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How to use your MacBook's built-in backup tool instead of paying for cloud storage

Engadget explains how Mac users can replace paid cloud storage with Apple's Time Machine for local backups.

AI News Feed · 2026-09-07 08:49

Engadget points out that modern personal cloud storage has been commercially available since 2006, but free storage is limited. Apple's iCloud offers only 5GB free, and its 50GB tier costs $0.99 per month, which the outlet says is not enough for users who also want to back up large amounts of files from their computer.

Time Machine does not necessarily need an external drive, because it can write backups to a partition on the Mac's internal drive. For better security, however, Engadget recommends using an external drive. Portable SSDs transfer files faster, but an older drive may be better for long-term archival storage because SSDs can lose data if they remain without power for long periods.

Apple recommends the external drive have at least twice the capacity of the Mac's internal drive. It must be formatted with the APFS file system, meaning it cannot be used natively on Windows. If users want to keep other files on the drive, they would need to partition it, though the guide advises against doing so.

The setup process begins by plugging in the drive and opening System Settings > General > Time Machine. The user clicks 'Add Backup Disk,' selects the drive and clicks 'Set Up Disk.' There is an option to encrypt the backup with a password, which should be kept safe for future restores. If the drive is not already in APFS, macOS will reformat it with a single click.

Once set up, the first backup starts automatically and may take anywhere from a few minutes to over an hour, depending on the amount of data. When the external drive is unplugged, snapshots are stored locally on the Mac. By default, backups are made hourly, but users can change the frequency to daily or weekly under System Settings > General > Time Machine > Options, and they can also exclude folders or volumes.

To restore a file, a user can open Finder, look under Locations, click the Time Machine drive, choose 'Enter Time Machine,' pick a backup, find the file and click 'Restore.' Time Machine also keeps multiple versions of the same file as it changes over time. With hourly backups, restore points are available for each of the past 24 hours; daily backups cover the past month, and weekly snapshots go back farther. When the external drive fills up, the oldest weekly backups are deleted to make room.