Whether you’re using your Mac for school activities, office work, or personal use, protecting your valuable data is very important. Corrupted software, hardware failure, virus or malware infection, power issues, and other computer problems could easily damage your device and make it inoperable.
No matter how careful you are with your Mac, these problems sometimes still do happen and cause data loss if you’re not prepared. Creating a backup of your photos, work files, and other important documents gives you peace of mind knowing that all your files are safe.
You would need to change the hard disk and folders name according to those inside your iMac and external drive. Because it is a simple copy and paste command, you don't have to delete the backup in your Time Machine disk. Just make sure that disk has sufficient storage space for the things you want to copy. To see the size of a specific file or folder, click it once and then press Command-I. To see storage information about your Mac, click the Apple menu in the top-left of your screen. Choose About This Mac and click the Storage tab. For Time Machine backups, it's good to use a drive that has at least twice the storage capacity of your Mac. Apple’s built-in Time Machine system gives you an easy way to back up your important Mac data, and setup is simple. When you connect an external storage drive, your Mac will ask if you want to. Manual Procedure to Export Mac Mail to Hard Drive. One can backup Apple Mail to external hard drive by exporting their emails from mailbox to local system. Therefore to transfer the mailbox from Apple Mail account, follow the steps given below: Open the Mac Mail account. Select mailbox from the sidebar. Additionally, external hard drives are easy to unplug from one Mac and plug into another Mac; plus, only one of the newest Mac models even has an optical disc drive. You can also put an external hard drive on your network. For example, Apple’s Time Capsule provides external storage and functions as a Wi-Fi hub so multiple computers can back.
There are several ways of creating a backup for your Mac, but this article will discuss the methods to back up Macbook using an external drive. We’ll show you the step-by-step process to set up your backup using Time Machine and other utilities.
Once you have a backup of your files, you no longer have to worry if you accidentally deleted your documents or when other computer disasters suddenly happen. Using an external drive to back up Macbook can help protect your files so you can get back up and running again in no time.
Preparing Your Computer for the Backup Process
Using an external drive to back up your Macbook means that your storage space is limited. Hence, it is important to determine which files you can and can’t live without. To minimize your storage consumption and make every byte count, delete all junk files from your computer using an app such as Tweakbit MacRepair.
Take note that the methods discussed below will only back up your data locally. To completely safeguard your files, you can also back up your data offsite or via cloud storage. This way, you have an extra layer of protection in case both your computer and external drive fail at the same time.
This guide will discuss three different ways to back up your Mac using a hard drive: traditional copy-paste method, via Time Machine, and by cloning your drive.
Method #1: Copy-Paste Files Manually.
If you want more control over the files you want to back up, this is the easiest and simplest method. All you need to do is connect your external drive to your Mac via USB cable, then copy over all the files that you need.
![Backup Backup](https://mobilemeandering.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/apple-time-capsule1.png)
This process takes a long time because you have to go back and forth between your external drive and your computer. The copying speed might also take a few minutes to a few hours, depending on the size of the files, type of port you are using, and the writing speed of your external drive.
This manual backup method is ideal for those who don’t have too many files to copy or those who want to do selective backup.
![Drive Drive](https://eteknix-eteknixltd.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/WDMyPassPortStudio.jpg)
Method #2: Create a Backup via Time Machine.
macOS has a built-in backup tool called Time Machine. This tool is available for Macs running macOS 10.5 and above. Time Machine is a set-and-forget backup system, where you just need to configure it once and it will work independently from then on, without you needing to check and manage everything.
Time Machine works in the background, saving copies of all your photos, music, videos, documents, apps, system files, and other stuff you want to keep a copy of. And when you’re out of storage space, it will automatically delete old files to make way for new ones.
For this process, you’ll need an external drive that is at least the same size as your internal drive. It’s even better if you could get one that’s twice or three times your internal drive storage space.
By default, Time Machine will use up all the storage space on your external drive. So if you are planning to use the drive for other purposes, make sure that you partition it into two volumes first before creating your Time Machine backup. This way, you can limit the amount of space you want to allocate for Time Machine and your other files. You can partition the drive by using macOS Disk Utility under Applications > Utilities.
Once your drive is ready, you can start creating your backup using Time Machine by following the instructions below:
- Connect your external hard drive to your Mac using USB, FireWire, or Thunderbolt.
- Turn on Time Machine by going to System Preferences > Time Machine. Toggle the switch from Off to On.
- Click Select Disk to choose which volume you want to use for your backup.
- Choose your external drive from the list, then click Use Disk.
- If you want to encrypt your backup, tick off Encrypt backups.
- Time Machine will prompt you to reformat your drive if it is not formatted as Mac OS X Extended (Journaled). This will erase all the files from your drive.
- Click the Options button to exclude volumes from being copied to your backup.
- Click OK to apply your changes and let Time Machine do its work.
Once your Time Machine is set up, it will then back up your files automatically every hour. It will keep hourly backups for the past 24 hours, daily backups for the past month, and weekly backups for all the past months.
To restore file or folders from Time Machine, just open Spotlight and type in Time Machine. You’ll be able to see previous saved versions of the file you are looking for. Just look for the version that you need, click the file to highlight it, and press the Restore button to copy it back to the folder where it was previously located.
If you encounter system errors, you can also use Time Machine to restore your entire system at once. To do this, hold down the Command + R keys while restarting, then release the keys when you see the Apple logo. Choose Restore from a Time Machine Backup and follow the on-screen instructions.
Method #3: Create a Clone of Your Mac.
If your disk is damaged, restoring via Time Machine will not work. You need to have a clone of your system, a full system backup of your device, to be able to fix your problems and boot into your Mac.
There are two ways to create a clone of your computer: using macOS’s built-in Disk Utility or by using third-party apps.
To clone your drive using macOS Disk Utility, follow the steps below:
- Go to Finder > Utilities > Disk Utility.
- Click on the Erase tab.
- From the left-side menu, choose the volume you want to use as your backup drive.
- Choose Mac OS Extended (Journaled) as the Format type.
- Click Erase and wait for the format to be completed.
- Click on the Restore tab and choose the drive to be cloned by dragging it to Source.
- Next, drag the backup drive to Destination.
- Click the Restore button.
Backup My Macbook Pro To External Hard Drive
Note, however, that the clone created using Disk Utility is not a bootable one. You can use third-party apps instead such as SuperDuper! and Carbon Copy Cloner to create a bootable backup of your system.
Summary
The threat of data loss is something that’s always hanging over our heads. Creating a backup ensures that your data is always protected no matter what happens. You can choose from the various backup methods above to save your files based on your needs and preferences.
If you’re running into errors and your system is suspiciously slow, your computer needs some maintenance work. Download Outbyte PC Repair for Windows, Outbyte Antivirus for Windows, or Outbyte MacRepair for macOS to resolve common computer performance issues. Fix computer troubles by downloading the compatible tool for your device.
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Summary: Don’t panic if your Mac SATA hard drive becomes inaccessible and you are worried about your data. This blog is going to help you convert a failing Mac SATA hard drive to an external drive for data recovery.
Try the below data recovery application on your Mac for free.
Try the below data recovery application on your Mac for free.
Mac SATA Hard Drive
Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) hard drives are widely used disks. All thanks to its attributes like quick data transfer through higher signalling rates, native hot swapping, reduced cable size & cost, and much more.
However, despite being so intuitive, at times it too starts failing due to one or other reason like firmware or electrical. When such condition strikes in, Mac hard drive recovery from an inaccessible SATA hard drive becomes a foremost need to avoid data loss and any possible impact on business.
To understand, let us consider a real-life example of John
“A few days back, I got my MacBook Air repaired from the Apple store. They replaced my old hard drive with a brand new SATA. Further, for my convenience, they also transferred the data from my older drive to a new SATA drive. However, now after a few days, I realized that there are a few missing files that I need urgently. I don’t know why they were missed in the data transferring process, the only important point hovering in my mind right now is its retrieval. Unfortunately, I do not have a backup. Thankfully, Apple gave a ray of hope by providing me with my older drive, and it is still functional partially.
Now, the only big query, how can I recover my missing files from my older & at-times visible disk. Please advise!”
Best Way to Recover Data from Mac SATA hard drive
By unveiling the results of several discussions done on forums, it will not be erroneous to state that converting Mac SATA hard drive to an external drive is a viable solution.
Next, how to go about the conversion of internal Mac SATA to an external drive?
The process to convert Mac SATA hard drive to an external for data recovery is very simple.
What is required from you?
- Your Partially Functioning Hard Drive
- A Brand New External Drive Enclosure (You can purchase it from Amazon or eBay)
- A screwdriver to bolt and unbolt the enclosure screws
Step 1. Unscrew all the screws and remove the brackets from hard drive.
Step 2. Open up the enclosure and slide the hard drive into the enclosure in the right way up as per the SATA Port orientation.
Step 3. Bolt the screws
You have successfully placed the SATA drive into the enclosure. Next, attach the enclosure to your Mac using the included USB cable to recover the data.
Fortnite download macbook. Now, when you connect the SATA drive to your system, you may encounter two scenarios as mentioned in the below figure.
Scenario 1: You Can See the Drive on Desktop
In this case, simply copy all the data from the drive to your new Macintosh HD. Adding more, you can also Clone or Image the older SATA drive using Disk Utility.
Scenario 2: You Cannot See the Drive on Desktop
If you are unable to view your Drive on Desktop or Finder even after placing it in an enclosure, then go to Disk Utility and verify it in the list of the unmounted drive.
Backup My Macbook To External Hard Drive
Fortunately, if you can find it over there, then you can trust Stellar Data Recovery Professional for Mac software to regain inaccessible data from your SATA external hard drive. This software is coined as the best Mac data recovery tool because of its smart attributes like recovery from a Corrupt disk, Time Machine hard drive, BootCamp Partition and Encrypted Media, etc.
Watch the Video to Know – How Stellar Data Recovery for Mac Works?
Conclusion
Go for placing your internal SATA Mac disk drive into a brand new enclosure. Fortunately, if this works, you will be able to copy back your files. However, in case, it doesn’t work as planned, then leverage Stellar Data Recovery Professional for Mac to scan and recover the converted SATA drive for recovering files.
Give a free shot to the Stellar Data Recovery application. The software is macOS Catalina, Mojave compatible.