It is vitally important that you back up your Mac. Whether you do so locally using Time Machine, sending it to a cloud service, or installing a duplicate creation program (or all three). There is nothing more important than backing up your computer in case an unfortunate event happens so you don't lose your precious data.
One of the easiest methods is locally, using Time Machine. Another is by backing up your data via a cloud-based service, like Backblaze or CrashPlan. Here, we're going to explain how to clone your Mac using a program like SuperDuper! or Carbon Copy Cloner.
How to Back Up a Mac HD to a USB Memory Key. If you keep important files on your Mac's hard drive, it's prudent to assume that eventually the hard drive will fail, or that you will accidentally delete a file. You can avoid losing data by backing up files on a regular basis. For added safety, you can back up. May 26, 2020 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. Seagate Backup Plus Slim 1TB External Hard Drive Portable HDD – Black USB 3.0 for PC Laptop and Mac, 1 year Mylio Create, 2 Months Adobe CC Photography (STHN1000400) 4.6 out of 5 stars 5,034 $50.99 $ 50. 99 $79.99 $79.99.
The difference between cloning and using Time Machine
Local backups through Time Machine, cloud-based backups, and clones all serve a great purpose to keep your data safe in case of an unfortunate even that renders your Mac useless (even temporarily). The thing that makes cloning different is that you can create a bootable copy of your entire hard drive, which means you can access everything on one Mac through another simply by exporting it to an external drive, connecting the drive to the other Mac, and then selecting it from the Startup menu.
Clones are great to have around if, for example, you have to take your Mac in for repairs, but still need to continue working while it's out. You can use the cloned copy while it's in the shop.
Most cloning programs have additional features that include the ability to make regularly scheduled backups. This is ideal since, if something happens to your computer, you aren't necessarily going to want to restore from a year-old backup. I highly recommend investing in these additional features if they are offered with the cloning program you are using (for example, SuperDuper! is free to clone, but costs a licensing fee of $28 for scheduling, smart updates, sandboxes, and scripting).
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Before you start
Before you get started, make sure you have an external hard drive with enough storage to fit everything on your Mac. The smartest solution is to use a portable hard drive.
You'll also need to download and install your cloning program. I'm using SuperDuper! from Shirt Pocket for this process. Most cloning programs operate pretty much the same. They will always have a detailed how-to guide to walk you through the steps.
How to prepare your external drive to use for your clone
You'll need to start with a clean external hard drive in order to make a bootable drive for your cloned backup.
- Connect your external drive into the appropriate port on your Mac.
- Use Spotlight to search for the Disk Utility app.
Double-click on Disk Utility to open it.
Source: iMore
- Find the hard drive under External and select it. It will usually be named after the company that made it.
https://nintree.netlify.app/app-to-make-text-look-hand-writen-mac.html. Click the Erase tab at the top of the window.
Source: iMore
- Name the drive something that you will remember. I renamed mine 'mbp.' You will need to remember this name when you create a bootable drive.
- Select macOS Extended (Journaled) from the format list.
- Click Erase.
- Click Done once the process is complete.
Close the Disk Utility window.
Source: iMore
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Your hard drive is now formatted for cloning your Mac.
How to make a clone of your Mac
After you've downloaded and installed your cloning program, you'll need to open it to get started. I'm using SuperDuper! to make a clone for this guide, so I'll reference it here.
Note: You'll need your administrator password in order to make a clone of your Mac.
- Use Spotlight to search for the SuperDuper! app.
- Double-click on SuperDuper! to open it.
- Select your Mac's hard drive from the drop-down menu next to 'Copy.'
Select the external hard drive from the drop-down menu next to 'to.'
Source: iMore
Feb 24, 2009 Ok I have an iMac and a MacBook. My brother is getting a MacBook Pro for University and wants to be able to use the programs (Photoshop, Microsoft Office, etc.) on our iMac from time to time. The problem is the school gave him no install discs, they just copied a disc image to his drive. Oct 28, 2007 Question: Q: Moving software from one Mac to another I should probably know the answers to these questions, but even though I've been a Mac user for 5 years, I still only know the basics. There's never been any type of Mac classes anywhere near me in NJ.oh but I wish! Copy mac software from one mac to another. Apr 24, 2020 On your old Mac: If you started your old Mac in target disk mode or are migrating from a Time Machine backup, skip these four steps. Open Migration Assistant. Click Continue. When asked how you want to transfer your information, select the option to transfer to another Mac. Click Continue. On your new Mac. May 02, 2017 Commercial applications installed outside the Mac App Store, like Microsoft Office, will make the jump from one Mac to another, but you’ll probably need to re-activate them. Dig up your product codes and launch them all on your new, just to make sure. Note that, in some cases, you may need to de-activate commercial software on your old Mac. Oct 20, 2011 Transfer Mac Apps from One Mac to Another Oct 20, 2011 - 6 Comments With the addition of the Mac App Store, transferring applications from one Mac to another is made extraordinarily simple and can be done entirely through the App Store itself.
- Make sure Backup - all files is selected in the drop-down menu next to 'using' (Backup - user files does not create a bootable clone).
Click Copy Now to begin the process.
Source: iMore
- Enter your Administrator password when prompted.
- Click Copy when asked to confirm that you want to erase the external hard drive and then copy the files to it from your Mac.
Click OK when the process is complete.
Source: iMore
Most cloning programs will operate the same, general way. If you don't understand the process for the program you have chosen, refer to the user guide.
How to restore your Mac from a clone
How to remove apps from windows 10. If there is any reason you end up needing to restore your Mac from a backup, you can use a clone to do so.
- Turn off your Mac.
- Connect your external drive into the appropriate port on your Mac.
- Turn on your Mac.
- Hold down the Command and R keys as soon as the system restarts to enter Recovery Mode. Your Mac will boot to the macOS Utilities screen.
- Click on Disk Utility and then click continue.
- Select your hard drive.
- Click on the Restore tab at the top of the Disk Utility window.
- Select your external drive next to 'Restore From.'
- Select your Mac's hard drive next to 'Restore to.'
- Click Restore.
Once the backup has finished restoring, restart your computer.
How to boot your clone on another Mac
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If you want to work on your backup on another computer while it's in the shop, you can boot it up from the startup menu.
Important: You'll need to partition your hard drive in order to boot your clone as a separate startup disk. Be sure to do that before following the steps below.
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- Turn off your Mac.
- Connect your external drive into the appropriate port on your Mac.
- Turn on your Mac.
- Hold down the Option key as soon as you hear the startup chime.
- Select the external drive with the clone backup on it from the list of systems to start up your computer.
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Now, you can use the clone to restore files to your partitioned drive.
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Any questions?
Do you have any questions about how to clone your Mac so you can use it as a backup? Put them in the comments and I'll help you out.
Updated March 2020: Updated for MacBook Air.
Backing up: The ultimate guide
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