By Gina Barrow, Last updated: February 11, 2020
Many Mac users often find themselves in dilemma after they have lost certain files without creating any backups. Often, they think that their Macs don't need to be backed up since no one else is using it, and they haven't done anything that can cause data loss.
However, there are uncommon situations such as virus attacks or corrupted system files that can trigger and cause data loss. There are many options on how to backup your Mac and the easiest is to use the iCloud service.
In this article, we will learn how to backup Mac to iCloud plus other methods on how to secure your personal files and information.
Download 'iCloud' on your Mac from Apple App store & launch it. Open 'iCloud' on your Mac. Select 'System Preferences' from the Apple menu. Click 'iCloud' located in the 'Internet & Wireless' section. Enter your Apple ID and password to sign in to iCloud. Choose the services which you want to share in the cloud. Select the iCloud services you. Follow the steps to set up Cloud Station on your Mac or PC 2.1 For PC Go to Cloud Station Overview and click the Download button. Click the button to download Cloud Station for Windows PC.
How to back up your Mac to iCloud. Here's how to backup using iCloud. Open System Preferences on your Mac and click on iCloud. Sign in to iCloud if you aren't already. Tick the box beside iCloud. You can download any file you have backed up from iPhone, iPad or iPod touch to iCloud, including Photos, Notes, Reminders, Contacts, and Calendar. And it is totally free to download iCloud backup to PC/Mac. Open a web browser on PC or Mac, type iCloud.com and go to the website.
Part 1. How to Backup Mac to iCloud
Apple provides free 5 GB of iCloud storage to every Apple ID registered where you can use it as your backup option. This storage space is upgradeable at anytime you wish to add more space.
One of the best features of iCloud is the ability to sync across all your iOS devices including your iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, and Mac. It only requires one Apple ID on all these devices and you are free to utilize all the iCloud features.
Apart from that, you can access your data anytime as long as you are connected to the internet.
Follow this guide on how to backup Mac to iCloud and never lose any of your files again:
- On your Mac, launch System Preferences and select iCloud.
- Sign in with your Apple ID and password.
- After you have successfully logged in, choose the types of data you wish to add in your backup. (You can choose from your Photos, Emails, Contacts, Calendars, and many more.)
- From here you can manage other files like your iCloud Photo Library and customize the way iCloud will backup your photos.
- Choose iCloud Drive.
- Drag and drop the files you wish to backup or you can simply add a copy as well.
- Once you have set up the iCloud Drive, all the files and documents saved in iCloud will be moved to iCloud Drive.
That's it! You have just setup and learned how to backup your Macto iCloud. You are now confident that you can easily retrieve your information from iCloud in case something happens on your Mac.
Manage Your iCloud Storage
Most of the time, iOS users are actually more concerned of their iCloud space storage than their files due to the limited amount of free space. However, you have options to manage your iCloud storage so you can maximize the 5 GB allotted space or you can buy more.
Turn off backup from multiple devices
Because iCloud syncs across your devices, it is normal that it will consume the free space quickly. However, you always have the option to decide which devices need backup to save more iCloud space.
Follow this step to turn off iCloud backup on multiple devices:
- Decide what iOS device will have iCloud backup.
- On the device that doesn't need a backup, go to Settings.
- Find and tap iCloud.
- Toggle the iCloud Backup bar off.
By doing turning off the iCloud backup on the given device, it will no longer sync with your iCloud account.
Part 2. Use Time Machine as Your Backup on Mac
Apart from the iCloud service, Apple also offers a default backup option called the Time Machine. It works by providing backup to all your files like apps, photos, documents, system files, and more on your Mac.
Unlike the iCloud service that saves your files online, Time Machine backups are stored externally and can be restored externally as well. Time Machine on the other hand, uses external storage devices such as a FireWire drive, Airport Time Capsule, USB or external hard drives.
Here is the complete guide on how to use Time Machine as your Backup on Mac:
- First, plug in your external storage device to your Mac and select Use as Backup Disk on the pop-up message.
- If you don't see a pop-up message, you can add it manually by going to Time Machine, and then Time Machine preferences. Choose Select Backup Disk.
- Choose your external storage from the list of available disks.
- Check the box beside Encrypt backups and then click Use Disk.
Your first backup with Time Machine will take a while depending on the files you have set for backup. However, you can also enjoy the convenience of auto-backup with Time Machine. Time Machine will only add the files recently changed from the previous backup.
Part 3. How to Retrieve Lost or Deleted Files from Mac
Data loss is a common problem especially with Mac users who have not taken proper backups. Most of the time, users tend to endure data loss and shrug this annoying incident without knowing that they can still recover them.
FoneDog Data Recovery is a third-party wizard that every Mac user can rely on. It provides data recovery of all file types and from any devices.
You can recover any of the following files such as:
- Archives
- Emails
- Documents
- Videos
- Photos
- And many more
Data RecoveryRecover deleted image, document, audio and more files.Get deleted data back from computer (including Recycle Bin) and hard drives.Recover loss data caused by disk accident, operation system crushes and other reasons.
It doesn't matter what device or storage you are using, FoneDog Data Recovery can retrieve it from various options like:
- Hard Drive
- Memory Card/SD Card
- USB Flash Drive
- Deleted Files
- Mac or Windows computers
- Partitions
- And even the Recycle/Trash bin
Many users have already experienced the excellent features of FoneDog Data Recovery; you too can experience its wonders by downloading it for free.
Part 4. Summary
The steps on how to backup Mac to iCloud are pretty simple and upfront; you don't have to do a lot of complicated steps just to save and store your important files.
Apart from iCloud, you can also use the Time Machine backup feature on Mac to store your personal files externally. Safeguard your data at any time using these two free methods.
If you are too late and already lost or deleted important files, don't worry; FoneDog Data Recovery will save you from all the heartaches. It's a genius recovery tool that can retrieve all types of files from any storage devices.
Do you still wonder how to backup MacBook Pro to iCloud? Read this tutorial with detailed steps to get this problem solved.
iCloud Backup Tips & Tricks
Backups are becoming more vital and necessary since everything we create and store is finished on our computers. So we are always on the way to look for a best way to backup our data. For MacBook Pro users, obviously, a preferred way is to backup MacBook Pro to iCloud. However, for fresh MacBook Pro users, even those who have MacBook Pro for a long time, how to backup MacBook Pro is still troublesome. So in the following we are going to share how to solve this problem step by step.
How To Back Up Mac Computer
How to Backup MacBook Pro to iCloud
Step 1 Turn on iCloud. Your MacBook Pro must be running OS X v10.7.4 or later > Open System Preferences from the Apple menu in the upper left corner of your screen > Click on the iCloud icon > Enter your Apple ID and password to sign in > Check the box indicating that you wish to use iCloud to back up your information > Click the Next button.
Step 2 Choose which data you need to back up. Apple provides 5 GB of space for free when you sign up for iCloud. So, if you only wish to use this space, choose your most important documents and data to back up. And also you can upgrade your iCloud space for backing up more data.
How to Backup MacBook Pro to iCloud − Step 2
All options are automatically checked by default, and you need uncheck the boxes next to the information that you don't want backed up.
Step 3 Enable Photo Stream. When you check the Photo Stream box, iCloud will save the last 1,000 photos for 30 days. If you have set up iCloud on your iPhone, this will automatically sync photos you have taken without having to connect your phone to your Mac.
Step 4 Close the System Preferences window. iCloud will now automatically sync the data you have chosen to backup MacBook Pro to iCloud.
Bonus Tip: How to Backup iOS Devices to MackBook Pro
To backup iPhone to MacBook Pro, we can get help from some tools. We recommend AnyTrans for iOS firstly. AnyTrans for iOS is an iOS device data manager for both Windows and Mac. It enables you to backup iDevice to computer selectively like photos, videos, music, messages, notes, contacts, etc. Besides, you can also backup your iPhone to iTunes.
Just dwonload AnyTrans for iOS now, and follow the steps below to see how to back up iOS devices to MacBook Pro.
Free Download * 100% Clean & Safe
Step 1 Open AnyTrans and connect your iPhone with your computer > Click the Content to PC or Content to iTunes button.
How To Backup An Imac
Backup iPhone in AnyTrans for iOS – Step 1
Data loss is a common problem especially with Mac users who have not taken proper backups. Most of the time, users tend to endure data loss and shrug this annoying incident without knowing that they can still recover them.
FoneDog Data Recovery is a third-party wizard that every Mac user can rely on. It provides data recovery of all file types and from any devices.
You can recover any of the following files such as:
- Archives
- Emails
- Documents
- Videos
- Photos
- And many more
Data RecoveryRecover deleted image, document, audio and more files.Get deleted data back from computer (including Recycle Bin) and hard drives.Recover loss data caused by disk accident, operation system crushes and other reasons.
It doesn't matter what device or storage you are using, FoneDog Data Recovery can retrieve it from various options like:
- Hard Drive
- Memory Card/SD Card
- USB Flash Drive
- Deleted Files
- Mac or Windows computers
- Partitions
- And even the Recycle/Trash bin
Many users have already experienced the excellent features of FoneDog Data Recovery; you too can experience its wonders by downloading it for free.
Part 4. Summary
The steps on how to backup Mac to iCloud are pretty simple and upfront; you don't have to do a lot of complicated steps just to save and store your important files.
Apart from iCloud, you can also use the Time Machine backup feature on Mac to store your personal files externally. Safeguard your data at any time using these two free methods.
If you are too late and already lost or deleted important files, don't worry; FoneDog Data Recovery will save you from all the heartaches. It's a genius recovery tool that can retrieve all types of files from any storage devices.
Do you still wonder how to backup MacBook Pro to iCloud? Read this tutorial with detailed steps to get this problem solved.
iCloud Backup Tips & Tricks
Backups are becoming more vital and necessary since everything we create and store is finished on our computers. So we are always on the way to look for a best way to backup our data. For MacBook Pro users, obviously, a preferred way is to backup MacBook Pro to iCloud. However, for fresh MacBook Pro users, even those who have MacBook Pro for a long time, how to backup MacBook Pro is still troublesome. So in the following we are going to share how to solve this problem step by step.
How To Back Up Mac Computer
How to Backup MacBook Pro to iCloud
Step 1 Turn on iCloud. Your MacBook Pro must be running OS X v10.7.4 or later > Open System Preferences from the Apple menu in the upper left corner of your screen > Click on the iCloud icon > Enter your Apple ID and password to sign in > Check the box indicating that you wish to use iCloud to back up your information > Click the Next button.
Step 2 Choose which data you need to back up. Apple provides 5 GB of space for free when you sign up for iCloud. So, if you only wish to use this space, choose your most important documents and data to back up. And also you can upgrade your iCloud space for backing up more data.
How to Backup MacBook Pro to iCloud − Step 2
All options are automatically checked by default, and you need uncheck the boxes next to the information that you don't want backed up.
Step 3 Enable Photo Stream. When you check the Photo Stream box, iCloud will save the last 1,000 photos for 30 days. If you have set up iCloud on your iPhone, this will automatically sync photos you have taken without having to connect your phone to your Mac.
Step 4 Close the System Preferences window. iCloud will now automatically sync the data you have chosen to backup MacBook Pro to iCloud.
Bonus Tip: How to Backup iOS Devices to MackBook Pro
To backup iPhone to MacBook Pro, we can get help from some tools. We recommend AnyTrans for iOS firstly. AnyTrans for iOS is an iOS device data manager for both Windows and Mac. It enables you to backup iDevice to computer selectively like photos, videos, music, messages, notes, contacts, etc. Besides, you can also backup your iPhone to iTunes.
Just dwonload AnyTrans for iOS now, and follow the steps below to see how to back up iOS devices to MacBook Pro.
Free Download * 100% Clean & Safe
Step 1 Open AnyTrans and connect your iPhone with your computer > Click the Content to PC or Content to iTunes button.
How To Backup An Imac
Backup iPhone in AnyTrans for iOS – Step 1
Step 2 Choose files you want to backup > Click the 'Next' button.
Best Way To Back Up My Mac
The Bottom Line
With 4 simple steps, you can backup MacBook Pro to iCloud easily and smoothly. Also with AnyTrans for iOS you can backup your iPhone data to MacBook. Download it with free trial now.
How To Back Up Mac
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