How to Backup Data on Your Mac
*IMPORTANT* If you are backing up personal data, this data MUST be backed up to a non-Wayzata storage device. Examples include personal USB flash drives, personal USB hard drives, and personal cloud accounts such as Google Drive or OneDrive.
Step 1. Identify the storage device/s you are going to save the data to.
- Work data can be stored in your @wayzataschools.org Google Drive account
- Personal data needs to be stored on a personal storage device. Examples are listed above
Step 2. Identify the files or data you want to save on your Mac. Backing up data you do not need can add significant time to this process so only save files that you know you need.
Click on the Desktop>Go>Home as shown at right.
Folders that may have data you want to save:
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Desktop: This is all of the files and folders that you see on your desktop
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Documents: All of the documents that you have created and saved
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Downloads: All of the items that you have downloaded from the internet or email
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Movies: All of the videos that you have downloaded or imported from another device
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Music: All of the music that you have downloaded or imported from another device
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Pictures: All of the photos that you have downloaded or imported from another device
If you see these folders, do not back them up:
- Applications
- Creative Cloud Files
- Google Drive
- Public
Step 3. Backup your data to the storage device you've chosen by selecting the folders (or data in the folders) and copy them to your storage device. Remember, work related data should go into your @wayzataschools.org Google Drive account. Any personal data should go on a personal flash driver or other storage option.
- You can copy the data in 2 ways:
- Right click on the data item/s, choose "Copy." Then click into your storage device, right click again and choose "Paste." You will be shown a window with an estimated time to copy the data to your storage device.
- Click on the data item/s you want, and then drag it to your storage device on the desktop or in the Finder window. You will be shown a window with an estimated time to copy the data to your storage device.
- This process may take a long time depending on how much data you want to save. If you have questions on what you should save, please contact your building tech para for support or the helpdesk to get you on the right path.
Step 4. If desired, write a list of any applications and work printers you have on your current computer that you will also want on your new computer to get installed.
- To find your installed printers, go to the Apple Menu>System Settings (Preferences) as shown at right
- Choose "Printers & Scanners"
