Hard drives can vary in cost and storage capacity but even though they are an added expense, they are more than worth it in the worst-case scenario of a broken or stolen MacBook. How to Backup MacBook Pro to External Hard Drive. The first step to backing up your MacBook Pro is to connect your computer to an external hard drive. The simplest method of backing up files is simply to copy the files and folders to an external hard drive, a USB flash drive, a CD, or a DVD. Nothing fancy, but it works. Back up to an external hard drive or USB flash drive If you use an external hard drive with your MacBook, you can easily drag backup files to it from your internal hard drive. Samsung Portable SSD T5. Starting off Samsung Portable SSD T5 which is an outstanding storage. Connect your external hard drive to your Mac using USB, FireWire, or Thunderbolt. Turn on Time Machine by going to System Preferences Time Machine. Toggle the switch from Off to On. Click Select Disk to choose which volume you want to use for your backup. Choose your external drive from the list, then click Use Disk.
iCloud is 'real space' on your MacBook's storage, so a separate backup routine using Time Machine backs this up.
However, putting your documents into iCloud and electing to not keep full copies locally (to save storage space on your MacBook) means that your Time Machine would no longer backup all your documents, just the ones from iCloud that are saved locally on the MacBook.
Remember that iCloud is not 'backup' .. it is merely cloud storage, and there's no way to backup what's in iCloud (unless it is also saved locally, which means you're not saving space afterall).
Aug 22, 2019 2:28 PM
Backing up your Mac is simple and important. We recommend it for everyone.
Back up with Time Machine
Time Machine is the built-in backup feature of your Mac. It's a complete backup solution, but you can use other backup methods as well.
Store files in iCloud
Backing Up Macbook To External Hard Drive
You can also use iCloud and iCloud Drive to store files, such as your photos, documents, and music.
Set up iCloud and iCloud DriveRestore your Mac from a backup
Store files in iCloud
Backing Up Macbook To External Hard Drive
You can also use iCloud and iCloud Drive to store files, such as your photos, documents, and music.
Set up iCloud and iCloud DriveRestore your Mac from a backup
When you have a backup, you can use it to restore your files at any time, including after the original files are deleted from your Mac.
Restore from a backupPrepare your Mac for service
Making a backup is an important part of preparing your Mac for service, especially because some types of repair might require erasing or replacing your hard drive. Keyboard instrument software.
Get your Mac ready for serviceHow much space do I need for a backup?
To see the size of a specific file or folder, click it once and then press Command-I. To see storage information about your Mac, click the Apple menu in the top-left of your screen. Choose About This Mac and click the Storage tab. For Time Machine backups, it's good to use a drive that has at least twice the storage capacity of your Mac.
Related topics
Free up storage on your Mac
macOS can save space by storing your content in the cloud. This isn't a backup, but it includes new tools to make it easier to find and remove large or unwanted files before you make a backup.
Backing Up A Macbook To An External Hard Drive External
Use Optimized Storage in macOSErase or format a storage device
You can use Disk Utility if you need to erase or format a storage device.
Learn how to use Disk UtilitymacOS Community
If you can't back up your Mac
Backing Up Macbook On External Hard Drive
We'll find the best support options for you.
