Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference to kick off June 10 at 10 a.m. PDT with Keynote address

The Keynote will be available to stream on apple.com, the Apple Developer app, the Apple TV app, and the Apple YouTube channel. On-demand playback will be available after the conclusion of the stream.

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can i use iCloud to back up my mac instead of an external drive ?

can i use iCloud to back up my mac instead of an external drive ?


iMac 27″, macOS 10.14

Posted on Jan 9, 2021 8:46 AM

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Question marked as Best reply

Posted on Jan 9, 2021 9:04 AM

Apple offers iCloud Backup for iPhones and iPads but not for Mac computers.


It is possible to sync data from a Mac to iCloud if you turn on those options (e.g., iCloud Photos, iCloud Drive including the Desktop & Documents option). Syncing has some of the benefits of a backup (and the benefit of being offsite) but is not the same as a backup. Major differences include the fact that not everything on your Mac can be synced and the fact that if you delete something, accidentally or otherwise, there is only a limited time period (30 days in most cases) during which it can be recovered.


Also see: https://support.apple.com/mac-backup


And more information on syncing in:

Set up and use iCloud Photos - Apple Support

and

iCloud Drive FAQ - Apple Support

2 replies
Question marked as Best reply

Jan 9, 2021 9:04 AM in response to ed1951

Apple offers iCloud Backup for iPhones and iPads but not for Mac computers.


It is possible to sync data from a Mac to iCloud if you turn on those options (e.g., iCloud Photos, iCloud Drive including the Desktop & Documents option). Syncing has some of the benefits of a backup (and the benefit of being offsite) but is not the same as a backup. Major differences include the fact that not everything on your Mac can be synced and the fact that if you delete something, accidentally or otherwise, there is only a limited time period (30 days in most cases) during which it can be recovered.


Also see: https://support.apple.com/mac-backup


And more information on syncing in:

Set up and use iCloud Photos - Apple Support

and

iCloud Drive FAQ - Apple Support

can i use iCloud to back up my mac instead of an external drive ?

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