It’s a good idea to periodically back up your computer. You want to make sure your documents, photos, and files are protected in case of hardware failure, software glitch, or malware attack. Apple makes this process easy for Mac users with the built-in Time Machine tool that lets you back up your entire system and then restore individual files or the entire drive.
You can trigger manual backups or set them to run automatically. Backups can be stored on an external drive, another Mac, network storage, or an AirPort Time Capsule. Time Machine has not changed in years, so the process is the same no matter which version of macOS you’re running. The initial steps differ based on your backup media, so we’ll cover each type separately.
poof, never to be seen again.
If you ve felt that pain or want to avoid it iCloud is your friend. Apple s cloud storage services, including iCloud Drive, back up valuable information, documents, and images wirelessly to the internet, where it s easy to retrieve or download from any device.
Apple automatically provides every user with 5GB of free iCloud storage. You can use this storage to back up apps, images, videos, or documents. But 5GB fills up fast; additional storage starts at $0.99 per month for 50GB in the US.
What Does iCloud Backup Include?
With Apple iCloud, you can back up: