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Free Image Format ConversionNormally, we store some photos, videos, PPTs, documents and other files on the external hard drive. However, these files are not safe and the external hard drive may face the risk of damage, insufficient space, or even loss. If you want to fully protect data security, you should create a scheduled backup.
This article will introduce five methods to back up an external hard drive on a Mac, guiding you through the process with detailed steps and clear screenshots to help you create a backup of your external drive quickly and successfully.
Backup External Hard Drive with Todo Backup
If you need a simple, efficient, and great external hard drive backup solution, Todo Backup for Mac can be your best helper.
Todo Backup for Mac is a powerful offline backup software designed specifically for Mac users. It can easily handle backups of external hard drives, internal disks, systems, files, and even app data.
As your external hard drive's content grows, it automatically creates the latest copy of your data for you through its supported incremental backup mode, taking that responsibility off your hands. Meanwhile, while other backup solutions require you to provide additional storage space on your PC or new hard drive, the tool offers you free cloud space to accommodate all your backup data.
Now check the clear tutorial.
Step 1: Launch and run Todo Backup for Mac. Click the first Backup tab, or directly hit the + button at the bottom left to create a backup task - name your backup task and then click OK.
Step 2: Specify the backup destination, i.e., where you want to store your Mac files, how often to back up automatically, and then click OK.
Step 3. Add files and folders to your backup set.
Click Add Files (+), select the items you want to include in your backup, then click the blue Start button to back up your Mac to another drive or external device.
Back up an external hard drive manually without using Time Machine
Aside from using Todo Backup, manually backing up an external hard drive is also quite simple. When not using Time Machine, you can rely on your computer's native copy and paste function to successfully complete a backup.
Step 1: Connect the external hard drive to your MacBook.
Step 2: Use Command + C and Command + V to copy the backup to the target drive.
Backup External Hard Drive to iCloud
If you have enough space on your iCloud, you can also use the manual backup method to back up all of an external hard drive's data to iCloud.
Let's start with the simple case.
Step 1: Connect the external hard drive to your Mac. Open Finder, then navigate to iCloud Drive.
Step 2. Copy and paste the files you want to back up into iCloud Drive.
Backup an External Hard Drive with Time Machine
While manually backing up an external hard drive is simple, it's a manual process with no bells and whistles. Fortunately, Apple includes a free backup solution called Time Machine with every Mac.
Time Machine is a built-in app on macOS. Similar to tools like Todo Backup, it can back up your documents, photos, and other important files. It automatically backs up your files hourly, daily, and monthly, but doesn't let you customize the backup frequency or include options for cloning your hard drive.
To back up an external hard drive with Time Machine, follow these steps.
Step 1: Connect your external hard drive. Click the Apple menu and select “System Preferences,” then click the Time Machine icon to open it.
Step 2. Click the Select backup drive button and choose the connected backup drive as the destination.
Step 3: Check the boxes next to Enable Time Machine and Show Time Machine in menu bar.
Step 4: Time Machine will then begin backing up to the external drive.
Backup an External Hard Drive with Disk Utility
Lastly, you can use the Disk Utility, a storage device manager built into macOS, to back up an external hard drive. While it doesn't have a direct backup feature, you can create a clone of your external hard drive using its Restore function.
The details of how this could work are as follows:
Step 1: Open Finder, then navigate to Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility.
Step 2. Select the destination drive to which you want to save the backup, then click Restore.
Step 3: A window will appear. Select the external drive as the source, then click Restore.
Step 4: Wait for the recovery process to finish.
Conclusions
This article teaches you 5 ways to back up an external hard drive on a Mac. You can manually copy the external hard drive to another disk or iCloud Drive, or use Time Machine and Disk Utility as alternatives. To be honest, **Todo Backup for Mac** would be the best solution for you.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Does Time Machine back up everything?
No, Time Machine doesn't back up everything. Although Time Machine comes with every Mac, it can't back up the following:
1. System log files or application logs.
Second, the spotlight index.
Third, cache files/temporary files.
4. Unsynchronized spam content
5. A photo library stored on an external drive.
6. iCloud content.
How can I back up my entire Mac to an external hard drive without using Time Machine?
You can back up your entire Mac to an external hard drive without using Time Machine. A reliable and powerful backup software tool, like Todo Backup for Mac, can help you accomplish this.
Todo Backup for Mac provides various backup modes to help you create a complete Mac backup. As an excellent alternative to Time Machine, it also supports advanced features like disk cloning and disk imaging. With it, you can accomplish all backup tasks with just a few simple steps.