Can't back up my external hard drive to iCloud

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Level 1

4 points

Can't back up my external hard drive to iCloud

Hi I am trying to back up external hard disk to my iCloud Drive having just upgraded to 6 TB

Having spoken to Apple support, I realise that files have to be on my main hard disk but this is impossible as it's way smaller HD than my external drives,

I cannot believe there's not a workaround for this as it seems such an obvious issue

I want to stay using Apple ecosystem, but this problem seems insurmountable, can anyone recommend a cloud storage that is both reliable and secure that address the ridiculous shortcomings of apples iCloud

Thanks

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Mac Studio, macOS 14.2

Posted on Jan 17, 2025 2:22 AM

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Answer 1

Jan 17, 2025 8:17 PM in response to qwerty1001

Backblaze (https://www.backblaze.com/) is a very affordable and trusted cloud backup server that is extremely reliable on Mac.

As Zurarczurx stated, iCloud is a cloud storage and synchronization service, and not designed as a backup service. THis is a common misunderstanding with other cloud storage services as well (DropBox, OneDrive, Google Drive, etc.). Although very useful for their intended use and convenience, none should ever be considered a "backup".

Along with a cloud-based off-site backup solution like Backblaze, I would also recommend a local Time Machine backup drive attached locally to your Mac. Any well-planned backup solution includes automatic local backups as well as an off-site backup location.

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Answer 2

Zurarczurx

Level 4

1,185 points

Jan 17, 2025 3:50 PM in response to qwerty1001

iCloud is not a backup, it's a synchronization service.

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