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I want to back up to icloud but Time Machine only give me the option of My Book an external back up which I no longer want to use.

I want to backup my MacBook Air to icloud but Time Machine only give me the option of My Book an external back up which I no longer want to use.

MacBook Air 13″, macOS 12.4

Posted on Jun 27, 2022 3:24 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Jun 27, 2022 3:35 PM

Time Machine will not back up to iCloud; it will only back up to an external drive. See: Backup disks you can use with Time Machine - Apple Support

and

Back up your Mac with Time Machine - Apple Support


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: How to back up your Mac - Official Apple Support


And more information on syncing in:

Set up and use iCloud Photos - Apple Support

and

Access and manage your files in iCloud Drive - Apple Support

and

Add your Desktop and Documents files to iCloud Drive - Apple Support


1 reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Jun 27, 2022 3:35 PM in response to 1950Jay

Time Machine will not back up to iCloud; it will only back up to an external drive. See: Backup disks you can use with Time Machine - Apple Support

and

Back up your Mac with Time Machine - Apple Support


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: How to back up your Mac - Official Apple Support


And more information on syncing in:

Set up and use iCloud Photos - Apple Support

and

Access and manage your files in iCloud Drive - Apple Support

and

Add your Desktop and Documents files to iCloud Drive - Apple Support


I want to back up to icloud but Time Machine only give me the option of My Book an external back up which I no longer want to use.

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