If you read my previous post about how to format an external drive for Mac, you know that I bought a 2TB Seagate Expansion external hard drive and managed to create two partitions on the disk — one for Mac backup purposes, and the other for personal use.
- How To Access Backup On Mac Hard Drive
- How To Access Backup On Mac Desktop
- How To Access Ios Backup Files On Mac
- How To Access Backup On Macbook
In this article, I'm going to show you how to back up your Mac data to an external drive. You should back up your Mac on a regular basis, especially if you're planning to perform macOS updates.
In the left drop-down menu, choose your Mac volume to back up. Then choose the destination volume in the right drop-down menu. You can back up to an external drive, networked computer, or an image file (which you can store on a network volume or locally). How to back up your Mac with Time Machine. We have a step-by-step guide to backing up with Time Machine here, but essentially you just need to do the following. Plug in hard drive or SSD. Access and Manage iCloud Backup on Mac Now, you can check all the content in the backup, even to access iCloud backup.
I did this several weeks ago while preparing my MacBook Pro for a system update. You may also be interested in taking a look at the macOS Catalina slow issues we encountered during that process just in case you also want to upgrade your Mac to the latest operating system.
Please note that the backup tool that I used is Time Machine, a built-in app provided by Apple. If you want to back up your Mac data without using Time Machine, there are also other third-party Mac backup software worth considering.
Where is Time Machine on Mac?
Time Machine is a built-in app within macOS ever since OS X 10.5. To find it, click on the Apple logo on the top left corner of your screen, then select System Preferences.
In the Preferences Pane, you'll see the app located between 'Date & Time' and 'Accessibility'.
What does Time Machine Backup?
Time Machine is the easiest way to back up Mac. And the app is created and recommended by Apple. Once you have a timely backup, it's incredibly easy to restore all or part of your data in case of accidental deletion or a hard drive crash.
So, what kind of data does Time Machine backup? Everything!
Photos, videos, documents, applications, system files, accounts, preferences, messages, you name it. They all can be backed up by Time Machine. You can then restore your data from a Time Machine snapshot. To do so, first open Finder, then Applications, and click on Time Machine to continue.
Be aware that the recovery process can be only be conducted when your Mac can start up normally.
A Step-by-Step Guide to Backing up Mac to an External Hard Drive
Note: the screenshots below are taken based on an older macOS. If your Mac is running Mojave or Catalina, they will look slightly different but the process should be similar.
Step 1: Connect your external hard drive.
First, use the USB cable (or USB-C cable if you're on the newest Mac model with Thunderbolt 3 ports) that comes with your external drive to connect that drive to your Mac.
How To Access Backup On Mac Hard Drive
Once the disk icon shows up on your desktop (if it doesn't, open Finder > Preferences > General, and here make sure you've checked 'External disks' to let them show on the desktop), move on to Step 2.
Step 2: Select the disk for backup.
How To Access Backup On Mac Desktop
Now open Time Machine (I tell you how above) and select the disk you want to use. I have partitioned my Seagate drive into two new volumes, 'Backup' and 'Personal Use', as you see from the screenshot. I chose 'Backup'.
Step 3: Confirm backup (optional).
If you have used another disk for backup before, Time Machine will ask you whether you want to stop backing up to the previous disk and use the new one instead. It's up to you. I selected 'Replace'.
Step 4: Wait until the process is complete.
Now Time Machine will start to backup all your data. Mac foundation finishes. The progress bar gives you an estimate of how much time is left before the backup is complete. I found it a bit inaccurate: Initially, it said 'About 5 hours remaining', but it only took two hours to finish. It's worth noting that the remaining time may vary from case to case depending on the write speed of your external hard drive.
After about an hour and a half, it says only 15 minutes remaining
Step 5: Eject your external drive and unplug it.
When the backup procedure is completed, don't rush to disconnect your device as this could cause potential disk problems. Instead, go back to the main desktop, locate the volume that your external hard drive represents, right-click and select Eject. Then, you can safely unplug the device and put it in a safe place.
Final Words
Like any other hardware device, an external hard drive will fail sooner or later. It's best to make a copy of the data on your external drive — as they say, a 'backup of your backups'!
One good option is to use cloud storage services like iDrive which I've been using and I really like the app because it's super easy to use, and it also allows me to download Facebook photos automatically. Backblaze and Carbonite are also popular options in the market, though I am yet to give them a try.
I hope you find this tutorial helpful. I can't emphasize enough the importance of data backup these days, especially when my mid-2012 MacBook hard drive died all of a sudden. I've also seen cases where my friend's computer and hard drive failed. You can imagine their desperation. Without a proper backup, it's really hard to restore data. Although you could try a third-party data recovery program, chances are they won't get all your lost data back.
Backblaze downloader mac. Anyway, the main takeaway I want you to have from this article is this: back up your Mac with Time Machine or another app, and create a second or third copy of those backups if you can.
- Products ▼
- For Windows
- Android Manager for Win
- Android Data Recovery
- Phone Transfer for Win
- Android Root Pro
- For Mac
- Android Manager for Mac
- Android Data Recovery Mac
- Phone Transfer for Mac
- More >>>
'How to view iCloud backup files on PC?' This is a question that has been asked enormous times in Apple support forums, Q&A sites and Yahoo Answers. So you have created a complete backup of iPhone via iCloud, you can even download the file to your computer but how the hell should I access the files contained inside the iCloud backup file?
This is a very common question but very few people know the solution on how to access files in iCloud backup. Fortunately, you will be among those few people who will know how to access iCloud backup file and check all the files that are loaded inside the backup file.
Method 1: How to Access iCloud Backup Files Online
You can perform this task using a web browser but you can only view limited file types like pictures, contacts, documents, notes, calendar, etc.
First, open Safari or any other web browser on your PC or smartphone. Next, open iCloud.com and enter your user ID and password to login.
Now you can view all the files in iCloud and if you wish to see the files inside the iCloud then click on 'iCloud Drive' and you should be able to view the file types that we mentioned earlier.
But like we said, you can only have limited access on what types of files you could see using this technique. If you want to view and extract all types of files from iCloud backup files then use iPhone Data Recovery and make your life simpler. It will definitely help you to extract data from iCloud backup file even if you don't connect your iPhone to PC.
Method 2: How to Access iCloud Backup Files on PC or Mac
Obviously, you will need a third-party software that will help you to view the iCloud backup file and show you all the files from that backup. Not only that, you can even access the files and play them on your computer or iOS device.
Androidphonesoft iPhone Data Recovery is one of those tools that can help you access iCloud backup files and show you the data that are loaded inside it. Apple actually never reveals where you iCloud backup file is and even if you find it, they will be consisted of oblivion codes that you won't be able to understand. This program allows you to see the files inside the iCloud backup and extract them to PC or Mac.
Keep in mind, iPhone Data Recovery is totally safe to use. It can download the iCloud backup file from the iCloud.com and extract the files from it. Not to mention, it is totally compatible with all iOS devices like iPhone, iPad and iPod. Additionally, it can even view and extract data from iTunes backup file and recover data from iOS devices.
Step 1Install iCloud Backup Downloader
Please download, install and run the program on a Mac or Windows PC. On the main screen, click on 'Recover from iCloud Backup File' and input your iCloud login details.
Note: It never saves any personal information and login credentials at any cost.
Step 2Select an iCloud Backup File
After successfully signing in into your iCloud account, it will show the recent backup files stored in your online iCloud account. Select a backup file and click on 'Download' button to download remote backup to local hard drive.
Step 3Scan iPhone Backup File
Once the scanning is finished, the software will show everything from the iCloud backup file categorized to their respective genre. It will show all types of data, from camera roll to photo library to contacts and so on. Here's a pictorial view on what kind of data can be viewed. Click on the files you want to download and click 'Recover' button to save them on computer so you can view or open them.
It is really a very powerful tool with utmost specifications and features that is beyond anyone's imagination. It's definitely a must have tool for every iOS user.
Summary:
How To Access Ios Backup Files On Mac
Accessing files in iCloud backup is quite convenient with the method recommended above. Personally, I prefer the later method because of its flexibility as well as additional features you might use in future for loss data recovery. However, if you could get the file in Method 1, then it should be your first choice as you don't need to download anything to complete the task.
Related Articles
- Samsung SMS to PC | Android SMS Recovery | Samsung Contacts Restore | iPhone to Samsung | iPhone to Android | Free HEIC Converter | Android SD recovery | Samsung Photo Recovery | Android SMS to PC More>>>
How To Access Backup On Macbook
