User level: Level 1 (4 points)It is recommended that a complete backup be done before upgrading the operating system of an iMac. What is the procedure for doing this without iCloud? And what is the procedure for restoring if a failure occurs?
Posted on Oct 10, 2026 11:41 AM
User level: Level 10 (99,154 points)Oct 10, 2026 1:02 PM in response to ask_apple101
Yes' If you value your data, it is a good idea to always have a backup.
To backup your iMac, see > Back up your Mac with Time Machine - Apple Support
To recover from a backup, see > Recover all your files from a Time Machine backup - Apple Support
To restore items from the backup, see > Restore items backed up with Time Machine on Mac - Apple Support
User level: Level 10 (123,805 points)Oct 11, 2026 1:02 AM in response to ask_apple101
Before upgrading your 24-inch iMac running macOS 26.7, make a complete Time Machine backup to an external drive. This does not require iCloud.
Connect an external USB hard drive or SSD with sufficient capacity. Open
Apple menu >> System Settings >> General >> Time Machine, select Add Backup Disk, choose your drive, and follow the instructions. Allow the initial backup to finish, then verify the latest successful backup date. If the drive contains files you need, copy them elsewhere before setting it up, as formatting may erase its contents.
Apple instructions: Back up your Mac with Time Machine.
If macOS starts after an unsuccessful upgrade, use Applications >> Utilities >> Migration Assistant to transfer your files, applications and user account information from the Time Machine backup.
To recover individual deleted files, you may be able to use Time Machine to locate and restore an earlier version.
See Apple's guides: Restore deleted files and Restore your Mac from a backup.
If your iMac cannot start, shut it down and press and hold the power button until Loading startup options appears.
Select Options >> Continue to enter macOS Recovery.
If necessary, try reinstalling macOS without erasing the internal drive. Once macOS is working, use Migration Assistant to recover your data.
Erasing the drive should be a last resort, after confirming that your backup is accessible.
Apple instructions: Reinstall macOS and Use macOS Recovery on an Apple silicon Mac.
Once the backup is complete and verified, disconnect the external drive before upgrading and keep it safe until you have confirmed that the iMac works correctly.
For future protection of irreplaceable data, consider maintaining a current 3-2-1 backup plan: three copies of your data, stored using two different types of storage or backup methods, with at least one copy kept off-site to protect against natural disasters, theft or other unexpected events. Use dedicated external drives for backup purposes, and check periodically that your backups remain accessible.
Time Machine is a useful part of this strategy, but an additional backup method can provide another layer of protection. Bombich Software, the developer of Carbon Copy Cloner, offers a complementary backup solution. See its guide How to schedule a backup
Important: Time Machine does not provide a complete bootable copy of macOS.
If an upgrade prevents your iMac from starting, you may need to reinstall macOS before restoring your files and settings.
User level: Level 9 (55,707 points)Oct 10, 2026 5:34 PM in response to ask_apple101
iCloud isn't considered to be a backup service for a Mac.
The procedure for making a backup would be to get one or more external drives, and use
to make the backup. Those are the three main applications for making local backups on a Mac.
Time Machine is built into macOS, and given enough space on the backup drive, can keep several versions of the files it backs up. But the backup files aren't directly usable - you need to access them through Time Machine.
Carbon Copy Cloner and SuperDuper! are third-party clone backup utilities that store backups in a form that you can easily browse using the Finder. Because of all the security changes Apple has made to recent versions of the operating system, they're less useful for making bootable clone backups than they used to be. (If you needed to recover, you'd reinstall macOS from scratch, then use the "clone" backup to recover your data files.)
User level: Level 4 (1,299 points)Oct 11, 2026 10:57 AM in response to den.thed
den.thed wrote:
Yes' If you value your data, it is a good idea to always have a backup.
To backup your iMac, see > Back up your Mac with Time Machine - Apple Support
To recover from a backup, see > Recover all your files from a Time Machine backup - Apple Support
To restore items from the backup, see > Restore items backed up with Time Machine on Mac - Apple Support
Originally posted at discussions.apple.com/thread/256373834