How to Select a Folder for Carbonite to Back Up
Selecting Files for Backup (Mac 2x)
- This article is for Mac 2x - View the Mac 1x article (Not sure?) | View the Windows article
Carbonite automatically backs up the most common data on your Mac computer. By default, Carbonite selects data associated with all user profiles on your computer.
- From the Apple menu bar, click the Carbonite icon and select Open Carbonite to open the Carbonite interface.
- Within the Carbonite interface, locate the file or folder you wish to select for backup by clicking through the folders or Macintosh HD.
- Select the desired file or folder and click Back this up.
While the backup starts in the background, we recommend that you adjust energy saver to ensure the backup will not be interrupted. However, you can continue to use your computer as normal.
Selecting Additional Data for Backup
The table below lists types of data and what is needed to select it for backup by Carbonite.
| Data Type | macOS Requirements | Carbonite Plan Needed to Select Data |
|---|---|---|
| Carbonite default data selections | Grant Full Disk Access to Carbonite Learn more... | Carbonite Safe Basic or higher Learn more... |
| Data outside of user profiles on your computer (outside of the Macintosh HD/Users folder) | None. | Carbonite Safe Basic or higher Learn more... |
| Hidden Library files | Unhide the hidden Library folder and restart your computer. Learn more... | Carbonite Safe Basic or higher Learn more... |
| Automatic backup of video files within the user profiles on your computer (within the Macintosh HD/Users folder) | None. | Carbonite Safe Plus or higher Learn more... |
| External Hard Drive | Ensure the external hard drive is in the HFS+, APFS, or exFAT format. Learn more... | Carbonite Safe Plus or higher Learn more... |
| Two or More Drives (internal or external) | Ensure the external hard drives are in the HFS+, APFS, or exFAT format. Learn more... | Carbonite Safe Core or higher Learn more... |
After you are on the correct Carbonite plan and configure your Mac for Carbonite, you can manually select data from the computer that has Carbonite installed by following the instructions above.
Selecting Folders that May Contain Data That is Excluded
When you select a drive or folder for backup, Carbonite will exclude system, program, and temporary files. These types of files are not included in the backup for the following reasons:
- System and program files are reserved or used by the system/program and should be reinstalled by the vendor's website or installation media.
- Temporary files are files that are actively created by programs for them to operate and cannot be restored in a meaningful or useful state.
Generally, system and program files do not need to be backed up. After a computer crash, it is best to reinstall the operating system and programs then restore the user data to avoid complications.
The advantages excluding these files are:
- Backups are less likely to fail: A common cause of backup failure is selecting large or problematic system, program, and temporarily files. Carbonite excludes these files by default to reduce this risk.
- Backup/Restore speeds are quicker: By selecting only what is important the time it takes to upload/download the files is reduced.
While files are excluded to improve the performance, some excluded files can be manually selected for backup with the method above.
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How to Select a Folder for Carbonite to Back Up
Source: https://support.carbonite.com/articles/Personal-Pro-Mac-Including-Files-In-Your-Backup-Set#:~:text=From%20the%20Apple%20menu%20bar,and%20click%20Back%20this%20up.
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