Hi,
are my Documents still backed up with Time Machine when I turn on "Documents & Desktop" in the iCloud Drive settings?
Thanks.
If they are synced then they are backed up by using Time Machine
Thanks Csound, I'm not sure what you mean with "If they are synced". Could you specify this?
You said that they are synced, so they must exist on your Mac (or there could be no sync) and if they are on your Mac Time Machine will back them up (if you have not changed the default settings).
Well this is what I would expect. However, in other posts I have seen hints that this might not be the case. That's why I wanted to clarify this.
In this post it says: "To answer your first question, now that those files and folders are in iCloud Drive, those will need to be backed up a different way separate from Time Machine." (Re: iCloud Drive Desktop and Documents Folders)
Since the Documents folder will be moved to iCloud Drive, this might even apply.
And in this post it says: "Even when I look in an old time machine backup, the files that used to be backed up from the documents folder from my hard drive, were not present in a backup from a couple days ago." (Re: Documents MOVED to iCloud)
In case you are using this feature, can you see backups of your Documents when you browse your Time Machine backups?
A sync requires something to sync to, why do you refer to it as a sync if you are not sure whether it is or not?
Once you enable iCloud Documents, your Desktop & Documents folders get moved to ~/Library/Mobile Documents/com~apple~CloudDocs. Look in there in your TM backup.
I'm beginning to wonder if this new iCloud Drive backup isn't a step toward making Time Machine backups obsolete. I notice others are reporting Time Machine issues after installing Sierra. I've just started using Sierra on my upgraded iMac, and my first backup is in "preparing" status, which others have reported will take a long time.
But, does Time Machine really matter anymore? If you have all of your files in iCloud, including previous versions, then why do you need Time Machine backups at all? One may wish for old files which have been destroyed, but I, for one, don't find that matters much.
If you are saying that putting things in a synchronous cloud is a substitute for a real backup, you will be disappointed some day
You are quite correct in your statement. But, in my case I have always used an auxiliary backup drive with Super Duper as well as Time Machine/Time Capsule. So, if I decided I didn't need Time Machine/Time Capsule backup anymore, I would still have my backup drive in addition to iCloud drive. One thing is already apparent, that the iCloud drive backup is a much less fussy process than messing with the Time Capsule (which I have used for years) and subject to endless numbers of threads here. The question each person must answer for themselves is how many backups do I need?
For info, my Time Machine/Time Capsule backup is now proceeding well since I wrote my first comment. The computer's prediction is that this first backup using Sierra will take three hours. The "preparing" phase seems to have been shorter for me than others have reported. So, looks like I will have three backups now (counting the new iCloud one). A plethora of riches.
Yes, if you have an alternative to use it is OK. I maintain multiple backups as a matter of course
Time Machine Backup of Documents and Desktop when using iCloud Sync?
