Can iCloud Drive be used to back up Time Machine data on a Mac? Why?

Thereby, helping users to recover deleted or lost files on the system.

To create Time Machine backups, you'll need to use an external storage device. After connecting to a storage device, selecting it as the backup drive, Time Machine will automatically back up data at the timestamps you choose.

Overall, Time Machine makes it easy to back up important Mac files to an external storage device or networked computer, but the question is, is backing up to iCloud okay? For example, if you've already paid for more cloud storage, there's no reason not to take advantage of it.

However, there is a confusing truth: Apple does not allow you to store Time Machine backups in iCloud, even if you have extra unused space. What is the problem?

Time Machine is a local backup solution

Essentially, Time Machine is designed as a local backup solution, as it backs up every file on your Mac. Backups are cumulative, only new and modified files are copied during each backup. You can use this backup to restore your entire Mac, regardless of hardware failure or software need. You can move from one Mac to another with just a Time Machine backup if you want. Or you can also connect to Time Machine and search for individual files if needed.

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By comparison, iCloud Drive is Apple's cloud storage and file synchronization service. It works a lot like Dropbox or OneDrive in that it can be used to mirror and sync files between different devices. The only downside is that restoring files on a Mac from an iCloud backup will be limited by the speed of your internet connection.

But even if you have a stable, fast internet connection, Apple won't let you move your Time Machine backups to iCloud Drive. This is in stark contrast to how iCloud Backup works on iPhones and iPads, where the device is backed up in its entirety.

iCloud backs up photos, documents, and desktop

Fortunately, iCloud can also automatically back up your important data for you, as long as there's enough space. You can do this through iCloud Settings in System Preferences > Apple ID. Turn on the 'Photos' option to back up media files, and click 'Options' next to iCloud Drive. Then turn on Documents and Desktop backup.

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With that said, iCloud Photos stores all your photos and videos in the cloud, allowing you to reclaim hard drive space on your device by keeping optimized versions locally. Full-size images and videos can be downloaded as needed, while everything is safely backed up in the cloud.

To ensure the 'absolute' safety of your important data, we recommend that you apply both local backups via Time Machine and online backups using other cloud services.

Samuel Daniel

Update 25 August 2021