look at what's on my external drives it mirrors what's on my PC. What I don't want is to have to "restore" folders/files. Instead for example when I set up my new Mac, I'll simply drag and drop files that are on one of my external backup drives onto the new Mac.

Also, I'm not looking to create a bootable disk, nor to backup to the cloud.

Any suggestions for a simple program that basically keeps carbon copies of selected folders/files on my Mac written to an external drive?

Chronosync could do that.

But it's not really a robust backup (if at all), since it will mirror deletions, corrupt files, etc. You might want to consider using Time Machine instead, or any other macOS backup solution that does versioning. TM is free, a nice point in its favor.

And in some cases you cannot simply drag and drop to set up a new Mac. Works OK for data files like photos, not as well for applications and their supporting files.

Chronosync has an option to maintain deleted/changed files. From the user manual:

"ChronoSync can maintain an 'archive', which is a repository of old files that were deleted or replaced during normal synchronization operations."

 

[Greybeard2017]

We use Free File Sync on Windows and Linux. Haven't tried it yet on MacOS but it exists:

https://freefilesync.org/download.php

It has an option to "retain" meaning don't delete from the sync'd disk when you delete from the mirrored disk.

Yes - I also use FreeFileSync for taking occasional snapshots of specific directories - it works well on the Mac

 

[brick33308]

You can have both local and cloud backup on mac through iCloud. BTW. iCloud has improved over the years. An article of changes through the years:

https://eclecticlight.co/2023/12/24/last-year-on-my-mac-1-icloud-drive-changes-gear/

thanks for that article. It seems to say, but not as clearly as I'd like to give me absolute assurance, that there is a way to turn on iCloud storage but disable Optimize Mac Storage meaning that the original files on my Mac will remain there even as they get COPIED (not moved) to the cloud. Is that everyone's understanding as well?

I'm still awaiting my new Mac so I haven't been able to check the system to ensure that I can disable Optimize Mac Storage.

 

[brick33308]

I just read this in an article and now I'm thoroughly confused.

"When you turn off iCloud Desktop & Documents Folders, you’ll find those files are now stored in iCloud rather than locally. That’s a bit counterintuitive which is perhaps why it leads some users to believe they have lost their files – but chances are good that you didn’t lose any documents or files, you just have to copy them from iCloud to the local Mac." How to Disable iCloud Desktop & Documents on Mac (osxdaily.com)

Bottom line: when I get my new Mac, I do NOT want iCloud to remove any files from it, ever. What I would like is to know what settings so that COPIES of my documents and pictures are stored in iCloud without taking them off the Mac.

If someone could tell me clearly/concisely how to do that I'd be grateful. When I get my new Mac, I won't copy over to it any documents/photos until I know for certain that they aren't going to be moved off my Mac into iCloud. But as I said I'd like COPIES of them put in iCloud.

 

[CAcreeks]

We use Free File Sync on Windows and Linux. Haven't tried it yet on MacOS but it exists:

https://freefilesync.org/download.php

It has an option to "retain" meaning don't delete from the sync'd disk when you delete from the mirrored disk.

Yes - I also use FreeFileSync for taking occasional snapshots of specific directories - it works well on the Mac

Thanks for the info, Greybeard2017. Good to know.

After changing any (important) files, my wife and daughter hook up a Samsung T7 SSD to their PC laptop, open FreeFileSync, and click Sync. So easy even a caveman could do it.

(please excuse my denigration of cave dwellers)

Big advantage is that the synchronized SSD has exactly the same folders and files as on PC, and can be navigated with File Explorer, the W10 equivalent of Finder.

 

[lumigraphics]

Time Machine

Chronosync

Free File Sync

Carbon Copy Cloner

Acronis

SuperDuper

We tested the best Mac backup software - here's what we recommend

Do you backup your Mac? You should! These are the best backup for Mac apps we've reviewed.

www.macworld.com

How to back up your Mac - Apple Support

Learn how to create a backup of the files on your Mac.

support.apple.com

6 Best Mac Backup Software Other Than Apple's Time Machine

We've run down five of the best Mac backup software tools to help you choose which one to use to create a backup of your Mac's hard drive.

www.macobserver.com

 

[EugeLe]

There are excellent backup software options available, and you can explore detailed descriptions of each at https://www.macgasm.net/news/reviews/best-backup-software-mac/. Taking the time to read through the reviews would likely be an essential step before making a decision. Understanding the features and user experiences outlined in the reviews can guide you toward selecting the backup software that best fits your needs.

 

[Kenneth Morris Lee]

None of my image files reside on my Mac's own internal storage: they are all on a high speed external SSD.

My Mac itself only holds program files and a few documents, which are backed up by Time Machine automatically throughout the day onto a pair of external drives. (As mentioned in a previous post, Time Machine can rotate between as many backup drives as you like, for greater safety).

Using Carbon Copy Cloner I schedule regular backups of my photos to a duplicate pair of cheaper and slower external drives. The chance of these external drives failing at the same time is very low, so a more expensive redundant array approach is unnecessary.

 

[brick33308]

None of my image files reside on my Mac's own internal storage: they are all on a high speed external SSD.

My Mac itself only holds program files and a few documents, which are backed up by Time Machine automatically throughout the day onto a pair of external drives. (As mentioned in a previous post, Time Machine can rotate between as many backup drives as you like, for greater safety).

Using Carbon Copy Cloner I schedule regular backups of my photos to a duplicate pair of cheaper and slower external drives. The chance of these external drives failing at the same time is very low, so a more expensive redundant array approach is unnecessary.

sounds like a good solution. For me I've got a 4TB internal drive in my new MacBook Pro, so I keep most of my images on it. But I also, like you, have a copy program (ChronoSync) syncing everything to 2 external SSD's, and Time Machine backing up to a third SSD. And as if that isn't enough, I signed up with iDrive cloud backup for one year at only $5 syncing everything to the cloud like I'm doing with ChronoSync. At the end of 1 year when the introductory price goes up to like $70/year, I'll decide if I want/need to retain iDrive.

 

[Kenneth Morris Lee]

None of my image files reside on my Mac's own internal storage: they are all on a high speed external SSD.

My Mac itself only holds program files and a few documents, which are backed up by Time Machine automatically throughout the day onto a pair of external drives. (As mentioned in a previous post, Time Machine can rotate between as many backup drives as you like, for greater safety).

Using Carbon Copy Cloner I schedule regular backups of my photos to a duplicate pair of cheaper and slower external drives. The chance of these external drives failing at the same time is very low, so a more expensive redundant array approach is unnecessary.

sounds like a good solution. For me I've got a 4TB internal drive in my new MacBook Pro, so I keep most of my images on it. But I also, like you, have a copy program (ChronoSync) syncing everything to 2 external SSD's, and Time Machine backing up to a third SSD. And as if that isn't enough, I signed up with iDrive cloud backup for one year at only $5 syncing everything to the cloud like I'm doing with ChronoSync. At the end of 1 year when the introductory price goes up to like $70/year, I'll decide if I want/need to retain iDrive.

Excellent. Affordable redundancy :-D

 

[rpjallan]

I use ChronoSync but only for syncing, not backing up and it works well. I don't like to put all my eggs in one basket so I use Time Machine and Carbon Copy Cloner for backing up my Mac. I have all my photos and other large files on a fast external SSD array and I have multiple CCC backups of that with one always off site.

 

[LISABenjamin]

I'm looking for a backup solution that mirrors the simple system I"ve been using on my Windows machines for years. That solution simply keeps a mirror image on external drives of selected folders/files on my PC. And it works automatically in the background anytime I add, change or delete a file on my PC such that at all times if I look at what's on my external drives it mirrors what's on my PC. What I don't want is to have to "restore" folders/files. Instead for example when I set up my new Mac, I'll simply drag and drop files that are on one of my external backup drives onto the new Mac.

Also, I'm not looking to create a bootable disk, nor to backup to the cloud.

Any suggestions for a simple program that basically keeps carbon copies of selected folders/files on my Mac written to an external drive?

Try Rsync ,it is a versatile file transfer and synchronization tool ,known for its efficiency, data integrity checks, and ability to handle large data transfers across local and remote connections.