- External Storage Device For Macbook Protection
- External Ram For Macbook
- External Storage Device For Macbook Pro Hard Drive
- External Ram For Macbook Pro
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Almost everyone knows that backing up all of the files on your computer or any other device you have frequently is a good practice.
You never know when your device, even if it’s reliable and secure (like a MacBook Pro), might fail, break, get lost or stolen. If any of these things happen it can be devastating but if you backup your data with an external hard drive, you at least have all of your files and other important information.
These days, backing up your MacBook Pro is easy to do and if you own one of these computers you should learn how to back it up and do it often.
It can be as easy as a click of a button but we will take a look at all of the steps necessary to backup your Mac as well as some other information to consider during the process.
Why Backing up MacBook Pro to an External Hard Drive
The reasons to backup your MacBook Pro to an external hard drive are pretty obvious but if you are unfamiliar with the reasons, or with backups in general, you should learn about them.
Acrobat software download. Backing up your computer basically means that you are making copies of all the important information found on your computer. This could be all of your photos, music, videos, files, and any other piece of data found within your MacBook.
All of this data exists stored and saved within the hard drive built into your computer but making a backup of these is a good idea for a couple of reasons. Your MacBook Pro is an electronic device and these devices can break or fail due to accidents or because of manufacturer’s defects.
Also, because of the popularity and cost of Apple products, your computer might be a target for theft. Because of these possibilities, it is important to back up your computer in case any of them happen to you.
An external hard drive makes it really easy to back up your computer so it’s a good idea to purchase one and learn the steps to back everything up.
Hard drives can vary in cost and storage capacity but even though they are an added expense, they are more than worth it in the worst-case scenario of a broken or stolen MacBook.
External Storage Device For Macbook Protection
How to Backup MacBook Pro to External Hard Drive
The first step to backing up your MacBook Pro is to connect your computer to an external hard drive.
Hard drives come in many different shapes and sizes but all have a cord that will connect the drive into your computer. Plug this cord into the corresponding input on your MacBook Pro to allow the backup process between the hard drive and your computer to begin.
Depending on what model MacBook Pro you have and which hard drive, this cord could be USB, Thunderbolt, or Firewire.
When you plug the hard drive into your computer, a popup box should appear that will ask you if you’d like to backup your computer using Apple’s built-in backup program, Time Machine.
When you see this box above, go ahead and click on Encrypt Backup Disc and then the Use as Backup Disk button.
You can also open up the Time Machine settings manually if it doesn’t happen to appear automatically.
To do this go to the Apple menu in the top left corner of your screen then click on System Preferences and then on Time Machine.
Once in the Time Machine box, click on Select Backup Disc to choose your external hard drive as the device to store the backup.
Click on the Use Disk button once you locate your external hard drive and your MacBook Pro will begin to back up your files.
If you turn Time Machine on and keep your computer plugged into your external hard drives, it will complete backups at scheduled intervals so you don’t have to worry about going through this process that often. You can choose the frequency you’d like backups to take place but having it set to automatic is an easy way to make sure your most current data is backed up.
Time Machine can automatically back up files every hour for 24 hours, once a day for a week, and weekly for previous months of use. The first time you back up your MacBook Pro to an external hard drive, it can take a long time.
After this initial backup, it shouldn’t take as long and if you have Time Machine set up to conduct automatic backups, you might not even realize the backups are occurring.
Final Thoughts
Backing up your files from your MacBook Pro to an external hard drive is important and you should really consider doing it.
It is a simple step you can take to recover important information in case of something bad happening to your computer. The automatic backup feature on Time Machine makes things even easier and once you follow the steps above, your computer will be consistently backed up.
There are many different options when it comes to choosing an external hard drive. The main thing to consider is how much storage space you need.
I’d recommend getting at least a 1TB size hard drive and that should cover an average person’s files from their computer.
If you want a smaller drive, 500GB might be enough but hard drives these days are pretty compact so getting one with a larger capacity is recommended.
Do you backup your MacBook Pro often? What size hard drive do you use?
Your MacBook Pro was designed to complete a wide variety of different tasks with ease and speed.
Apple is well known for leading the pack in new technological advancements and always seem to utilize cutting edge components and design in all of its products. Regardless of which model year of MacBook you might have, chances are when it was new, it was at the top of its class in function and form.
Storage is an important factor to consider with any computer. Regardless of how many nice features your MacBook Pro has, if you run out of storage, it can cause unwanted issues. Some people even believe that you can never have too much storage capacity on a computer.
Your MacBook Pro came with built-in storage but depending on your model, it is possible to add more storage capacity to your computer.
Why Add More Storage?
More storage is a good thing.
The more storage capacity you have on your computer, the more programs, apps, files, and data you can run and store. If you run out of storage space, you might have to delete files or programs in order to make room for new ones. While you can always place this data on something like an external hard drive, it can be a pain to run out of storage capacity on your computer.
When you reach the limits of your computer’s storage capacity, you might also start to notice issues with performance. Things can start to run slowly and freezes can occur as your computer struggles to keep everything operating effectively without enough storage to do so.
By adding more storage, you can avoid these potential problems while keeping all of the files and data you wish and not having your performance suffer.
Adding Storage – Things to Consider
When you buy a new MacBook Pro, you usually have options for what storage capacity you want to be included on your computer.
More storage costs more money so oftentimes, buyers don’t get a high amount of storage. While this cost may seem significant, the extra storage can really help with performance and other important operations on your computer so it’s always good to consider a storage upgrade if you can afford it.
Another thing to consider is that not all MacBook models can have storage added to them internally. You can always use external storage methods, which we will discuss below, but some Apple computers won’t allow the additional storage capacity to be added after the machine has been manufactured.
This is another reason to get the most memory you can afford at the time of purchase.
How to Add Storage to MacBook Pro
There are several methods to gain additional storage capacity on your MacBook Pro.
Some of these options are only available for certain model years and newer model MacBooks cannot actually add storage internally. The newest models come equipped with an SSD (Solid State Drive) storage which cannot be upgraded. These are the model years that can be upgraded which have and SSD:
- MacBook Pro Retina 2015 or earlier.
- MacBook Pro non-Retina 2016 or earlier.
- If you have a different style MacBook or want to learn more about this upgrade, check out this link.
If you can’t upgrade your SSD, there are other methods to increase the storage capacity of your computer including:
1. External Storage
You can use external storage methods to add storage to your MacBook Pro.
The most common way to do this is by using an external hard drive. These drives connect directly to your computer using an appropriate cable and will give you as much extra storage as you want or need. You can transfer files and data quickly and easily from your computer to this external hard drive to gain extra storage.
2. SD Cards
On older model MacBooks, you can use an SD card to gain extra memory. These cards aren’t as common as they used to be, but that means they are really cheap. If your computer has an SD card input, all you have to do is slide an SD card in and you can easily gain a couple hundred GB or more in storage capacity.
External Ram For Macbook
3. Cloud Storage
Another option to add storage to your computer is through the cloud. This is a good way to backup files or data and allows you to gain almost endless amounts of storage, although you will have to pay for it.
One downside to cloud storage is that it can be slow to download or upload files depending on your internet speed. You can get up to 2TB of cloud storage with Apple’s iCloud and that is a considerable amount to work with.
4. Network Storage
This isn’t a very common method for increasing storage these days, but it does work and can offer an increase in storage capacity if you have another computer or hard drive laying around the house. By utilizing the storage capacity on another device, you can connect it to your MacBook pro and gain added space.
The downside to this method is that you have to be on the same network as the added device so you might not be able to leave your house.
Final Thoughts
I still think that the easiest way to add storage to your computer is to start with a lot of it from the get go.
This means upgrading the storage on your MacBook Pro from the time you buy it. You don’t have to go with the absolute highest amount of storage available but you should get more than the basic option. All of these added storage options will cost some money so getting more from the start is a good option.
External Storage Device For Macbook Pro Hard Drive
If you don’t want to pay as much upfront, you can use any of the methods above to gain added storage on your computer. I find the easiest method to do this is an external hard drive and usually carry one with me everywhere I take my computer, just in case.
It also functions as a backup for any important files or data you have.
External Ram For Macbook Pro
How much storage do you have on your computer? Do you think it will be enough or will you need to upgrade?