Back up files from your computer, camera, or SD cards to the cloud. Find your files on any device or computer using Google Drive, and see your photos in Google Photos.
Part 1. How to Backup Files to OneDrive on your Windows or Mac
By default, OneDrive provides 5 GB of free storage on the cloud to its new users. Though, you can always buy more storage to boost OneDrive backup. One of the best things about OneDrive is its easy accessibility. Since it works with almost every device, users can backup PC to OneDrive or simply get a dedicated OneDrive app Android to backup their data.
Ideally, there are two popular ways to perform Windows backup to OneDrive. If you are using a Windows or Mac system, then you can easily backup files to OneDrive in the following ways.
Method 1: With OneDrive Program
One of the easiest ways to backup PC to OneDrive is by adding its dedicated drive to your system. After downloading the OneDrive program on your Windows system, you can simply drag and drop your files to the cloud. Yes, it is really as simple as it sounds.
If you wish to perform backup with OneDrive, then start by creating your account. Go to its official website right here and create an account on OneDrive. Afterward, simply follow these steps to backup to OneDrive using its dedicated program.
Step 1. Download OneDrive desktop application
Simply sign-in using your credentials and download the OneDrive program on your system. From the website, you will get an option to download Microsoft OneDrive Android app, its Windows desktop program, Mac tool, etc. Select “Windows” and download the respective file for your operating system. If you are using a Mac, then you can download the Mac desktop application.
Step 2. Transfer content to OneDrive folder
After following the on-screen instructions you can install OneDrive on your system. This will create a dedicated folder on your system, which can be accessed from your explorer. Most of the times, the directory will be listed under Favorites and above the segregated hard disk directory. You can simply create new folders within OneDrive directory as well. In order to perform OneDrive backup, you can drag and drop the files you wish to move to your cloud.
Put the sync option of OneDrive on, letting it store these files to cloud instantly.
Step 3. Add new content to OneDrive
Not just to transfer your files from one location to another, you can also create files and folders within OneDrive. Use it just like any other drive you have on your system. Add new folders and create new documents in order to perform Windows backup to OneDrive instantly. Just click on the sync button afterward to make a real-time copy of these files on the cloud.
Step 4. Save via Office
If you have a dedicated OneDrive directory on your system, then you can also save your files from Microsoft Office to the drive directly. In order to take an instant backup to OneDrive an Office file, just click on the “Save As” option and choose to save it to OneDrive. This will make a duplicate copy of the file on OneDrive.
Method 2: With OneDrive Website
If you don’t want to download the OneDrive desktop app or create its dedicated directory on your system, then don’t worry. You can always visit its official website and manually upload the files (and folders) you wish to backup. By doing so, you can backup with OneDrive almost every kind of data. If you wish to take OneDrive backup with its website, then follow these simple instructions.
Step 1. Log-in to the website
To start with, you need to log-in to OneDrive right here using the credentials of your Microsoft/live account, linked to your OneDrive. After providing your credentials, you can log-in to OneDrive’s dedicated website and access the files that you have already stored.
Step 2. Upload files to the cloud
In order to upload a new file to backup PC to OneDrive, click on the “Upload” button on the toolbar. You can either upload an entire folder or can upload the selected files. Simply choose your preferred option. It will open a new browser which can be used to select the files you wish to backup with OneDrive.
Step 3. Complete the backup
After selecting the files you wish to backup to OneDrive, just open them. Wait for a while as your content would be uploaded to the cloud. After uploading the files, you can view them or access them from OneDrive’s website without any trouble.
That’s it! After following these steps, you would be able to perform Windows backup to OneDrive.
By William Gallagher
Wednesday, August 15, 2018, 11:34 am PT (02:34 pm ET)
You are backing up your iOS devices to your Mac, right? Since iCloud backups were introduced in iOS 5 in 2011 ago, we were supposedly freed from ever plugging our iPhones into our computers.
Except for how now, seven years later, iCloud still doesn't backup everything. And, it's not what you'd call an instant retrieval if you need to restore.
Really, iCloud backs up data about data. It includes your account details or your app purchase history so that you can later log back in or re-download anything. An iTunes backup copies the apps and everything in them.
If you're helping new or inexperienced iOS users then you know they never think to backup to iTunes on their Mac. You also know that if they do, then the backups themselves can take up a lot of space.
This can be a problem on Macs with limited storage.
What you may not know is that you can do something about that. While still keeping the full backup and still keeping the simplicity of plugging the phone into iTunes, you can move the backup. Put it on an external drive.
What's more, iTunes can automatically backup to that drive and restore from it, too, without you ever doing anything else.
You need a minute in Terminal and a reliable external drive that, preferably, is always connected.
If you're going to do this because you're on a MacBook Pro with very limited SSD space then it will still work. However, there will be the onus on you to always make sure you connect that drive before plugging your iPhone in.
Overview
We're going to physically move the backup from where iTunes defaults to keeping it, over to an external drive. Then, using Terminal we're going to create a symbolic link between these two places.
If you've not had the need to use a symbolic link, you can think of it as a more deeply-rooted alias. Where an alias tells macOS where to find a file or folder, a symbolic link tells it that two places are actually the same.
It's a subtle difference but when you're working with macOS features like iTunes backup, aliases don't have sufficient hooks into the system.
Seek, locate, copy
Create a new folder on your external drive where you want backups to now go. Name it something memorable but do not use spaces. Calling the folder 'BackupiPhone' is fine but calling it 'Backup iPhone' is not.
Now find where iTunes saves backups now. In the Finder, choose the Go menu, then select Go to Folder or just press Command-Shift-G. In the dropdown dialog that appears, type this:
~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/
There's probably just one folder in there and it will be called Backup. If you use backup apps like iMazing, though, you can have other things in this folder but they will be clearly named. Choose the folder called Backup and copy it to the new folder on your external hard drive.
Backup Drive For Macbook Pro
Wait until that copy is completed and then if you're brave, delete the original Backup folder. If you're less brave and more sensible, rename it to something like 'OLD Backup'. Something where you can see what it was and what it needs to be renamed to if you ever want to undo all of this.Symlink
Make sure iTunes isn't running. Then launch Terminal and type the following with the usual care. In our case, the external drive we've chosen is called Sierra and the folder we created is called BackupiPhone. Remember that we've now copied the original Backup folder into that. This makes the command we need to type be:
ln -s /Volumes/Sierra/BackupiPhone/Backup/ ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync
Type that, hit return and when you get the prompt back, quit Terminal.
The original Backup folder will now again contain something called Backup but it will be a symbolic link. It will have an alias-like arrow at bottom left and if you double-click on it, what opens is the Backup folder on your external drive.
Into action
You're done —but you need to know that you're good to go for the future. Plug your iOS device into iTunes, click on the iPhone or iPad icon and look at the Summary page.
In there you'll find a section for backups and the heading Automatically Back Up with options for iCloud or This Computer. Make sure This Computer is selected and then click on the Back Up Now button.
After a moment, iTunes will start backing up. There will be nothing new in the original Backup folder but there will in the one on your external drive.
Specifically, in the Backup folder on that drive, there will be a new folder named with some string of letters but also timestamped right now.
Backup Drive For Mac Air
That's where iTunes is now backing up your iPhone and it will always do so until you undo all of this. To undo it, you delete the symbolic link in the original Backup folder. The next time you backup via iTunes, it will go back to saving in there.
You could also copy back the latest Backup folder from your external drive but we'd recommend treating that as a safety copy in case something goes wrong. When the phone is correctly and fully backed up to its original iTunes folder, then you can delete it.
One more thing
This is very specifically a solution to how you can lose a huge amount of space to backups. It's also a solution to making a safety copy on a drive that you can remove later but it's not the best or easiest answer for that.
Best Backup Drive For Mac
To just know that you've got a full backup of your iOS device on an external drive, you can use a utility such as Hazel or Keyboard Maestro to do timed copies. Lowest prices on external drives
Electronics retailers, such as Amazon and B&H Photo, have a large selection of portable external drives on sale with prices starting under $65.
Portable external drives
Backup Device For Mac
How To Format A Backup Drive For Mac
- 2TB WD Elements Portable External USB 3.0 Hard Drive for $64.99
($10 off + free shipping) - 1TB G-Technology G-DRIVE Mobile USB Portable Hard Drive (7200 RPM) for $69.95
($3 off + no tax outside NY & NJ*) - 1TB LaCie Rugged Mini Portable Hard Drive for $74.90
($35 off + free month of Adobe CC for Prime members) - 4TB WD My Passport USB 3.0 Secure Portable Hard Drive for $97.99
($22 off + free shipping) - 500GB Samsung T5 Portable SSD USB 3.1 External SSD for $127.99
($37 off + free shipping) - 2TB LaCie Rugged USB 3.0 Mobile HDD for $159.99
($10 off + no tax outside NY & NJ*)