Do I *FULLY* backup Macintosh HD if I simply copy/paste it to an external drive?

itsjamesd wrote:

¹ What I mean by simply copy/pasting Macintosh HD to an external drive, is to open a Finder window, then Go to Computer (⇧⌘C), in order to view all the mounted volumes, and then just copy/paste the Macintosh HD icon to an external drive.

No you can't just copy and paste. For one thing there are many invisible system files and folders that wouldn't get copied.

As far as this…

I guess it's probably not going to be bootable by simply copy/pasting, but that's ok, I just need it for backup. I don't need it to actually boot. I just need it to be recoverable, if ever needed.

What good does having a non-bootable backup do if you need to restore your system?

You should use CCC or SD! to make full clones.

You seem to be rejecting @dialabrain’s advice. Don’t. You need to use a cloning app like Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper to make a proper back up your entire drive. Copying and Pasting will not make anything “recoverable” except individual files and for that you should be using Time Machine, Apple’s built-in backup app. Time machine can also restore your entire system if needed.

Time Machine IS a full backup which you can fully restore your complete system with. Time Machine is incremental in that it backs up changed files every hour. Time Machine is a full back up in that you can restore your complete installation to any point you choose. If your internal hard drive craps out and has to be replaced you can restore the new drive up to any point you choose. This is how people can easily revert to a previous version of an app or macOS itself.

You're misunderstanding what Time Machine is.

Time machine is FULL backup and incremental backup.

Incremental backup when you need to restore 1 file from a folder from the past.

And a full, complete backup if your system is toast.

If this happens, and you start from the recovery partition, the Time Machine you have will be a source you can restore from.

This will restore everything and make your Mac bootable again.

There's an argument that Time Machine should be your ONLY backup, but it's a great, reliable start for ordinary users.

itsjamesd wrote:

While Time Machine does a great job when it comes to incremental backups, I'd like to start doing FULL backups, once a week, from now on.

How to create a boot clone You can google "3-2-1 backup strategy" for more info on a robust plan.

Not quite sure I understand you, but I still make the point that Time Machine is a full backup of your entire Mac.

"Each time I plug my external HD and have TM do a backup for me, it only backs up the files that have been modified since the last backup, and it offers no option to perform a full backup."

When it backs up the last modified files, it adds it to the previous backup, therefore it's a full backup.

How are you using Time Machine, if you want to restore a particular file - that might shed some light as to your process.

Looking at this statement:

"While TM is going to make the Sep-26 backup folder (right after Sep-24) and when I click on it, I will find all files in my system"

Are you actually going to the backup drive and opening that folder?

If so I think that's the problem - that's not how you use Time Machine.

The backup drive isn't for the user to look through to find files, it's a reference for the system to find files or rebuild the entire drive.

To recover a individual file or folder - you use TM by opening the folder 'on your Mac' (not in the backup folder), where the file used to reside, and then selecting Time Machine in the menu bar and selecting 'Enter Time Machine'.

This then shows you all the versions of the folder going back into the past and you can restore any of the files and bring them back to the present.

To recover an entire volume - you use TM by selecting it as a source to restore from when you boot up from your recovery drive.

It rebuilds the entire drive from the Time Machine drive - this works very well - it's saved a Mac on a couple of occasions.

Sorry if I'm pointing out the obvious - just trying to understand your question.

Sorry:

"There's an argument that Time Machine should NOT be your ONLY backup, but it's a great, reliable start for ordinary users."