Three key backup options

Time Machine

Apple’s backup system is built into macOS and offers key benefits: It requires almost zero effort to get working, and enables you to recover old versions of files, even those that have been deleted, or your entire system. Its Snapshots feature stores content on local drives with enough space, too, so you may be able to recover a recently removed/edited document even if your Time Machine drive is unavailable. Wireless backups are an option, through Apple’s AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule or a compatible third-party NAS, although wireless backups can be sluggish if your network isn’t fast enough.

Local clones

Once, cloning was a lengthy one-off operation, producing an archive of your files at a moment in time, but it’s more flexible today. Modern cloning apps such as Carbon Copy Cloner and SuperDuper are robust and smart, and although an initial clone might take hours to complete, subsequent incremental clones update only what needs changing. This can be done to a schedule, creating exact, up-to-date copies of your Mac’s drive. Unlike with Time Machine, you cannot recover multiple iterations of a file from a clone, but you can start up your Mac from it — a big benefit in the event of catastrophic hard drive failure.

iCloud

When you leave your iOS devices plugged in, connected to a Wi-Fi network, with the screen locked, they’ll be backed up on a daily basis (typically overnight). There must be enough storage space in your iCloud account; you can buy more, but if space is a problem (or you just want to control what to keep), you can manually manage what’s backed up on each device. In addition, iCloud Drive can store your photos, videos, music, and Mac as well as iOS documents and apps, syncing everything across all your devices — but this is not ideal for backup, because changes (including deleting a file) will propagate across all your devices.