Ever wonder how to sort out the best strategy for backing up your MacOS desktop or laptop given all the utilities out there available? Here's a Standard Operating Procedure to (A) help you create a personal backup strategy for your laptop or desktop using a collection of common tools you likely have access to or similar. Then there’s a step-by-step guide that incorporates best practices and leverages your available systems:

SOP: Personal Laptop Backup

Purpose:

To ensure that all personal files, system settings, and important data are securely backed up and can be restored in the event of hardware failure, data corruption, or accidental deletion.

Tools: The tools you have access to may vary but regardless the same plan will work for you too.

  • MacOS Sonoma (v14.1)
  • Intego Personal Backup (v10.9.2)
  • Native macOS Backup (Time Machine)
  • iCloud
  • OneDrive
  • External Drive (2TB storage)

Backup Strategy Overview:

  1. Local Backup with Time Machine:
    • Backup of the entire system, including system files, apps, and settings, to an external drive.
  2. Cloud Backup with iCloud:
    • Use for documents, desktop files, photos, and app data to ensure accessibility from other devices.
  3. Intego Personal Backup:
    • A separate, incremental backup for specific folders or partitions (e.g., documents, media).
  4. OneDrive Backup:
    • Store and sync important work files and documents.

Steps for Creating Your Personal Backup System

1. Time Machine Backup (Local Backup)

  1. Connect your external drive (2TB) to your Mac.
  2. Set up Time Machine:

    • Go to System Settings → Time Machine.

    • Select your 2TB external drive as the backup disk.

    • Choose the Backup Automatically option.

    • Exclude any files or folders you don’t want to back up (e.g., large files that are already in the cloud).

      • Taken from Apple Support

        On your Mac, choose Apple menu > System Settings > General, then click Time Machine.

      • Open Time Machine settings for me

        Click Add Backup Disk or click the Add button.

        The option you see depends on whether you have one or more backup disks already set up.

      • Choose a disk or backup location from the list.

      • Time Machine can’t back up to a disk formatted for Windows. If you connect a disk formatted for Windows, it can be reformatted (permanently removing all data) to a Mac file system format and used as a backup disk.

      • Click Set Up Disk.

        If a new window appears, you can select the maximum space used for backups and choose whether to encrypt backups. Click Done after selecting settings.

        If you’re asked to erase the disk, click Erase or select a different volume.

      • Important: Erasing permanently removes all files on the disk, so do it only if you no longer need the files or have copied them to a different disk.

      • If you chose to encrypt backups (in step 5), type a password for the backup disk.

        You may need to provide the password when you connect the disk to your Mac, or when you disconnect the disk or restart your Mac.

        If you previously used a Time Capsule or networked disk for unencrypted backups and want to turn on encryption now, Time Machine must first erase the unencrypted backup before starting an encrypted backup.

        To use multiple backup disks, repeat these steps for each disk.

        If you keep files on your backup disk, Time Machine won’t back up those files, and the space available for Time Machine backups is reduced. See Types of disks you can use with Time Machine.

  3. Run the First Backup:
    • The first backup may take a while, but subsequent backups will only save the changes.
    • Time Machine will automatically back up your Mac hourly, daily, or weekly as you define it.

2. iCloud Backup (Cloud Backup)

  1. Set Up iCloud Drive:
    • Go to System Settings → Apple ID → iCloud.
    • Enable iCloud Drive and select the apps and folders to sync (e.g., Desktop & Documents Folders, Photos, Mail, etc.).
  2. Optimize Storage:
    • Enable Optimize Mac Storage under iCloud Settings to store only recent files locally and older files in iCloud.
  3. Verify Sync:
    • Ensure all essential documents, photos, and data are syncing correctly with iCloud. Files can be accessed via iCloud.com or on other devices.

3. Intego Personal Backup (Incremental Backup)

  1. Open Intego Personal Backup:
    • Set up a custom backup plan for specific folders (e.g., Documents, Photos, Downloads, etc.).
  2. Choose the Destination:
    • Select the external drive or a separate partition as the destination.
  3. Set Backup Frequency:
    • Configure Intego to run backups daily or weekly.
    • Choose incremental backups so that only modified files are copied after the initial backup.
  4. Run a Test Backup:
    • Perform an initial backup to ensure the configuration works.

4. OneDrive Backup (Additional Cloud Backup)

  1. Install OneDrive:
    • If not already installed, download OneDrive from the Mac App Store or the Microsoft website.
  2. Choose Folders to Sync:
    • Select key folders to sync with OneDrive, such as Documents, Desktop, and important work files.
  3. Sync Frequency:
    • By default, OneDrive will sync automatically. You can verify sync settings in the OneDrive preferences.

5. Backup Security (Optional)

  1. Encrypt External Backups:
    • Use macOS disk utility to encrypt your external drive. This ensures the data on your Time Machine or Intego backups are secure.
  2. Enable FileVault:
    • Go to System Settings → Security & Privacy → FileVault and enable it to encrypt the startup disk.

Best Practices:

  • Perform Regular Backups: Ensure that Time Machine and Intego Personal Backup are scheduled to run at regular intervals.
  • Test Your Backups: Periodically test restoring files from both Time Machine and Intego to ensure backups are functioning correctly.
  • Multiple Backup Locations: Use both local (Time Machine, Intego) and cloud (iCloud, OneDrive) backups to ensure redundancy.
  • Keep External Drive Offsite (Optional): For added security, keep a copy of your external drive in a separate location (if critical files are stored).

Review & Update Frequency:

  • Monthly: Review backup settings and ensure all backups are running smoothly.
  • Quarterly: Test restoring files from all backup sources (Time Machine, Intego, iCloud, and OneDrive).

This plan gives you a robust, multi-layered backup solution, protecting your data both locally and in the cloud. Let me know if you want to adjust any parts of this SOP or need help setting up any of the steps! 😊

Primary Category
Systems Administration
Sub-Domain
Backup Management
Confidentiality
No