Cloud Backup – Revisited 2
In an old article I talked about backing up your Mac through Time Machine and online. At that time I used Mozy but due to an issue by a reader I decided to check into other options. I switched to Crashplan for close to a year. Crashplan changed their plans, which caused me to switch again… I now use and really like Backblaze. Once you install Backblaze to back up, it just keeps on trucking. The interface is simple and straight forward. I’ll walk you through the steps right now.
First thing, sign up for Backblaze (30 days free to try) and install it on your Mac. After you install Backblaze, you’ll be prompted to give it permission to all the files on your computer. You want to do this, it is required so Backblaze can backup your files. See this post by Backblaze for more information and instructions: https://www.backblaze.com/blog/mojave-permissions/
The first backup will take the longest. I don’t recommend making any changes to the default settings, once you’ve granted Backblaze permission. After your first backup completes, you’ll be able to restore files via Backblaze’s website, or you can also have a drive will all of your data shipped to you. See How to Create a Restore from Your Backblaze Backup to learn how to restore files.
Backblaze won’t backup Applications, which is OK. Applications can be re-installed, the main files you’ll want to have backed up are inside your Home folder. Most of your important files, which you created or purchased (music, videos, photos, documents etc..) everything that can be irreplaceable are in your Home folder. The OS and your Apps can always be reinstalled, but that picture of your Great Aunt Mildred on her 100th birthday can’t be replaced.
With Backblaze you can also back up external drives. So if you keep files on an external USB drive, you can set Backblaze to backup those files as well. See Backing up External Hard Drives for more information on the type of drives you can back up, and how to set it up.
