Here we have jotted down the steps to setup an iCloud account on Mac: Step 1: Click on Apple icon in the top left hand side corner, and select System Preferences. Image Source: hongkiat.com. Step 2: From ‘System Preferences’ window, click on iCloud icon, that is located beneath the Internet & Wireless group. In latest versions of Mac, there. Backup of purchased music is not available in all countries or regions. Previous purchases may not be restored if they are no longer on the iTunes Store, App Store, or Apple Books. Apple Fitness+ is coming late 2020. Family Sharing requires a personal Apple ID signed in to iCloud and iTunes.
Sep 06, 2020 • Filed to: Take Data Backup • Proven solutions
Download Icloud For Mac
Most of the Mac users believe that their system can’t be infected by malware, which is a common misconception. Just like any other device, Macs can also get corrupted and suffer from an unexpected data loss. Therefore, it is important to know how to backup Mac to iCloud to safeguard your crucial information. To help our readers effortlessly achieve the same, we have come up with this comprehensive guide. Read on and learn different ways to backup Mac to iCloud right away.
- Part 1: Why Do You Need to Backup Your Mac to iCloud??
- Part 2: How to Backup Mac System and Files
- Part 3: How to Backup Your Mac to iCloud
- Part 4: How to Manage iCloud Storage Space
- Part 5: How to Retrieve Lost Data on Mac?
Part 1: Why Do You Need to Backup Your Mac to iCloud??
Before performing a backup operation, lots of users ask about its need. It is a misconception that iOS devices or Macs can’t beaffected by a virus or malware attack. Over the last few years, we have seen the occurrence of various cyber attacks that were essentially targeted for Mac. Appetite, Mac Scareware, Lamadai, and Coin Thief are some of the common threats that can cause some serious damage to your system.
Therefore, if you wish to prevent your data files from getting infected by malware (or accidental deletion of data), then you need to take a backup of your device. You can either take a backup of Mac on iCloud or any other external hard disk. Since one can access the information from the cloud almost anywhere, it is ideally recommended to backup Mac to iCloud promptly.
Part 2: How to Backup Mac System and Files
While performing the backup operation, you can either take the backup of your entire system or selectively make a copy of your important files.
1. System backup
In a nutshell, the system backup makes an entire clone of Mac’s storage on a secure device. Mostly, Time Machine is used to take the local backup of Mac. Since it is already a part of Mac, no additional tool is needed to perform the system backup. All you need is a mass storage unit that is supported by Time Machine totake a complete backup of the system. Simply open the Time Machine app and turn on the option. You can also select the disk(s) that you wish to backup.
There are also plenty of third-party backup applications that can back up your entire system. For instance, tools like SuperDuper or Carbon Copy can be used to mirror your entire hard drive while taking its backup.
2. Selective file and data backup
If you have limited space, then you can also choose to back up selected files. Even though it is a more time-consuming process, it will help you save your space. At the same time, you would be able to make a copy of all the essential files. Just go to Finder and look for the file you wish to back up. Later, you can just make its copy and save it to any other location/device.
One can either copy the data files manually to an external drive or can simply backup Mac to iCloud. We will learn about the latter in the next section.
Part 3: How to Backup Your Mac to iCloud
If you don’t want to lose your precious data, then you should know how to backup Mac to iCloud. By default, Apple provides free storage of 5 GB on iCloud for every Apple ID. Though, you can always buy added space on the cloud by paying a small amount. One of the best things about taking a backup on iCloud is that it can be accessed from anywhere.
Before proceeding, make sure that you have an updated version of OS X and have enough space on the cloud. You can check it from its official website right here as well. To learn how to backup Mac to iCloud, follow these simple steps.
Step 1To start with, go to the System Preferences on your Mac and launch iCloud.
Step 2If you are using iCloud for the first time, then you would be asked to provide your Apple ID and password to sign in.
Step 3Once it is done, you can simply check the kind of data files you wish to store on iCloud. For instance, you can enable the data on Safari, Mail, Notes, etc. to be uploaded on iCloud.
Step 4You can also visit the Photo settings to turn on the options for iCloud Photo Library, My Photo Stream, and iCloud Photo Sharing. This will let you access your photos on different devices easily.
Step 5Alternatively, there would also be a dedicated iCloud Drive on your Mac. To backup your data files, you can make a copy of your content on the drive or simply drag and drop a file on the drive as well.
Part 4: How to Manage iCloud Storage Space
Most of the users complain about the limited space on iCloud. If you are also suffering from the lack of space, then follow these tips beforehand.
1. Manage iCloud space
If you are running low on iCloud storage, then start by knowing how it is being utilized by different data files. Just launch the iCloud app on Mac and click on the 'Manage' button. This will let you devise how to get rid of the data you no longer need.
2. Turn off backup from multiple devices
If you are taking the backup of several devices on the same iCloud account, chances are that it might fall short on space. If it is not needed, then you can simply turn off backup from any other iOS device. Just go to its Settings > iCloud and turn off the feature of iCloud backup.
3. Buy more storage
If nothing else seems to work, simply buy more storage on iCloud. Just launch the iCloud app and click on the 'Manage' button. From here, you can click on the option of 'Buy more storage' and pick a plan of your choice.
- Allows you to take automatic, full, incremental, and differential backups of system, disk, partition, and files.
- Supports system restore, disk restore, dissimilar hardware restore, partition restore, and selective file restore.
- Supports disk clone, partition/volume clone, flexible clone, system clone, and command line clone.
- Supports Windows 10, Windows 8.1/8, Windows 7, Vista, and XP (all editions, 32/64-bit)
Part 5: How to Retrieve Lost Data on Mac?
While it is always recommended to make a timely backup of your Mac to avoid any loss of data, users still end up losing their files unexpectedly. If you have also lost your important data on Mac, then don’t worry. With the help of Recoverit, you can retrieve your lost files without much trouble. It is extremely secure and easy to use application that can recover more than 550 formats of files.
Compatible with every major version of Mac, it has an easy to use interface and can perform an extensive search to retrieve your lost files. It supports different kinds of situations as well. Therefore, it doesn’t matter if you have accidentally deleted your files or if your Mac has been infected by malware, Recoverit will come handy to you on numerous occasions.
Your Safe & Reliable Mac Data Recovery Software
- Recover lost or deleted files, photos, audio, music, emails from any storage device effectively, safely and completely.
- Supports data recovery from recycle bin, hard drive, memory card, flash drive, digital camera, and camcorders.
- Supports to recover data for sudden deletion, formatting, hard drive corruption, virus attack, system crash under different situations.
Now when you know how to backup Mac to iCloud, you can easily keep your data safe. Nevertheless, if you have lost your important data files, then simply take the assistance of Recoverit to get it back. Easy to use and extremely efficient, it will let you retrieve your lost data in no time.
Data Backup
To set up iCloud email on Mac, you need to first generate an app-specific password for Spark using a web browser. Your iCloud account password will not work directly in Spark. To protect your iCloud data and to prevent fraudulent activities with your iCloud account, Apple requires that you generate different passwords for logging into apps.
Set Up Icloud For Mac
Generate an app-specific password for Spark on Mac:
To generate an app-specific password with iCloud, follow these instructions:
- Go to https://appleid.apple.com/ and sign in to your Apple account using your Apple ID and Password. Then you will need to proceed with two-factor authentication. To do this, follow steps 2 and 3 below.
- Confirm your identity by clicking “Allow” button on your Apple device.
- Enter the 6-digit verification code that will pop-up on your Apple device on this screen.
- Scroll down to the Security section and click on “Generate Password..”.If you don’t have an option to generate passwords, you’ll have to set up two-factor authentication for your Apple ID.
- Name the label for this app-specific password and hit the “Create” button.
Once you generate an App Password, copy it to your clipboard and remember it, as you will need to enter it in Spark in the next steps detailed below.
How to Add iCloud Email to Mac
- If you haven’t already, download and install Spark mail app on your Mac to get started. If you’re already using Spark and want to add a iCloud account, follow these instructions here instead.
- Launch Spark for Mac
- Click on “Start using Spark” on the welcome screen.
- Type in your email address, tick the checkbox next to “I agree to the Spark Terms of Use and Privacy Policy” and click on the “Next” button.
- On the next screen, enter your iCloud app-specific password and click Next. Then, click on the blue ‘Allow’ button to grant Spark access to your email account, so you can use your iCloud within Spark.
That’s it! There are no Settings to configure and no servers to specify. Just sign into your iCloud account and start using Spark for Mac.
How to Add iCloud Email to Spark for Mac
If you are already using Spark Mail app on your Mac and want to add your iCloud account, simply follow these steps.
- Download and install Spark mail app on your Mac
- Launch Spark for Mac
- At the top menu, click on 'Spark' > 'Add Account…'
- Click on the 'iCloud' icon from the grid of email service providers
- When you see the Sign in with iCloud screen, enter your iCloud email and app-specific password and click Next. Then, click on the blue 'Allow' button to grant Spark access to your email account, so you can use your iCloud within Spark.
Set Up Icloud For Mac
That's it! There are no Settings to configure and no servers to specify. Spark will automatically set up your iCloud account on Mac and all you emails will be available to use on your Mac.