Updated February 2017 with completely new information on cloning a Mac. It is that you back up your Mac. Whether you do so locally using Time Machine, sending it to a cloud service, or a 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,. Another is by backing up your data, like Backblaze or CrashPlan.

Here, we're going to explain how to clone your Mac using a program like SuperDuper! Or Carbon Copy Cloner. 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). 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. You'll also need to download and install your cloning program. I'm using 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 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 to search for the Disk Utility app. Double-click on Disk Utility to open it.

Find the hard drive under External and select it. It will usually be named after the company that made it. Click the Erase tab at the top of the window. 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.

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 to search for the SuperDuper!. Double-click on SuperDuper!. 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.' .

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.

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. 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 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 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 in order to boot your clone as a separate startup disk. Be sure to do that before following the steps below. 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 start up chime. Select the external drive with the clone backup on it from the list of systems to start up your computer.

Now, you can use the clone to restore files to your partitioned drive. 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. Peter Cohen contributed to an earlier version of this article.

Also, you can’t against sudden power failure which might render it non-functional. So it’s a good idea to keep a backup of your data files. This article outlines the most reliable and best backup software available for your Mac to save your personal and professional files. Best Mac Backup Apps 1. Right Backup Price – $14.99/per month One of the best backup software for mac, Right Cloud Backup, comes up with an automatic 12-hour scheduler, to update your data in every 12 hours. Let’s look at the features:. Right Backup provides you with two options to restore your data: Smart Restore and Custom Restore.

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Smart Restore option lets you restore selective folders quickly, wherein Custom Restore option enables you to restore the files you want manually. As it is compatible with multiple platforms, you can access your data anytime, anywhere and from any device with a single Right Backup account. If you ever lose your device, you don’t need to worry about the data it contains if you have got it all backed up in your Right Backup account. All you need to do is log in to your account and retrieve the documents, photos, music or videos that you want back. Time Machine – Pre Installed as part of Mac OS X/macOS Leopard and later Another best backup solution for mac is Time Machine.

It is brilliant inbuilt backup software for Mac. Let’s look at the features of the same:. It is great for incremental backups that enable you to recover data that has been accidentally deleted. If the system crashes and you have lost the data, Time Machine will recover the data for you.

Moreover, it makes it necessary to reinstall the OS on a new drive and start from scratch. It is not that safe as it has a single-destination backup strategy, so you should have a dual strategy.

To do that, you need to regularly create backups to a different destination as well, be it an external hard drive or a cloud storage service in addition to Time Machine backups. Must Read: 3. Carbon Copy Cloner – Price – £32.25 Carbon Copy Cloner is one of the best backup software available for Mac. Let’s look at the features:. As the name suggests, it allows you to make a clone of your Mac’s boot disk which means it enables you to copy every bit of data. The software can also be used to backup specific folders and set them as a task.

Moreover, you can schedule a task. You can also set to receive notifications when a task has run. Moreover, Carbon Copy Cloner can also execute a shell script before or after a task is run.

SuperDuper – Price – $27.95 SuperDuper is another software which is widely used for cloning a Mac OS X disk. Let’s look at the features:.

Like Carbon Copy, it can create a bootable copy of your startup disk. It can copy a specific folder to any chosen destination. SuperDuper! Has several pre-configured tasks in a drop down menu to choose from, once you’ve specified the source and destination. The software is popular because of a feature called Sandboxing, which allows you to install potentially risky drivers or system updates without fear of creating an unbootable or unworkable system or losing access to your critical personal data. Must Read: 5.

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Data Backup for Mac – Price – $35 Data Backup for Mac is one of the best backup software for Mac due to its simple and flexible interface. Let’s take a look at the features:.

It allows you to choose from four different types of backups: clone; incremental; versioned and simple copy when you create a backup. You can also schedule the backup. Data Backup provides you with two ‘Quick Backup’ options: All documents to CD/DVD or ‘iPhoto and other Pictures’ to CD/DVD. You can also customize the backup set from scratch and specify your own source and destination, which can be another hard drive or a USB stick or any other device. Acronis True Image – Price – From $34.99 to $59.99(Premium) Yet another best backup software for Mac, Acronis True Image is multi platform software.

Let’s check out the features. It protects everything with full image backup be it the operating system, programs, settings, files, or boot information. It enables you to backup to external drives, NAS devices, network shares, and the cloud. Back up phones and tablets. Acronis Notary™ is a feature which uses blockchain technology to ensure a file’s authenticity. Crashplan – Price – Free as local backup; from $59.99/year for offsite backup service CrashPlan is one of the best backup software for Mac as it offers the best way to backup and stores personal, business & enterprise data securely – offsite, onsite or on Cloud.

Let’s look at the features:. The only software which provides free local and offsite backup. Just install the software and start backing up whether off site or on CrashPlan servers.

CrashPlan provides you with unlimited online backup storage. No storage size limits, bandwidth cap or file-type restrictions. It has a simple and clutter-free interface that makes it easy to use.

It allows you to pause and restore backups. Moreover, if you have huge GBs of data to be restored, you don’t need to pause or restore every time you shutdown or restart your Mac, CrashPlan will automatically do it for you Must Read: 8. Carbonite – Price – From $59.99 per year (free trial available) Carbonite is also a good backup software for Mac. Let’s look at the features:.

Carbonite, personal cloud backup allows you to easily protect your files, photos and more. It provides you unlimited cloud storage. You can restore files with just a few clicks. All the files are safe as Carbonite encrypts your files at every step. Backblaze – Price – $5/month, or $50/year (15-day free trial available) Backblaze is another online backup service which is one of the best backup software. Let’s take a look at the features:.

It not only secures your data on their servers with encryption but also uses two-factor authentication which sends you a code to your phone, adding an extra layer security. It allows you to sign in anywhere from any computer to download a zip file.

The business version centralizes billing and administration, empowering you to manage your team’s backup needs. ChronoSync – Price – $49.99 This all in one tool is also considered to be the best backup software for Mac as it works for file synchronizations, backups, bootable backups and cloud storage as well. Let’s take a look at the features:. ChronoSync allows you to create filters for synchronization. These work in a similar way to smart searches in the Finder. You click ‘+’ to add a rule and then choose from filters and attributes. You can run sync or backup tasks on daily, weekly or monthly schedules.

It sends email notifications on scheduled task completion. How to install freeflix hq. Must Read: Best Backup Solution for Mac Backing up your data is the wisest decision to keep your data secure and avoid data loss. A mac backup solution will help you ensure the protection. If you haven’t opted for a backup solution so far, we recommend you to have one as you never know when you get clutched in the hands of cybercriminals. In the worst case scenario, if your data gets stolen or lost, your backup solution will save the day.

Check out the list of some of the best backup software for Mac. Try them and let us know which one works for you.