Time Machine vs iCloud

Hello Moonshine33,

Thanks for visiting the Apple Support Communities. I'm happy to help you understand iCloud and Time Machine.

1. iCloud is a syncing service to ensure everything on your devices is synced and looks the same. This article goes into more details, stating: iCloud: What is iCloud? - Apple Support

"iCloud securely stores your photos, videos, documents, music, apps, and more—and keeps them updated across all your devices. It lets you easily share photos, calendars, locations, and more with friends and family. You can even use iCloud to help you find your device if you lose it."

2. While you can backup iOS devices with iCloud, this article talks about the different types of backups for iOS devices, and what data is backed up: About backups for iOS devices - Apple Support

3. Time Machine is an entire system backup. This article states: Back up your Mac with Time Machine - Apple Support

"You can use Time Machine, the built-in backup feature of your Mac, to automatically back up all of your files, including apps, music, photos, email, documents, and system files."

4. To restore your data, you need to restore it using Time Machine, or Migration Assistant in cases where you get a new drive or new computer, but your data can be restored.

"When you have a backup, you can restore files from your backup if the original files are ever deleted from your Mac, or the hard disk (or SSD) in your Mac is erased or replaced."

Cheers!

There is one aspect that you should consider in addition to Sterling's excellent advice.

Time Machine can only backup items that are stored locally on your Mac. If you should be using the "Optimize Mac Storage" on your Mac to save storage, many items will only be in iCloud. Even with Time Machine running at all times you may have many items without any backup at all. as the version in iCloud is the only copy and Time Machine cannot access it to back it up, you will be in big trouble, if you accidentally delete an item from iCloud. The items in your iCloud Photos or on iCloud Drive will need a separate, manual backup to keep them save and protect you from user errors. Nobody is perfect 😀

And neither the iCloud backup of your iPhone or iPad will include the items only in iCloud https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT207428

"Your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch backup only include information and settings stored on your device. It doesn’t include information already stored in iCloud, like Contacts, Calendars, Bookmarks, Mail, Notes, Voice Memos3, shared photos, iCloud Photos, Health data, call history4, and files you store in iCloud Drive."



Keeping a backup of your iCloud Data is essential. Without a regular backup is iCloud a disaster waiting to happen.

How to make a backup of your iCloud documents and data will depend on your preference settings for "Optimize Mac Storage" for iCloud Drive and Photos for Mac.

Is "Optimize Mac Storage" enabled in the System Preferences > iCloud > iCloud Drive ?

If "Optimize Mac Storage" is enabled, not all of your iCloud Drive documents will be stored locally on your Mac. Some may need downloading, and these documents are not backed up by Time Machine. If documents on iCloud Drive are showing a cloud symbol to the right of the name, they are only in iCloud. Use the Finder to copy them to a backup drive.

For your Photos in iCloud the easiest way to back them up would be to use the Photos.app. If Photos for Mac is syncing with iCloud Photos, you can use the "File > export " command to copy multiple selected photos to folders on a backup drive. The web interface at www.icloud.com is not convenient to select multiple photos for backup, because you have to click each photo you want to select, while holding down the command key.