Special backups on Mac

Real Case: How a Client Lost Data Due to Lack of Backup on Mac

Hardware failures, human errors, or even cyberattacks can put your most important files at risk. In this article, you’ll learn how to back up your Mac, what options exist, and how to configure Time Machine or services like iCloud and external drives to ensure peace of mind.

Real Case: How a Client Lost Their Data by Not Having a Mac Backup

One of our clients, a creative professional with a MacBook, suddenly lost all of his projects by relying solely on local storage. A failure in the internal drive rendered the system unusable, and since no automatic backup was configured, he faced the total loss of information.

These incidents are not only related to hardware but also to external threats. A complete protection strategy must include both Mac backups and active security measures. If you want to learn more, we recommend reading our article on How to Protect Your Mac Against Cyber Threats and Malware.

What Went Wrong in His Backup System—and How You Can Avoid It

The main mistake was not having a redundant copy:

He wasn’t using Time Machine.
He didn’t back up to external drives.
He didn’t have iCloud cloud sync enabled.

The lesson is clear: a single storage point is never enough. Best practice is to combine several layers of protection to minimize risks.

How We Set Up a Reliable Backup System After the Disaster

After the incident, we designed a MacBook backup plan based on three pillars:

Time Machine with a dedicated external drive, for automatic hourly backups.
iCloud Drive to keep the most critical documents synced.
An additional third-party cloud backup for large professional files.

This way, even if one method fails, there will always be another copy available.

Time Machine on Mac: How to Enable, Configure, and Use It Correctly

Time Machine is Apple’s native tool for backing up a Mac. Setting it up is simple:

Connect an external drive to your Mac.
Open System Preferences > Time Machine.
Select the drive as the backup destination.
Enable automatic backups.

Time Machine creates hourly backups, keeps daily copies from recent months, and allows you to restore macOS or individual files quickly.

Other Mac Backup Options: iCloud, External Drives, and More

While Time Machine is excellent, it’s best to complement it with other options:

iCloud: perfect for documents and photos; syncs across all your Apple devices.
External drives: hard drives or SSDs via USB/Thunderbolt, fast and reliable.
NAS or servers: advanced option for businesses or professionals with large volumes of data.
Cloud services (Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive): useful as an additional copy and for remote access.

Recommended Backup Strategies by User Type

Home users: Time Machine + iCloud is enough.
Creative professionals: Time Machine + dedicated external drive + third-party cloud.
Businesses: Hybrid systems with NAS and encrypted cloud backups.

The key is applying the 3-2-1 rule: 3 copies, on 2 different types of storage, with 1 offsite or in the cloud.

In corporate environments, security and backup management of Apple devices should be integrated with Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions. This allows centralized control of security policies, ensures backups are performed correctly, and reduces human risk. If you manage a fleet of devices in your company, don’t miss our article on MDM Best Practices.

How to Restore Your Mac from a Backup Step by Step

If you need to recover your system:

Restart your Mac and enter recovery mode (Cmd + R).
Select Restore from Time Machine.
Choose the desired backup.
Follow the assistant to restore files or the entire system.

For iCloud or external drives, simply sign in or copy the data back.

Lessons Learned: Mistakes We No Longer Let Our Clients Make

Relying only on the internal drive.
Not automating backups.
Using a single backup method.
Postponing Time Machine setup “until tomorrow.”

Today, every new SETEK client receives a Mac backup plan tailored to their use, ensuring that preventable data loss never happens again.

Knowing how to back up your Mac is not just a technical matter—it’s an investment in peace of mind. Whether you use Time Machine, iCloud, or external drives, the important thing is to have a reliable, tested plan. Your data’s security deserves to always stay one step ahead.

Nowadays, MDMs eliminate the need to maintain configuration backups: just turn on the Mac and it automatically receives all corporate settings and apps.