You can make a difference in the Apple Support Community!

When you sign up with your Apple Account, you can provide valuable feedback to other community members by upvoting helpful replies and User Tips.

Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

can I use iCloud to back up my iMac or do I need a separate backup drive?

can I use iCloud to back up my iMac or do I need a separate backup drive?

iMac 21.5″, macOS 11.0

Posted on Mar 1, 2021 12:36 PM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Mar 1, 2021 12:42 PM

Hi ikneadhlp,


In theory, iCloud does backup, but it is more of a "syncing" service. Meaning, if you delete a file from your Mac, it is also deleted from iCloud. It will only keep the most recent version of most files.


Time Machine however requires an external hard drive, but it keeps copies and lots of backups and history of all content on your Mac. If you need a drive, I recommend the https://shop.westerndigital.com/products/external-drives/g-technology-g-drive-usb-c-usb-3-1-hdd#0G05666-1 or https://shop.westerndigital.com/products/portable-drives/g-technology-g-drive-mobile-usb-c-usb-3-1-hdd#0G10264-1, depending what type of drive you want.


Cheers,


Jack

3 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Mar 1, 2021 12:42 PM in response to ikneadhlp

Hi ikneadhlp,


In theory, iCloud does backup, but it is more of a "syncing" service. Meaning, if you delete a file from your Mac, it is also deleted from iCloud. It will only keep the most recent version of most files.


Time Machine however requires an external hard drive, but it keeps copies and lots of backups and history of all content on your Mac. If you need a drive, I recommend the https://shop.westerndigital.com/products/external-drives/g-technology-g-drive-usb-c-usb-3-1-hdd#0G05666-1 or https://shop.westerndigital.com/products/portable-drives/g-technology-g-drive-mobile-usb-c-usb-3-1-hdd#0G10264-1, depending what type of drive you want.


Cheers,


Jack

Mar 1, 2021 12:51 PM in response to ikneadhlp

iCloud is NOT a backup solution. Apple's backup solution for Macs is Time Machine which does require an external HD. I strongly recommend you follow Apple's advice. Most experienced users on these forums prefer the OWC Mercury Elite Pro due to it's build quality, reliability and reasonable price. You can find them by clicking OWC Mercury Elite Pro


If you are not experienced with Time Machine here is a link to a good overview, Back up your Mac with Time Machine


In addition, many experienced users use a second external HD and create a bootable clone backup (currently requires Catalina or earlier), they do this using either SuperDuper! or Carbon Copy Cloner. The difference between a clone and Time Machine is if the HD crashes you can boot your computer using a clone and continue working. While TM is extremely useful you cannot boot from it. Finally it is wise to have redundant backups because yes, even a backup drive can die so it's nice to more than 1 backup solution.



can I use iCloud to back up my iMac or do I need a separate backup drive?

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.