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How To Have External Backups for Specific Folders?

I’m trying to get organised.
(Yeah, right!)
Will be making way more photos and videos in the future, but have loads already.

I have dedicated two external hard drives to photos and videos, one to each.
And two internal folders, photos and videos.

What I would like to do, is have automatic backup, or instant copying, of anything that gets put in (say) the photos folder to also go to the external photos drive.
Like a constant cloning or copying of just that folder.
And the same with the videos folder and drive.

I suspect that this is not possible, but would be VERY useful.

Reasons why….
Data security in the case of a crash of any sort.
(Yep I know about, and use, TimeMachine)

But also because it would be an organised backup to separate drives, so I would know where to look.
With over 3000 photos and many GBs of videos, and other external backup drives that are past backups, sort of archives, I want to be able, in effect, to have current backups for specific folders.
—–
Ron Skingley

Comments: 3 Responses to “How To Have External Backups for Specific Folders?”

    2 years ago

    So these are photos and videos in folders, not the Photos app? Sounds like it from your description.

    I wouldn't do it this way. Just use Time Machine to back up. One large drive instead.

    With your system you will only have a backup of what is there now, and any mistake you make will be applied to the backup as well, making it impossible to recover from that mistake.

    For instance, say you delete a photo. Then the copy/clone takes place and that photos is deleted from your external drive as well. You realize your mistake, but there's no way to recover the file. But with Time Machine, you can simply "go back in time" and recover the photo. But your solution would be useless in that case.

    If you want a second backup, then do a second Time Machine backup (just swap drives every day or so). Or, better yet, do an online backup so that you have one backup local and the other remote. That's very useful as a local disaster or theft could take out your Mac and your backup at the same time if they are local.

    Ron
    2 years ago

    Thanks for that.
    I have added a second external drive to Time Machine.
    Belt and braces :) :)

    Mike
    2 years ago

    Something I have done is use two external hard drives for my Time Machine. I’m not a frequent user of my MacBook. So, when I do use it, I attach one hard drive followed by the other. My intention is to ensure that if one of the external hard drives failed, I still have a Time Machine to use. Also, less frequently I do a Carbon Copy Clone backup also using two external drives.

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