Carbon copy cloner 4 review portable#

Carbon Copy Cloner’s helper app is running in the background, and as soon as the destination drive (which is a portable USB drive I keep off-site) is mounted, the backup starts up on its own. I use the last option: When source or destination is reconnected. If the destination drive isn’t available at the time, Carbon Copy Cloner will simply try again later. The time-based options are pretty self-explanatory. The last panel sets how often the backup should run. However, if you always want the destination to match the source volume exactly, and you have no need for retaining older versions of modified files deleted from the destination since a previous backup, you can flip it off here. I have it enabled on my backups, and recommend you do as well. In short, this option helps protect you from overriding an old backup in a way that would remove a file you may need later. Files and folders that are unique to the root level of the destination.Files that have been deleted from the source since a previous backup task.

Older versions of files that have been modified since a previous backup task.

By default, CCC uses a feature called the SafetyNet to protect files and folders that fall into three categories:

When CCC copies files to the destination, it has to do something with files that already exist on the destination - files that are within the scope of the backup task, and items that aren’t on the source at all. Here’s how the developer explains it in the app’s help file: The SafetyNet drop-down is worth addressing. This panel will let you select the hard drive you are backing your data up to. If for some reason you don’t, select the latter option and Carbon Copy Cloner will walk you through selecting what files and folders you wish to exclude from the backup. The first is the way to go if you want a complete clone of your Mac. The drop-down menu offers two options: Copy All Files and Copy Some Files. After clicking the + button in the sidebar, the interface shows three steps:Īssuming you are backing up your Mac’s internal SSD or hard drive, select Macintosh HD. Creating a BackupĬreating a new backup task is pretty straightforward, but Carbon Copy Cloner offers a lot of customization. Unlike some nerdy utilities, Carbon Copy Cloner’s user interface is easy to use and understand. We recommend one that is similar - if not the same - as your Time Machine drive for convenience, but just about anything will do as long as it’s equal to or larger in capacity than your boot drive.) (Obviously, you’re going to need a hard drive dedicated for this. Moreover, there are some advantages to having a bootable backup of your Mac. It’s an excellent way to diversify your backups beyond Time Machine.

Carbon copy cloner 4 review mac#

The best way to make bootable backups of your Mac is Carbon Copy Cloner. Simply plug in the drive, boot your Mac with the option key held down, and boom - you’re off to the races. Bootable backups can be great for quick turn-arounds in the case of a failed or replaced disk. Primarily, a Time Machine drive cannot be plugged in and booted from. The utility’s archiving ability is extremely useful, but on the recovery end of things, Time Machine isn’t as flexible as power users may require their backup solution be. MacOS’ built-in Time Machine is a fantastic way to easily back up a Mac, but it has its limitations.