can i use clonezilla to create an image of my mbp

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Level 3

816 points

can i use clonezilla to create an image of my mbp

would like to know if i can use a specific version/release of clonezilla live (installed on a flash drive) to create reliable and restorable images of my current configuration. which stable release would work for this ?

I currently have the latest build of Windows 10 Home (via boot camp created partition) as well as the latest macOS Big Sur.

My hardware is a late 2013 15" mbp, and a 480GB OWC Aura Pro X2 SSD.

here is what my configuration looks like:

********@mbp-macOS ~ % diskutil list
/dev/disk0 (internal, physical):
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:      GUID_partition_scheme                        *480.1 GB   disk0
   1:                        EFI ⁨EFI⁩                     209.7 MB   disk0s1
   2:                 Apple_APFS ⁨Container disk1⁩         265.0 GB   disk0s2
   3:       Microsoft Basic Data ⁨Windows⁩                 214.3 GB   disk0s3
   4:           Windows Recovery ⁨⁩                        557.8 MB   disk0s4

/dev/disk1 (synthesized):
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:      APFS Container Scheme -                      +265.0 GB   disk1
                                 Physical Store disk0s2
   1:                APFS Volume ⁨macOS - Data⁩            146.6 GB   disk1s1
   2:                APFS Volume ⁨macOS⁩                   15.0 GB    disk1s2
   3:              APFS Snapshot ⁨com.apple.os.update-...⁩ 15.0 GB    disk1s2s1
   4:                APFS Volume ⁨Preboot⁩                 321.8 MB   disk1s3
   5:                APFS Volume ⁨Recovery⁩                613.6 MB   disk1s4
   6:                APFS Volume ⁨VM⁩                      8.6 GB     disk1s5

********@mbp-macOS ~ % diskutil info /dev/disk0
   Device Identifier:         disk0
   Device Node:               /dev/disk0
   Whole:                     Yes
   Part of Whole:             disk0
   Device / Media Name:       Aura Pro X2

   Volume Name:               Not applicable (no file system)
   Mounted:                   Not applicable (no file system)
   File System:               None

   Content (IOContent):       GUID_partition_scheme
   OS Can Be Installed:       No
   Media Type:                Generic
   Protocol:                  PCI-Express
   SMART Status:              Verified

   Disk Size:                 480.1 GB (480103981056 Bytes) (exactly 937703088 512-Byte-Units)
   Device Block Size:         512 Bytes

   Media OS Use Only:         No
   Media Read-Only:           No
   Volume Read-Only:          Not applicable (no file system)

   Device Location:           Internal
   Removable Media:           Fixed

   Solid State:               Yes
   Virtual:                   No
   Hardware AES Support:      No

Windows, Windows 10

Posted on Jan 19, 2021 6:47 PM

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Answer 1

Loner T

Level 9

59,536 points

Jan 19, 2021 7:06 PM in response to zero7404

It may be much simpler to create two separate backups.

macOS via Time Machine, and,
Windows via CloneZilla.

Is there a specific reason you do not want to create them separately?

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Answer 2

Loner T

Level 9

59,536 points

Jan 19, 2021 9:00 PM in response to zero7404

Yes, but do not discard the other backups. Restore and verify that your Mac comes back after the CloneZilla restore, before you use this approach on a regular basis.

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Answer 3

Loner T

Level 9

59,536 points

Jan 19, 2021 8:23 PM in response to zero7404

If you are restoring the full disk, then CloneZilla may be a good choice. If you backup using two separate backups, they can be restored without any interdependencies, which the full-disk clone will not do.

You have to be careful with FileVault2 and BitLocker, if you plan to use CloneZilla. You cannot mix these. Apple T2 further complicates such disk based imaging.

See Encryption and Data Protection overview - Apple Support for reference.

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Answer 4

zero7404 Author

Level 3

816 points

Jan 19, 2021 7:14 PM in response to Loner T

the general assumption i made is that a full image snapshot would restore everything down to the same 'sector' they were taken when imaged. making a complete restore of the entire ssd just like a snapshot of it from when it was taken (including GPT, recovery partitions or containers, etc.).

maybe i am mistaken.

i think clonezilla is the only free to use option out there that can do that, and i have used it in the past (with other computers and also with macs but before apfs rolled around). it's been a while since and i'm not sure how well it works with apfs presence on bootable storage.

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Answer 5

zero7404 Author

Level 3

816 points

Jan 19, 2021 8:33 PM in response to Loner T

full disk restores are fine for my usage.

i also use time machine for the macOS side and independent 3rd party software to backup data that is more sensitive to daily changes (such as email, documents or media folders).

concerning encryptions, i use neither in windows or macOS.

would i be safe to use the latest clonezilla live build, and attempt to image the entire ssd as a ‘sector by sector’ backup ?

thanks again for your advice

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can i use clonezilla to create an image of my mbp

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