Will a fresh Time Machine backup include files stored in iCloud?

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Will a fresh Time Machine backup include files stored in iCloud?

I'm starting a fresh Time Machine volume for 2023. Will this include files that are currently stored in iCloud, but not locally? I really want to have everything on that backup drive, not just the things that have been synced to my local drive. Most importantly, I want to have all of my photos on this backup so that I'm not depending on Apple to have the only copy. Unfortunately, I can't just change my settings to make sure all my files and photos are kept locally, as my MacBook Air just doesn't have enough storage for that.

Thanks!

MacBook Air 13″, macOS 13.0

Posted on Jan 2, 2023 4:53 PM

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Answer 1

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muguy

Level 10

82,321 points

Jan 3, 2023 4:46 AM in response to chasc

No, only the files on your device are backed up using Time Machine. I'd recommend a second external hard drive for your photo library. Your photos can then be on the external drive, not on your Mac. And, they can then backup using Time Machine onto a different external drive

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Answer 2

chasc Author

Level 1

19 points

Jan 3, 2023 10:07 AM in response to muguy

Dang. I've come to that conclusion too given the size of this fresh backup.

This is for my laptop, which is only occasionally plugged into an external drive, which also makes using one for my photos impractical.

It seems like I may be able to move my photo library to an external drive, turn off optimized storage, back up the complete local copy, then slim it down and shift it back to my internal storage, but that's a lot of work and I'm not confident that last step will go smoothly.

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Will a fresh Time Machine backup include files stored in iCloud?

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