MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020) MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018 - 2019) MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2015 - 2017). Different cloud storage providers will each have different ways to walk you through creating a manual backup or setting up an automatic backup schedule. Once you log into your cloud storage provider's site, they will typically provide you with a walk-through of how to select which files to back up, schedule automatic backups, and how often. Option 3: Use iCloud to back up your Mac Depending on whether or not you pay Apple a monthly subscription for iCloud storage, it may be an option to keep a backup of your data in iCloud.
Optimized Storage in macOS Sierra and later* can save space by storing your content in iCloud and making it available on demand. When storage space is needed, files, photos, movies, email attachments, and other files that you seldom use are stored in iCloud automatically. Each file stays right where you last saved it, and downloads when you open it. Files that you’ve used recently remain on your Mac, along with optimized versions of your photos.
* If you haven't yet upgraded to macOS Sierra or later, learn about other ways to free up storage space.
![Backup Backup](/uploads/1/2/6/5/126582449/968942376.png)
Find out how much storage is available on your Mac
Choose Apple menu > About This Mac, then click Storage. Each segment of the bar is an estimate of the storage space used by a category of files. Move your pointer over each segment for more detail.
Click the Manage button to open the Storage Management window, pictured below. This button is available only in macOS Sierra or later.
Manage storage on your Mac
The Storage Management window offers recommendations for optimizing your storage. If some recommendations are already turned on, you will see fewer recommendations.
Store in iCloud
Click the Store in iCloud button, then choose from these options:
- Desktop and Documents. Store all files from these two locations in iCloud Drive. When storage space is needed, only the files you recently opened are kept on your Mac, so that you can easily work offline. Files stored only in iCloud show a download icon , which you can double-click to download the original file. Learn more about this feature.
- Photos. Store all original, full-resolution photos and videos in iCloud Photos. When storage space is needed, only space-saving (optimized) versions of photos are kept on your Mac. To download the original photo or video, just open it.
- Messages. Store all messages and attachments in iCloud. When storage space is needed, only the messages and attachments you recently opened are kept on your Mac. Learn more about Messages in iCloud.
Storing files in iCloud uses the storage space in your iCloud storage plan. If you reach or exceed your iCloud storage limit, you can either buy more iCloud storage or make more iCloud storage available. iCloud storage starts at 50GB for $0.99 (USD) a month, and you can purchase additional storage directly from your Apple device. Learn more about prices in your region.
Optimize Storage
Click the Optimize button, then choose from these options.
- Automatically remove watched movies and TV shows. When storage space is needed, movies or TV shows that you purchased from the iTunes Store and already watched are removed from your Mac. Click the download icon next to a movie or TV show to download it again.
- Download only recent attachments. Mail automatically downloads only the attachments that you recently received. You can manually download any attachments at any time by opening the email or attachment, or saving the attachment to your Mac.
- Don't automatically download attachments. Mail downloads an attachment only when you open the email or attachment, or save the attachment to your Mac.
Optimizing storage for movies, TV shows, and email attachments doesn't require iCloud storage space.
Empty Trash Automatically
Empty Trash Automatically permanently deletes files that have been in the Trash for more than 30 days.
Reduce Clutter
Reduce Clutter helps you to identify large files and files you might no longer need. Click the Review Files button, then choose any of the file categories in the sidebar, such as Applications, Documents, Music Creation, or Trash.
You can delete the files in some categories directly from this window. Other categories show the total storage space used by the files in each app. You can then open the app and decide whether to delete files from within it.
Learn how to redownload apps, music, movies, TV shows, and books.
Where to find the settings for each feature
The button for each recommendation in the Storage Management window affects one or more settings in other apps. You can also control those settings directly within each app.
- If you're using macOS Catalina, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click Apple ID, then select iCloud in the sidebar: Store in iCloud turns on the Optimize Mac Storage setting on the right. Then click Options next to iCloud Drive: Store in iCloud turns on the Desktop & Documents Folders setting. To turn off iCloud Drive entirely, deselect iCloud Drive.
In macOS Mojave or earlier, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click iCloud, then click Options next to iCloud Drive. Store in iCloud turns on the Desktop & Documents Folders and Optimize Mac Storage settings. - In Photos, choose Photos > Preferences, then click iCloud. Store in iCloud selects iCloud Photos and Optimize Mac Storage.
- In Messages, choose Messages > Preferences, then click iMessage. Store in iCloud selects Enable Messages in iCloud.
- If you're using macOS Catalina, open the Apple TV app, choose TV > Preferences from the menu bar, then click Files. Optimize Storage selects “Automatically delete watched movies and TV shows.”
In macOS Mojave or earlier, open iTunes, choose iTunes > Preferences from the menu bar, then click Advanced. Optimize Storage selects “Automatically delete watched movies and TV shows.” - In Mail, choose Mail > Preferences from the menu bar, then click Accounts. In the Account Information section on the right, Optimize Storage sets the Download Attachments menu to either Recent or None.
Empty Trash Automatically: From the Finder, choose Finder > Preferences, then click Advanced. Empty Trash Automatically selects “Remove items from the Trash after 30 days.”
Other ways that macOS helps automatically save space
With macOS Sierra or later, your Mac automatically takes these additional steps to save storage space:
- Detects duplicate downloads in Safari, keeping only the most recent version of the download
- Reminds you to delete used app installers
- Removes old fonts, languages, and dictionaries that aren't being used
- Clears caches, logs, and other unnecessary data when storage space is needed
How to free up storage space manually
Even without using the Optimized Storage features of Sierra or later, you can take other steps to make more storage space available:
- Music, movies, and other media can use a lot of storage space. Learn how to delete music, movies, and TV shows from your device.
- Delete other files that you no longer need by moving them to the Trash, then emptying the Trash. The Downloads folder is good place to look for files that you might no longer need.
- Move files to an external storage device.
- Compress files.
- Delete unneeded email: In the Mail app, choose Mailbox > Erase Junk Mail. If you no longer need the email in your Trash mailbox, choose Mailbox > Erase Deleted Items.
Learn more
- The Storage pane of About This Mac is the best way to determine the amount of storage space available on your Mac. Disk Utility and other apps might show storage categories such as Not Mounted, VM, Recovery, Other Volumes, Free, or Purgeable. Don't rely on these categories to understand how to free up storage space or how much storage space is available for your data.
- When you duplicate a file on an APFS-formatted volume, that file doesn't use additional storage space on the volume. Deleting a duplicate file frees up only the space required by any data you might have added to the duplicate. If you no longer need any copies of the file, you can recover all of the storage space by deleting both the duplicate and the original file.
- If you're using a pro app and Optimize Mac Storage, learn how to make sure that your projects are always on your Mac and able to access their files.
Mac is one of the most reliable computers, but after all technology can still fail at any time. So Apple recommends that everyone should back up their Mac at regular intervals to prevent loss of data. This could also be a lifesaver in case of unfortunate events such as fire, theft, or an accidental drop. So in this post, let’s look at the four ways to backup your Mac.
What is Time Machine and How it Works?
Time Machine is the best way to backup your Mac. It is an in-built tool on every macOS powered computer. You require an external storage device like a hard drive, SSD, etc. to use it. For best performance, it is recommended that the external drive be at least twice the size of your Mac’s internal drive. For example, if you have a 500 GB drive in Mac, use a 1 TB external drive for Time Machine.
Before you begin, make sure to use a new drive. If you use an old drive, then ensure nothing is on it. If there are files on it, they will be lost after re-formatting. Further, it is not recommended to use the drive for anything else, except Time Machine. But if you plan to use an external drive for both backup and regular use, then you will have to create a partition. It’s best to avoid this. Let’s check it out.
How to Backup Your Mac with Time Machine
Step #1. Connect the external storage device to your Mac.
Step #2. You will see a window asking you to use this drive to back up with Time Machine. Check the box for Encrypt Backup Disk. Then click Use as Backup Disk.
In case you automatically do not see the above window when you connect the external drive, follow the steps below.
Step #3. Click on the Apple logo from the top left and then select System Preferences.
Backup Storage For Macbook
Step #4. Next, click Time Machine.
Step #5. Click Select Backup Disk.
Step #6. At last, select your external drive from the list of available disks. Next, it is recommended that you check the box for Encrypt backups. Finally, click Use Disk.
Note: In case the disk you selected for Time Machine is not appropriately formatted as needed, you will be prompted to erase the disk. Click Erase to proceed.
Done! You have successfully enabled Time Machine backup for your Mac.
From now on, Time Machine will make periodic backups without needing any action from you (except merely plugging in the external drive). The first backup will take a long time. But future backups will be quick as Time Machine will backup only the files that have changed since the previous backup.
Time Machine on your Mac automatically makes hourly backups for the past 24 hours and daily backups for the past month. Further, it also makes weekly backups for all previous months. The oldest backups are deleted when your backup disk is full to manage storage on the external drive.
Suppose you are shutting down your Mac and want to back it up now to save all changes, then click on the Time Machine icon from the top menu bar and select Back Up Now.
Overall, Time Machine is fantastic. But if you lose your backpack that has your Mac and the external drive, or if a natural calamity hits your house, then chances are both your computer and the Time Machine backup drive will be lost or destroyed. (Unless you back up to Time Machine on a NAS located elsewhere.) So, the next best solution is to use the power of Cloud to store your most important files. Let me show you how.
How to Back up Your Mac to iCloud
Apple gives you 5GB of free iCloud space. This is too little to backup all files from the Mac. But still, it can be used to keep your important documents and data safe and available on all Apple devices. If you like, you can buy a subscription plan that starts at $0.99 for 50GB. Other options are $2.99 for 200GB and $9.99 for 2 TB.
How To Backup Mac To Hard Drive
Step #1. Click on the Apple logo from the top left and select System Preferences.
Step #2. Now Click on Apple ID.
Step #3. Next, click on iCloud.
Step #4. Check the box for iCloud Drive.
Step #5. Next, click on Options and choose what you would like to store in iCloud.
Step #6. Desktop & Documents Folders will backup everything in them to iCloud. Similarly, you can choose or (turn off) Numbers, Pages, etc. and Click on Done.
How to Clone Your Mac to Use It as Backup
Cloning is different from a back up because, with cloning, you can create a bootable copy of your entire hard drive. This allows you to access whatever you have on one Mac on another Mac. You can do this simply by connecting the drive to the other Mac, and when you turn on that Mac, press the option key. Finally, select the drive and click the arrow.
Oxford Dictionary – Best Dictionary App for iPhone. The legacy of the dictionary dates back to a few.
In the Dictionary app on your Mac, type a word or phrase in the search field in the upper-right corner of the Dictionary window. Note: If you add another Dictionary source, wait for it to download completely before searching for a word or phrase. For information about adding sources, see “Customize Dictionary.
![Mac Mac](/uploads/1/2/6/5/126582449/983455810.png)
Use Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive as your Mac Storage
Dropbox, Google Drive, One Drive, Box are some of the most popular online storage services. It is very easy to upload and save files from your Mac to these.
This is not the same as Time Machine backup or cloning. It is simply saving you important files to these cloud services. After you have your photos, music, documents safely stored on these, you can access them on any mobile device or computer.
The free space provided by these cloud storage services vary. Mac os x for x86 download windows 7.
- Dropbox offers 2 GB of free space with every account. Individual paid plan starts at $9.99 per month for 2 TB
- Google Drive, on the other hand, offers 15 GB free with every account. Its paid plans start at $1.99 for 100 GB and go up to $9.99 for 2 TB
- Microsoft offers 5 GB for free with each account. After that, you can pay $1.99 per month for 100 GB of One Drive. Or, you can pay $6.99 per month and get 1 TB of One Drive as well as Office apps. It is a sweet combo
The process of using these services is almost the same for all. First, you have to register (that is to create an account), and then you can sign in to manually backup your files. If you do not want to use the browser, then most of these services have Mac apps that you can install and then simply drop files in their respective folder, and they would be backed up automatically.
You can start using Dropbox, Google Drive, One Drive from these links.
That’s all, folks.
Signing off…
With so many options, there’s no excuse not to back up your Mac routinely. Svn for mac os x. It can save your precious data and make it easy to restore when things go wrong. You can also check out our selection of the best Mac backup software to further help you out. Do you have any further questions about backups? Let us know in the comments below.
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I have been an Apple user for over seven years now. At iGeeksBlog, I love creating how-tos and troubleshooting guides that help people do more with their iPhone, iPad, Mac, AirPods, and Apple Watch. In my free time, I like to watch stand up comedy videos, tech documentaries, news debates, and political speeches.
External Backup For Imac
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