newMacbook12'

Q: I travel A LOT, how do I backup my new Macbook?

I have all the iCloud setting turned on, so they synchronise, e.g., contacts, iCloud Drive, photos App.

 

I would also like to know if or how I can backup the settings on this new Macbook, I am new to macOS by the way. For example my iPhone backs up and if I lost it, I could replace it and restore from a backup, meaning ALL my settings are also backed up and restored.

 

This is not hugely important but would be good to know I don't ever need to 'start over' with my Mac settings and icon layouts etc.

 

I have seen Time Capsule, but it's not practical for me to have a wifi hard disc while I am travelling, what other options are there? Or are all my settings and 'app layout' saved via the iCloud synch.

 

Peace out guys, any advice more than welcome here, thanks :-)

Posted on Aug 14, 2016 11:21 AM

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Q: I travel A LOT, how do I backup my new Macbook?

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  • by FoxFifth,

    FoxFifth FoxFifth Aug 14, 2016 11:56 AM in response to newMacbook12'
    Level 7 (25,779 points)
    iPhone
    Aug 14, 2016 11:56 AM in response to newMacbook12'

    iCloud doesn't currently offer the ability to back up a Mac. I use a 3rd party cloud backup service (Mozy) and it works very well for me. You can control how little or much it backs up. https://mozy.com/product/mozy/personal

  • by BobTheFisherman,Helpful

    BobTheFisherman BobTheFisherman Aug 14, 2016 2:16 PM in response to newMacbook12'
    Level 6 (15,262 points)
    Aug 14, 2016 2:16 PM in response to newMacbook12'

    There are several online/cloud backup providers. The first time you use these services to back up it will take a long time. Subsequent backups will be incremental and quick. I don't trust my data only to online backup though. You never know when their storage or communications will fail. I also keep backups on an external drive at my office. I update this backup remotely or whenever I'm in the office.

  • by Barney-15E,

    Barney-15E Barney-15E Aug 14, 2016 12:19 PM in response to newMacbook12'
    Level 8 (49,737 points)
    Mac OS X
    Aug 14, 2016 12:19 PM in response to newMacbook12'

    You don't need a Time Capsule to backup using Time Machine. You can get an external hard drive to back up. If you take it with you, you would always have it available to restore if needed; however, you could just leave it at home.

    If you are doing a lot of work on the MacBook while on the road, I would keep the drive plugged in and let Time Machine backup hourly as it does by default. However, you don't need to keep the drive connected. You can plug it in at the end of the day and let it make the incremental backup then.

     

    If you need to be up and running quickly after some major disaster with he MacBook, I would suggest using a third-party cloning software for backup, and maybe keep a second Time Machine backup at home.

    With a Clone, you can boot right from that hard drive. While a bit slower to work from, you can be up and running even if your internal hard drive dies. I use Carbon Copy Cloner, but there are others. SuperDuper is also commonly recommended. CCC is not free, but worth the cost in my opinion. Not sure about cost of SuperDuper. You can schedule CCC to make incremental backups to the original clone, or just manually run it when you choose to have it run.

  • by VikingOSX,

    VikingOSX VikingOSX Aug 14, 2016 12:20 PM in response to newMacbook12'
    Level 7 (20,606 points)
    Mac OS X
    Aug 14, 2016 12:20 PM in response to newMacbook12'

    Use a 1 - 2 TB external USB3 portable drive with Time Machine, and do not install any vendor drive software. Purchase an external drive that is stated Mac compatible on the box, as it may already be pre-formatted HFS Extended Journaled for you.

     

    You connect the drive. In System Preferences : Time Machine panel, you tell Time Machine which drive icon is your backup drive, and switch Time Machine on.  It will back up your boot drive, and if you are signed into iCloud via System Preferences, it will back up your iCloud files too. If you need to restore a file, that is what the Time Machine application icon in the Dock is for.

     

    I use a 2TB Time Machine drive with my MacBook Air, and it is plugged in the minute I unpack my MBA outside of the house.

  • by Eric Root,

    Eric Root Eric Root Aug 14, 2016 12:31 PM in response to newMacbook12'
    Level 9 (69,915 points)
    iTunes
    Aug 14, 2016 12:31 PM in response to newMacbook12'
  • by dialabrain,Solvedanswer

    dialabrain dialabrain Aug 14, 2016 2:12 PM in response to newMacbook12'
    Level 5 (5,890 points)
    Mac App Store
    Aug 14, 2016 2:12 PM in response to newMacbook12'

    I agree with VikingOSX, I bought a WD My Passport Ultra 2TB portable drive specifically for my MacBook. It's small, silent and lightweight. They can be purchased for approx. $90.

     

    You would need a USB-C Adapter such as the one from Apple.

    http://www.apple.com/shop/product/MJ1K2AM/A/usb-c-digital-av-multiport-adapter

  • by newMacbook12',

    newMacbook12' newMacbook12' Aug 14, 2016 2:09 PM in response to newMacbook12'
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Mac OS X
    Aug 14, 2016 2:09 PM in response to newMacbook12'

    I'm literally ALWAYS on the road, I don't have an actual home to go back to, until I return to UK and make a new tenancy.

     

    Surprised Apple don't offer the ability to backup the settings and app layout on a Mac, would not take a lot of space. I do not really need to backup all my app data, since they are already backed up to either iCloud or their own synch servers.

     

    Looks like I'll just have to set it all up again as new if the worst case happens.

     

    Using an external hard drive is a good solution, for me though, everything I own is in one suitcase, so if I lose that, or it gets stolen, everything most likely will go anyway. The ideal solution for me is cloud backup. Would be awesome to stay in the 'Apple hemisphere' here, if there is a free option I will check it out, my data on my laptop is important but minimal.

     

    :-)

  • by newMacbook12',

    newMacbook12' newMacbook12' Aug 14, 2016 2:13 PM in response to Eric Root
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Mac OS X
    Aug 14, 2016 2:13 PM in response to Eric Root

    was hoping for a Mac solution ideally

  • by newMacbook12',

    newMacbook12' newMacbook12' Aug 14, 2016 2:15 PM in response to VikingOSX
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Mac OS X
    Aug 14, 2016 2:15 PM in response to VikingOSX

    this is a solution i would use if i had a home anywhere. travelling constantly, since April 2015.

  • by BobHarris,

    BobHarris BobHarris Aug 14, 2016 3:11 PM in response to newMacbook12'
    Level 6 (19,272 points)
    Mac OS X
    Aug 14, 2016 3:11 PM in response to newMacbook12'

    I use CrashPlan (the free option) to backup to a Mac mini at home.  It works as long as I have an internet connection.

     

    The free option backs up once a day automatically, but can be triggered for a manual backup at any time.  The Paid option allows you to backup to the CrashPlan servers, and you can automatically backup on a more frequent basis (which could still be to your own personal backup server).

     

    It can be a bit annoying to get initially configured, but once I have it setup, it works well (Google can help with examples posted on the web).

     

    CrashPlan is cross platform: Windows, Mac and Linux.  You can backup with any mix of computers.

     

    The backup is encrypted before it leaves your Mac, so the copy on the server is not accessible without your encryption key.

     

    I backup multiple laptops and my Mom's iMac which is always 300 miles away.