tejanizo
Level 1 (4 points)
Notebooks

Q: Can I backup my entire Mac to iCloud?

I am planning on getting the 1TB iCloud storage and the only reason I want to get it is so I can have additional space in space locally for my Mac. I got the 128GB Macbook Air. Is it feasible?

OS X Mavericks (10.9.5)

Posted on Aug 6, 2016 12:59 AM

by sberman,Apple recommended
sberman sberman
Level 8 (40,586 points)
A:

Macs do not back up to iCloud.  iOS devices (iPhones, iPads) back up to iCloud.

 

Save your money on iCloud storage and use it to purchase a good hard drive to store your Time Machine backup.

Use Time Machine to back up or restore your Mac - Apple Support

Posted on Aug 6, 2016 7:56 AM

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tejanizo

Q: Can I backup my entire Mac to iCloud?

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  • by sberman,Apple recommended

    sberman sberman Aug 6, 2016 7:56 AM in response to tejanizo
    Level 8 (40,586 points)
    Aug 6, 2016 7:56 AM in response to tejanizo

    Macs do not back up to iCloud.  iOS devices (iPhones, iPads) back up to iCloud.

     

    Save your money on iCloud storage and use it to purchase a good hard drive to store your Time Machine backup.

    Use Time Machine to back up or restore your Mac - Apple Support

  • by dwb,

    dwb dwb Aug 6, 2016 10:38 AM in response to tejanizo
    Level 7 (24,305 points)
    Notebooks
    Aug 6, 2016 10:38 AM in response to tejanizo

    You can back up all your data to iCloud but not the operating system or applications. The purpose of iCloud for the Mac isn’t backing up, its to make your data available anywhere you have access to the internet and for easy sharing. And the way iCloud works it isn’t really a good idea to try and store data there and remove it from your computer. There is simply too much risk of losing data completely. To back up your computer you really need to purchase an external hard drive and use TimeMachine.

     

    If your MBA is the 13” model it has a built in SD card reader so that can be used to store data that won’t fit on the computer’s internal drive. Another option is to look at OWC’s SSD upgrade options.