Filefort Features and functions Filefort is free Mac backup software through which you can create easy and automatic file backup programs. It enables you to save backup files on virtually any storage media. It gives complete control and also lets you schedule when backups must take place.
Backup Programs For Mac
Pros of FileFort Filefort is easy to use, customizable and very reliable free Mac backup software. This software gives you a wide number of choices where you wish to save your backup data and this too is a positive. Another pro about this software is that it makes a backup copy automatically when you plug in.
Cons of Filefort Filefort doesn’t offer any way to exclude specific folders and this is a negative associated with it. This program doesn’t list your job for use another time if you don’t schedule it. Another thing that disappoints is that it offers nothing new and the same backup can be created manually as well. User reviews: So far it has been a great program it even launches extracting files from compressed files!
It has a file manager that you can see all of the directories on the left which makes it real handy for backing up files and data! It is exactly what I have been looking for since you can backup to CD and DVD’s! And it will automatically backup files for me and it is free!
Super Duper Features and functions: SuperDuper is yet superb free Mac backup software whose core features are free. This program creates bootable clones of Mac data and does so for the startup drives. It has ability to schedule backups, updates and clones.
Pros of SuperDuper SuperDuper’s most impressive point is that it has an easy to understand user interface which people can get used to quickly. This software has a feature of smart updates which allow you to clone without having to start from scratch. It supports scxripts to extend and automate its capabilities. Cons of SuperDuper One drawback of this free Mac backup software is that backup scxripts may be difficult for new users to create. Another negative is that it provides no estimate of time remaining for a backup to complete. User reviews: Used it to clone and upgrade from 320GB to 1 TB hard drive. It is fantastic and you don't have to buy it One of the 'Must Have' utilities every Mac user needs I've been using SuperDuper for years and it's never failed me.
It's simple to configure, runs automatically (if you want) and generates bootable backups Uses minimal resources. I generally don't notice when it's running. Carbon Copy Cloner Features and functions Carbon copy cloner is free Mac backup software which can safely create a clone of all your files on Mac. This software can schedule automatic backups which saves time of backing up on your own. This program can also help you run pre and post flight shell scxripts and creates a desk image. Pros of Carbon Copy cloner Carbon Copy cloner allows you to accurately set up date and time of when you want to schedule backups and this is one of its positives.
It also checks the list of items removed and creates a desk image and this too is an impressive thing. This free Mac backup software exactly does what it claims, unlike other softwares. Cons of Carbon Copy cloner Carbon Copy Cloner seems to have some issues on 10.5 and this is a big drawback It doesn’t start if you don’t have a local drive connected and this is also a limitation. User reviews: Works fine with Mavericks without upgrading to 4.x. Don't forget to create the recovery volume after cloning a bootable recovery disk This option is accessed through preferences in 3.x and through sidebar in 4.x.
Good software, horrible pricing scheme http://carbon-copy-cloner-ccc.en.softonic.com/mac. Get backup Functions and features: Some of the features which this free Mac backup software supports are free backup, folder synchronization and disk cloning. This software quickly backs up data using templates and creates a bootable backup.
Get backup syncs files in multiple locations and safely stores data. Pros of Get backup: It has a very well designed menu, and a good tool system for system and file backups.
Another positive associated with it is that it opens and installs very quickly and doesn’t waste any of your time. This free Mac backup software also supports compressed backups which help you save space on your system. Cons of Get backup: One of the major negatives associated with this program is that it can be complicated and complex to understand for beginners. Other programs are much easier to use. Another drawback associated with this software is that some users are unable to schedule the backups more than once per day unless you select and schedule the tasks each day. Get Backup is often considered slow and difficult to proceed on with and this too proves to be a limitation. User reviews: It has a well designed menu with various features that makes it good software for file and system backup.
As compared to other software, this is less easy to understand- It is a great substitute for time machine software-http://www.techulator.com/resources/13374-Get-Backup-for-MAC-Features-and-Review.aspx. Crash Plan Functions and features: Crash Plan is free Mac backup software which provides triple destination protection and creates backups on an external drive. This software also creates backups on trusted, internet-connected computers and cloud baxsed destinations. CrashPlan is truly unlimited in the sense that it creates back up of unlimited files and data for free of cost. Pros of CrashPlan This free Mac backup software provides amazing security of data and this is one of its strongest points. Another thing that works is that it also offers a free mobile app to access data from wherever you are.
CrashPlan works silently and continuously in the background. Cons of CrashPlan The program is a little bit slow and this works as a negative. It doesn’t offer very good customer service and this too proves to be a big drawback. User reviews: I’ve been using CrashPlan for a little over a month now and can’t believe how easy and reliable it is. CrashPlan is one of our favorite online backup services.
It is fairly easy to use but offers a huge variety of feature that allows you to customize your backup strategy. CrashPlan seems to do everything I need it to do. The ability to create multiple backup sets has been very useful to make sure my important files are backed up first.
OFree Mac backup software.
In my line of work with, I’ve seen all of the worst-cases scenarios: people losing the only copies of their baby photos, crucial tax and business documents, and even the “less important” stuff like music and movie libraries. Once you’ve tried to console a crying customer when you tell them that their lack of a backup means that their data is gone forever, you never want to let this happen to anyone else. It’s horrible! That’s why offsite backups are so important. What is an Offsite Backup? While local backups — e.g., Time Machine, a cloned hard drive you keep on your desk, or even just a USB drive of your most important documents — are important, they’re vulnerable to the same risks as your original data on your Mac. If your house burns down, floods, gets fried by a lightning strike, or is burglarized, your local backup that’s sitting there right next to your Mac is going to bite the bullet, too. The solution then is an offsite backup, which is exactly what it’s name describes: an additional copy of your data that’s not stored in the same location as your Mac and local backup.
For most consumers, there are two main choices for your offsite backup:. Backing up to a physical device, like (which is about $50 for 1TB of storage) or (which is much faster but significantly more expensive) and then physically moving the drive to a different location outside of your home or office. An online subscription backup service, like ($10/month per computer), ($5/month per computer), or ($6/month per computer), which uploads your data to the company’s servers, which are located in various places around the world. The point is, with either option, you’re getting at least one copy of your data outside of your home or office, so that it’s not at risk of suffering the same potential fate as your original data and local backup. Of the two options, the subscription model is more expensive in the long run, but it has the advantage of never requiring you to physically update it; after all, how likely are you to run to a safety deposit box or to your pal’s house to get a drive to update and then bring back? If you’re like most of the people I know, the answer is “almost never,” so that’s just about as bad as not having an offsite backup.
After all, if your house burns down, it’d be a double whammy to then realize that the only surviving copy of your photos is more than a year old. Online Backup Service The offsite backup service I use and recommend is CrashPlan, even though it’s the most expensive of the ones I listed above (this is not sponsored — I’m an actual paying customer!).
I’ve been able to thoroughly test the program and Code42’s (CrashPlan’s maker) support since I first started with it over five years ago, and I’ve been very pleased with both. In fact, CrashPlan has saved my bacon more than once! But most of the online backup services work the same. You’ll sign up at the service’s website and then download the client software to your Mac, which is typically accessible from the menu bar. Here’s what CrashPlan looks like: If you opt for CrashPlan, you can and use their handy to configure the program on your own Mac. In general, though, once the client is installed, you can choose to backup your entire Mac’s drive (including, for some services, external drives too) or just certain folders. Once you’ve made your selection, the client will start uploading your data to the company’s servers, a process that can take days or even weeks depending on the speed of your Internet connection’s upload bandwidth and the amount of data you’re trying to back up.
Once that initial upload is finally complete, however, future uploads will go much faster as you’ll just be backing up new files and the changes to any existing files. Manually Moved Physical Drive If you decide to go the physical-drive route instead, be sure that the place you’re planning on storing it is both secure and in a different location than your Mac usually is. For example, a safe in your friend’s house is a great location; an unlocked shed in your back yard is not.
However you store it, be sure to for safety’s sake, too! This will ensure that if someone nefarious takes the thing, they won’t be able to read the data on the drive without your encryption password. (And see the general steps to encryption below in my sections on software.) Finally, the last thing to consider for your physical offsite backup is what software to use.
I’d recommend using a different program than the one for your onsite backups, so if you have a Time Machine drive at home, for example, then you’d want to use a different application for your offsite drive. Yes, I know this is more complicated to do; the reason I suggest it is that if something goes wrong within the software itself (e.g., if Apple’s Time Machine program develops a bug that corrupts your backups), you have a fail-safe option that’s completely different. So if you’re already using the free, built-in Time Machine software at home, my favorite alternative backup software is Mike Bombich’s ($39.99 after a 30-day free trial). This program will let you create a bootable clone of your Mac, meaning that you could theoretically if your computer’s internal drive dies.
This is another case in which I’ve had extensive good experiences with a program; not only have I used it for years and years myself, but any time I’ve asked questions, the developer has been incredibly responsive, kind, and helpful. Configuring Your Backup Drives Here are some general steps on how to configure a physical drive for backup, depending on which software you’re using. Time Machine: Plug the drive you’d like to use as a backup into your Mac.
Sometimes, your computer will ask you right off the bat if you’d like to back up to the connected device: Time Machine interface image via Apple. But if it doesn’t, follow the instructions Apple has laid out in. And in either case, be sure to check the box for encrypting the drive, as this’ll help. Don’t lose the password, though!
Carbon Copy Cloner: Detailed instructions for, and are available on Bombich Software’s. CCC is also highly configurable; you can set it to do all sorts of neat stuff, like running when you connect the destination drive, running on a schedule, or even sending you an email whenever a backup is run. This is what one of my configured tasks looks like, for example: As I mentioned, using a different program for backing up your offsite drive makes things a bit more complex, but I think it’s worth it. If you disagree, though (or you just don’t want the hassle), having is absolutely fine, even if it’s not as bulletproof of a scheme.
Trust me when I say that having even one backup is way ahead of a lot of people I meet. Sure, Macs are supposed to “just work,” but no device is immune to crashes.
Or fires and floods, for that matter. I’m definitely going to invest in the first computer company to invent a truly disaster-proof device. My Personal Backup Process Finally, in case you’re curious about how paranoid I really am, here is my current backup scheme:. Two onsite network backups (for which I use two Time Capsules);. One onsite USB backup (for which I use Carbon Copy Cloner);. One full offsite backup (for which I use CrashPlan);. Additional offsite syncing of photos, critical business folders, and other documents through various services, such as iCloud’s.
But honestly, it generally takes no longer than 5 minutes per week to check and maintain these backups. After the initial setup, it’s been smooth sailing, and I don’t really have to worry about my data unless there’s a zombie apocalypse or something. In which case I’d probably have different things to worry about than whether I had a copy of my birthday pictures, you know? Funny how birthdays fade into the background when zombies are involved. Want news and tips from TekRevue delivered directly to your inbox?
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