Click Finder > Preference > Check Hard disks box under Show these items on the desktop. You can connect your external hard drive or USB drive to the Mac computer and follow the below steps to back up Mac data now: 1. The second method is to manually backup Mac data to external storage devices without Time Machine. How do I backup my entire Mac to an external hard drive without time machine? Or choose Apple menu > System Preferences, then click Time Machine. Open Time Machine preferences from the Time Machine menu in the menu bar.To use Time Machine to make a backup of your Mac, you need one of these types of storage devices: External USB, Thunderbolt, or FireWire drive connected to your Mac. Time Machine can back up certain external storage devices connected to your Mac or available on your network. Can I use any external hard drive for Mac Time Machine? are all fairly generally universally compatible even the stuff that’s generally seen as “Mac” (i.e., FireWire and now Thunderbolt) is Windows- and Linux-compatible and will generally work fine. In general, you don’t need special Mac-only hardware stuff anymore. Best for Legacy Hardware: G-Technology G-DRIVE USB 3.0 (4TB)ĭo I need a special external hard drive for Mac?.Best Thunderbolt 3 Drive: LaCie Rugged Thunderbolt.
