How to Backup and Clean Your Mac

As elegant and sophisticated as macOS is, it can slow down over time as you add file after file and program after program to your Apple system. After a few years of heavy use, the idea of ​​wiping down your Mac and starting over from the factory over starts to make more and more sense.

However, this isn’t just something to do if you want to clear clutter and fix persistent problems: restarting your Mac is also important when you sell or pass it on. You don’t want anyone messing with your files or web browsing data, and a reset stops that from happening.

Restarting a Mac is simple enough, but you need to make sure you’ve backed up everything on it before you start (or at least everything you want to keep). You should already have backups in place, but if you haven’t managed to set them up yet, we’ll explain what your options are before performing a hard reset.

There are many ways to do this, so choose the one that works best for you. Better yet, choose two: Strictly speaking, you should always have a few copies of your most important data – otherwise, if one of your backups fails for any reason, you’ll be left with no safety net. As a result, bringing together some combination of local and cloud backups is usually a good idea.

iCloud is now the default backup option for macOS, although you only get 5GB of space for free, so you’ll probably have to upgrade to back up your entire Mac: prices start for $0.99 per month for 50GB of space and covers photos, videos, and files saved in important folders on macOS.

You may have already set up iCloud when you first purchased and set up your Mac. To configure or make changes later:

• Open the Litter menu on macOS.
• To choose System Settings (macOS Ventura or later) or System Preferencesand click on your name.
• Select iCloud.
• Make sure all the apps you want to sync with iCloud are doing so: Click Show more apps (or Show all) to see the full list.

At the top of the screen, you can see how much iCloud storage space is being used and which types of files are taking up the most space.

macOS also offers Time Machine, which places file backups on local storage drives connected via cable or Wi-Fi:

• In System Settingschoice In general.
• To choose Time Machine > Add backup disk.
• Follow the instructions to choose a drive and start the backup.

By default, hourly backups are kept for 24 hours, daily backups for the previous month, and weekly backups for the previous months. To make setting changes, click the Time Machine icon in the menu bar (it looks like two clock hands with an arrow around them).

Both iCloud and Time Machine should back up everything important on your Mac, including files saved on your desktop — just be sure to use the designated folders on your Mac for photos, videos, documents, and music.

You don’t need to choose an Apple option for your backup. Tools like Google Drive It is Dropbox work just like iCloud, syncing specific folders to the web and updating changes as they are made.

These options should mean you’re well protected in terms of backing up your data, but it’s worth doing a full audit before resetting your Mac. Can all your apps be reinstalled from the web? Are all your emails, messages and local media libraries safely stored elsewhere? Are all the files in the folders they need to be in?

Once you’ve verified that all your data is backed up somewhere and can be recovered after cleaning your Mac, you’re ready to take the next step.

Over the years, Apple has gradually perfected the process of resetting your Mac, and luckily, it’s now easier than ever: there’s even a user-friendly Erase Assistant tool to guide you through the process.

• If you’re using macOS Ventura or later, open the Litter menu and choice System Settings (or System Preferences).
• Click In generalthen Transfer or reset.
• Select Erase all content and settings to start the wizard.

Along the way, you’ll be shown a summary of the data you’re deleting and asked for your Apple ID password so you can sign out of all relevant apps and services (so this Mac is no longer linked to your Apple ID). .

The final screen you see will be a dialog box with a Erase all content and settings button on it: once you click here, there is no going back. Your Mac will be securely erased and restarted, and the setup screen will appear as if you were setting it up for the first time.