When more and more apps are installed on your Mac, the system must be run out of application memory and this time you may need to back up some apps or files to the external hard drive.
Time Machine allows Mac users to create a backup automatically for the first time set up but proves complex down the road. Going for external storage supports the back up of Mac data without it. Besides, you can bring the backup out of mothballs in case of a disaster that damages your Mac.
An external hard drive will ensure you’re not caught napping if your computer or local backups get erased. You can easily retrieve data using another device, recover an earlier version of a file, or import backup clone to a new Mac.
Here, we’ll look at how to back up Mac to external hard drive without time machine.
Part 1. Shortcomings of Time Machine and the Impetus for External Hard Drives
Disadvantages of Time Machine Backup
Time Machine will only work with the hard drive plugged in before running back up. Setting up Time Machine on your NAS drive for a wireless process runs at a snail’s gallop. It also mops up more storage space due to incremental backups; you need a drive with a minimum of 1TB.
With Time Machine, you might lose your Mac with data, your drive could stall, or your computer fails to start. It’s also more difficult to retrieve data from SSDs. Malware infection may render data irrecoverable. Having an external hard drive as your backup adds an extra layer of security to protect.
Backing up your Mac without invoking Time Machine takes long for extremely large files or data transferred to a new storage destination. An external databank keeps data secure regardless of the status of your Mac.
Using backup software to clone the hard drive allows you to boot up from another device temporarily. Time Machine backup does not support this function. Moreover, cloud services’ backup is accessible from any device.
Part 2. How to Back Up Mac without Time Machine
Method 1: Manual Backup
You can manually back up Mac data to an external hard drive without Time Machine. Just plug in the external hard drive to your Mac to get started and back up your data.
- Click Finder> Preferences and examine the Hard Disks in Show these items on the desktop.
- Now launch backup disk, generate a file folder and enter a name.
- Now, open Mac disk, hit Users' file folder and then highlight all files, including items that you want to backup.
- Now drag all the highlighted files or folders to the Backup destination that you’ve just created.
- Sit back and wait for the process to finish. The more files you’ve, the longer it takes to copy and paste to the external storage device.
Method 2: Automatic Back-Up with Specialized Software
Manual back up takes the patience of a saint. If you’re racing against time, try a free third-party tool to back up Mac to an external hard drive or other storage locations. Just download and install EaseUS Todo Backup for Mac to get the job done without scrambling.
Step 1. Open and Run the Software.
Click on the initial Backup tab or just hit the + button in the lower-left corner to generate a backup project-name it and select OK.
Step 2. Set up the Data Location
Set up the data location where you wish to archive Mac data as backups or automatic and hit OK.
Step 3. Add Files or Folders to Your Project
Click on File+ to discriminatively handpick items to add to the project and hit the blue start key to back up your data to the external device.
You can also use cloning software if you want to back up bootable data. You may need to reformat the drive to prepare it for back up, invoke Disk Utility.