How to Backup Data on a Mac Disk

Disk Drill allows you to backup data on Mac OS X by creating a byte-to-byte disk image. This disk image (or DMG) is an exact copy of your hard drive, usually saved onto a separate external hard drive. Backing up your failing Mac hard drive — and running Mac data recovery from it — has never been easier.
Free Download
Upgrade to PRO
How to Backup Data on a Mac Disk
Sooner or later, all hard drives fail. Maybe opening files begins to take minutes instead of seconds. Maybe you even hear strange noises coming from inside your Mac. Maybe you are beginning to see strange messages about corrupted files.

Instead of shrugging off these warning signs, take action to backup data on Mac quickly. Because while it's still working, Disk Drill Mac data backup software can take an exact snapshot of the hard drive, preserve a copy of the data, and recover it later whenever necessary. Hard drive problems only get worse, not better, so the sooner you take this snapshot (also called a disk image, or DMG) of your hard drive, the more chances you have of preserving all of your files.

Disk Drill makes OS X backup quick and painless. Uniquely, Disk Drill includes every bit of data that is on the disk, even the areas marked as free space, which may contain missing deleted files. After, you can run data recovery with Disk Drill and restore missing files right from the backup disk image.

#1 Launch Disk Drill

To get started backing up your Mac and taking a snapshot with all of the contents of your hard drive, start Disk Drill. Click "Backup" option from the upper menu and select "Backup into DMG image" option. Read the instructions offered by Disk Drill and follow its prompts to create a byte-to-byte disk image of a drive.

First choose the drive or partition to backup and then set the location to save backup file. Click "Save" and after backup is created use Disk Drill's "Attach Disk Image" to mount the created DMG file.
  • 1Download Disk Drill
  • 2Drag to Applications Folder
  • 3Launch Disk Drill

#2 Connect an External Drive

So connect a sufficiently large external hard drive to your computer (CDs, DVDs and flash drives are generally not large enough to hold all of the information stored on today's hard drives). In the "Save" dialog box, click on the black arrow on the upper-right, next to the hard drive name. You will now see a list of folders and disks. On the left side of the dialog box, click on the name of the external hard drive that you just connected, then click the Save button.
Mac hard drive data recovery tips and hints
If Disk Drill warns that the external hard drive does not have enough space, either free up space on the external drive by deleting files, or find another hard drive with more space. If there is sufficient space, Disk Drill begin backing up your Mac, making an exact copy of your hard drive on the external drive. This process is time-consuming, so sit back and relax while Disk Drill does the heavy lifting. Connect an External Drive

#3 Disk Image Backup for Mac

Once the copying process is complete, on your external drive you will have a large DMG file that has the name of your main hard drive. This Mac data backup DMG file is an exact copy of the data on your hard drive. Everything is included in this file, even live files and "empty" sectors that need data recovery in order to be read.

Don't wait till it's gone — protect now!

Now that you know how to backup files on Mac, consider a constant protection of any little changes of big importance with the help of Disk Drill's Guaranteed Recovery, Recovery Vault, and S.M.A.R.T. monitoring. These features ensure that all your data is kept safe and no little change is left unguarded.
Protect Your Hard Drive

#4 Recover Data from Your Failing Disk

Now you can recover files from the copy you just made. The DMG file is treated by the computer as if it is a "real," physical disk. To mount the disk, either double-click the DMG file icon in the Finder, or use the "Attach non-mountable disk image" option in Disk Drill to select the DMG file. Once the new disk shows up in Disk Drill, you can click the "Recover" button next to its name and start the recovery process.
How to recover deleted files after emptying the trash on Mac
Now you know how to backup data on your Mac. You can now relax knowing that even if your failing hard drive stops working completely, you still have an exact copy that will preserve your vital data. Download Disk Drill, the perfect backup software for Mac today. It's free! BTW, Disk Drill for Windows creates perfect recoverable disk backups in ISO format. Recover Data from Your Failing Disk

Disk Drill is a thorough scanner

Use Deep Scan feature for those times when there is hardly any file structure left. Disk Drill will scan through the raw data on your hard drive no matter if it is FAT, or NTFS, or something else. It will work file fragments into a single structure and will look for the binary signature of the lost files. Once Disk Drill recognizes a sought for file signature, XLS, DOC, AVI, MP4, JPG, and other formats recovery goes quite fast.
View the complete list of file types

Secure your important data now!

Disk Drill 3
Learn All About Mac Data Backup!
Free Download
Upgrade to PRO

Other How To Articles

Get started with data recovery
  • 10+ Million
    TOTAL DOWNLOADS
  • 500,000+
    PRO CLIENTS
  • BUSINESS & HOME USERS
    in 150+ countries

Users and software professionals say

  • Ali Aghtar
    Hi, I'm a video producer and editor and I have used your software for the past 6 years. The first time I used it was when I was editing a documentary teaser and somehow lost my project file. Having completely panicked in the middle of the night I searched online and came across your software. There are many options that available online, some of them don't work and some are too complicated to use. I thought I'd give yours a try. It was amazing! I recovered a file that if lost would cost me 3 days of work. Since then I have used your software many times, on drives that needed file recovery and on footage on memory cards that were accidentally formatted on set. Today your software saved me again on a corrupted CF card. Files were too corrupted to be imported in Adobe Premiere. Quick time couldn't read them. I formatted the CF card in the camera and ran Disk Drill. All my files were found on a lost partition. Disk Drill has saved my butt in many situations and I want to thank you for that. Best of luck!
    Read more
  • Mac|Life Magazine, October 2016
    The good news for veteran Disk Drill users is that version 3 introduces a much-needed fresh coat of paint across the entire user interface, offering a flatter appearance and more intuitive layout. Disk Drill 3 adds mobile data recovery to its arsenal, making this a winning upgrade.