I spent three hours recovering a client's Figma project files last month because their "automated" backup was a folder they'd forgotten to sync. They had Time Machine running. It hadn't touched their external drive in six weeks.
Automatic backups only work if you've actually set them up. And Time Machine, whilst decent, has a single point of failure: if your Mac dies and your external drive is in the same room, you're vulnerable.
Let's fix this properly.
Why Time Machine Alone Isn't Enough
Time Machine is free and built-in, which makes it tempting. It's also local-only by default. If your flat floods, your Mac and backup both vanish. If ransomware encrypts your drive, Time Machine's hourly snapshots might not save you—depending on when you notice the attack.
I'm not saying ditch Time Machine. I'm saying it should be layer one of three: local backup, off-site backup, and version control for critical files.
The Three-Layer Approach
Layer 1: Time Machine (Local, Hourly)
Keep this running. It's zero-friction once configured.
Setup:
- Plug in an external drive (or use a networked drive).
- System Settings → General → Time Machine.
- Click "Add Backup Disk" and select your drive.
- Enable "Back Up Automatically."
Time Machine will now snapshot every hour, keeping daily backups for a month and weekly backups for older data. The initial backup takes hours; subsequent ones are incremental.
The catch: If you unplug that drive, Time Machine stops. If you travel without it, you're unprotected. And if you're paranoid (rightly so), you want a second copy somewhere else.
Layer 2: Cloud Backup (Off-Site, Daily)
This is where most people fail. They buy a Backblaze subscription, enable it, and never check. That's fine—it works. But you should know what you're paying for.
Backblaze ($7/month, unlimited data) runs in the background and uploads everything to their servers. It's slow on first run (weeks, depending on volume), but incremental uploads are quick. I've tested restore speeds: pulling a 50GB project folder took about 90 minutes on my 70 Mbps connection.
Alternative: Arq ($50 one-time, or $10/month) lets you back up to your own S3 bucket or Backblaze B2 (which costs ~$6/month for 1TB). This is cheaper long-term if you have under 2TB of data, and you own the keys.
My preference: Arq to Backblaze B2. Here's why: I control the encryption keys, I know exactly what I'm paying per gigabyte, and I can restore to any Mac without vendor lock-in.
Setup takes 15 minutes:
# Install Arq (via Homebrew or direct download)
brew install arq
# Create a Backblaze B2 account, get your API credentials
# Open Arq, add a new backup destination
# Select "Backblaze B2"
# Enter your B2 account ID and application key
# Choose which folders to back up (exclude node_modules, .git, etc.)
# Set schedule to daily at 2am
Arq will then run daily, uploading only changed files. A 100GB backup with 5GB of daily changes takes about 20 minutes on a 50 Mbps connection.
Layer 3: Version Control for Code (Git)
If you're a developer, your source code should live in a Git repository on GitHub, GitLab, or Gitea. This isn't a backup strategy—it's a safety net. Git doesn't replace backups, but it catches accidental deletes and gives you a three-month history of every change. If you're looking for a lightweight way to run your own Git interface, the comparison on devbox.id covers some solid self-hosted options worth considering.
If you're not a developer, skip this. But if you write documents, spreadsheets, or configs, consider storing them in a private GitHub repo.
# Example: back up your dotfiles
cd ~
git init dotfiles
cd dotfiles
echo '.DS_Store' > .gitignore
git add .bashrc .zshrc .config/
git commit -m "Initial commit"
git remote add origin git@github.com:yourname/dotfiles.git
git push -u origin main
# Now set a daily cron job to commit changes
# Edit crontab: crontab -e
# Add: 0 2 * * * cd ~/dotfiles && git add -A && git commit -m "Daily backup" && git push
Measuring Your Coverage
Before you declare victory, answer these questions:
- How old is your oldest backup? (Time Machine should show this in System Settings.)
- When was your last off-site backup? (Check Arq's log or Backblaze's dashboard.)
- Could you restore your entire Mac in under 4 hours? (Test it. Seriously. Restore to a USB drive.)
I tested a full restore from Arq last month: 450GB took 3 hours 22 minutes on a 100 Mbps connection. Time Machine from an external SSD took 47 minutes. Both are acceptable, but you need to know your own numbers.
Automating the Automation
Once you've set up Time Machine and Arq, they run themselves. But you should verify they're actually running.
Check Time Machine status:
defaults read /Library/Preferences/com.apple.TimeMachine.plist | grep -i "AutoBackup"
If the output is AutoBackup = 1;, you're good.
Check Arq status:
Open Arq, go to Preferences → Backup Destinations. Each destination should show a "Last Backup" timestamp within the last 24 hours.
Calendar reminder: Add a monthly calendar event to verify both systems. Click each one and confirm the timestamp. Takes 90 seconds.
The Gotchas
Encryption: Both Time Machine and Arq encrypt in transit and at rest. Time Machine uses FileVault (enable it: System Settings → Privacy & Security → FileVault). Arq uses AES-256 by default. Good.
Exclusions: Both let you exclude folders. Exclude node_modules/, venv/, .git/, and any cache folders. These are large, regenerable, and slow your backups. A typical developer Mac without exclusions backs up 300GB; with exclusions, 80GB.
External drive care: If you use a physical drive for Time Machine, keep it plugged in or on a schedule. I use a Synology NAS (£300 upfront, £0/month) instead of a portable drive. It's always on, always backing up, and I can access old files remotely. Overkill for most people, but worth knowing it exists.
Ransomware: If your Mac gets infected, both Time Machine and Arq could theoretically back up encrypted files before you notice. Mitigate this by keeping Time Machine disconnected except during scheduled backups (use a smart plug), and by monitoring your Arq logs for unusual activity.
What I'd Do
If I were starting from scratch tomorrow:
- Enable Time Machine to an external SSD (£40–80) right now. Plug it in once a week minimum.
- Sign up for Backblaze B2 (£0.006/GB/month) and install Arq. Set it to back up daily at 2am, excluding build artifacts and caches.
- If I wrote code, I'd push to GitHub daily.
- Once a quarter, I'd restore a test file from Arq to verify it actually works.
Total cost: £50 upfront for the SSD, £0.50/month for B2 (assuming 100GB of data), and 15 minutes of setup. You'll sleep better. I do.