how can i backup 2019 macbook pro using mohave?

Question

how can i backup 2019 macbook pro using mohave?

i'm not very techie..so wondering how i back up my 2019 macbook pro (still using mojave though i want to install big sur). is this what icloud is for (among other things)?

MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 10.14

Posted on Aug 13, 2021 1:38 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

muguy

Level 10

81,775 points

Aug 13, 2021 3:05 PM in response to thursdaycotton

Essentially the drive you're backing up to is not encrypted. So, it's just a warning that your encrypted files will not be on the backup. So, if someone got a hold of your drive, they could see your files in the clear. You can encrypt your backup (learn more: https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/keep-your-time-machine-backup-disk-secure-mh21241/mac). It's best to turn it on before so encryption happens during backup. You can do it later too but it will take a while.

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Answer 2

muguy

Level 10

81,775 points

Aug 13, 2021 1:57 PM in response to thursdaycotton

Yes, Time Machine backs up to an external drive. If you turn on iCloud Drive any files you place in iCloud Drive will sync with the cloud. You can also turn on desktop and documents to sync those items. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204025. You should buy an external drive with sufficient space to hold incremental backups and for future growth of files.

iCloud is primarily a synchronization service that allows your documents to be kept up to date across devices and not a traditional backup. So, if you delete a file from your computer, it will also delete from the cloud.

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Answer 3

Aug 13, 2021 1:51 PM in response to muguy

hey thanks for the super fast reply...my device seems to be acting strange today so need to backup before I try to find out what's up...and ...I did follow the advice in your link earlier however my hang up is when the time machine wants me to select a backup disk...I don't know what that would be ?

am I supposed to have an external drive plugged into one of my my computer ports on the left side, where I usually plug in the power? this is where I'm wondering if the iCloud could take over, if so, how do I tell it to use iCloud?

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Answer 4

Aug 13, 2021 2:10 PM in response to muguy

hey super helpful. I just dug out my gdrive that I bought with my last MacBook Pro and will do all that you suggested. btw are mac's still pretty virus resilient? I diligently clear my browsing history daily and have Avira but something is going on here, I guess that I'll be googling until I figure it out.

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Answer 5

Aug 13, 2021 2:14 PM in response to muguy

also, I just got a message that time machine is backing up an encrypted disk to an unencrypted disk...what is this about and do I need to do something? I can close the msg or go to settings it appears.

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