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In the age when information is of the utmost value one has to take care of data backup. Right away we want to note the difference between cloud backup and cloud storage. Cloud storage serves as an extension of a hard drive sitting in data centers. Cloud backup contains multiple time-point versions of user data and the ability to restore it. This is handy in case one gets hacked or critically infected with malware. So we'd like to talk about cloud backup services for Mac.
Download for Mac Download for Windows Detailed backup guides for your Mac, PC, iPhone, and more. Click 'Save File' to download the Backblaze installer. My Mac Pro is on for a few days at a time while doing work and/or working on projects. So the question is, why am I seeing different last synced days and how do I rectify this in the correct manner - 'fix this' option doesn't really help. Anyway, love Backblaze. Slightly worried that things I rely on are no longer working.
Apparently, the only native macOS option for backups is saving data to an external storage drive via Time Machine. Yet there is the ability to save files to iCloud which is close to cloud storage for various data types: photos, mail, contacts, Safari bookmarks, etc. iCloud works both on macOS and iOS, but for Macs it's more of a storage and for iOS devices it is a backup option. 200GB for $3 monthly or 2TB for $10 could be of great help. To configure iCloud on your Mac, open System Preferences > iCloud.
Backblaze cloud backup has backed up over millions of gigabytes of data for Mac and PC laptops and desktops. To date Backblaze has restored over 30 billion files for our customers. Without our cloud backup service, those files would have been lost forever. Backblaze Mobile for Android is a free app to view, download, and share any files that you have backed up to your Backblaze Online Backup account. Access files from all your backed up computers even if they are offline or turned off. Features: Access all files backed up to Backblaze Search for specific files and download them to your Android device Share files via text, email, etc. This Mac app was originally produced by Backblaze, Inc. The size of the latest downloadable installer is 18.7 MB. Our antivirus analysis shows that this Mac download is safe. The application belongs to System Tools. The following versions: 3.0, 2.2 and 2.1 are the most frequently downloaded ones by the program users. The application's installer.
5 cloud backup services in question
Now let's take a look at the best third-party cloud backup services for Mac. We've picked the most safe, affordable and transparent ones. Though pricing of online backup providers is typically lower than physical storage, this option is more preferable for most users. Here's a brief introduction.
Price (monthly) | Trial (days) | Data Versioning | Encryption | |
Backblaze | $6 | 15 | Free 30 days, or 1 year ($24) | 2048-bit RSA, 128-bit AES |
Carbonite | $6 | 15 | 12 versions | 128-bit SSL, Blowfish, Triple DES |
SpiderOak | $6 | 21 | Unlimited | 2048-bit RSA, 256-bit AES |
SOS Online Backup | $4.99 | 30 | Unlimited | 256-bit AES |
Acronis True Image | $5.83 | 30 | up to 99 | 256-bit AES |
Backblaze
Developer: Backblaze | Official download link
Compatibility: Intel Mac, macOS 10.8 or later | Version: 7.0.1.450
Backblaze started in 2007 and went a long way to today's achievements. In 2014 Backblaze hit 100 Petabytes of storage with 30K hard drives, and 400 Petabytes were reached in 2014 (1 PB = 1024 TB). In 2015 they released B2 Cloud Storage allowing IT companies to build their own storage solutions. By 2020 Backblaze hit 1 Exabyte of files stored (1 EB = 1024 PB).
Trial. Backblaze offers a 10GB backup storage for 15 days. What even more impressive – unlimited upload speed, only affected by your Internet provider.
How to start? One has to register an account, then download and install the client.
Security. Backblaze provides data encryption that has to be decrypted with a private key (2048-bit RSA) and account credentials. For large files and large numbers of files a symmetric key is applied: the same key to encrypt and decrypt. All files on a Mac are encrypted in 128-bit AES and transferred over a SSL connection. The data is then stored in data centers with 24/7 staff with biometric security and redundant power.
In addition, Backblaze has a computer tracker on its website. The feature is called Locate My Computer, and it is similar to Apple's Find My Mac. To turn it on, log into the user account, click Locate My Computer, then Mapping is On. Also, check the information such as the last time your Mac was online, IP address.
UI and settings. The backup process starts in auto mode after you install and launch Backblaze. It is then integrated into macOS interface and settings (System Preferences > Backblaze Backup). Settings contain adjustable options: performance, schedule, exclusions, security, reports.
So, one can set a computer name, external storage device, reminders, wi-fi network blocklist; view data uploading speed, the amount of data saved daily, as well as configure automatic backups. In the Exclusions tab you can specify file formats to back up, for example, .mp3, .jpg. Your individual private key to decrypt data (Security tab) is vital, so be careful not to lose or forget it, otherwise no one will ever be able to make use of your backups.
Pricing. Backblaze offers a few subscription options: $6 per month, $60 per year, $110 for 2 years.
Pros
- automation option
- file versioning is up to 1 year, or lifetime
- private encryption key
Carbonite
Developer: Carbonite Inc. | Official download link
Compatibility: macOS 10.7 or later | Version: 2.7.1774
Carbonite started in 2005 and since then has gained over 1 million customers. Currently, the company employs over 1,000 workers and hosts 700 billion files. In 2017 Carbonite had acquired EVault and Double-Take software and began providing enterprise-tier solutions. In 2019 Carbonite was bought off by OpenText and became one of the leading data services.
Trial. Carbonite offers a 15-day trial with no limitations or restrictions.
How to start? Register an account on the official Carbonite site, download and install the application. During the installation, Let the app decide what to backup automatically, or set files and folders manually. Launch Carbonite from Applications.
Security. It begins with data encryption on a user device, then the 128-bit SSL for transferring, and ends up at a secure storage. Carbonite applies special tools for online banking transactions, i.e. Blowfish and Triple DES encryption. 24/7 staff at Carbonite go through biometric scanners with electric key cards.
UI and settings. Excellent cloud backup services for Mac have to check out exact characteristics, one of those is automation. The point is that a user doesn't have to do a thing, a program performs backups automatically, which is exactly what Carbonite does. Left menu hosts all the tools.
Pricing. Home plan for 1-3 users costs $6 per month. For 250GB, 25 computers and a central management dashboard get $24 monthly ready. 500GB starts at $50 per month. Every additional 100GB is $99.
Pros
- free support line, even in trial
- flexible pricing policy
- backup for large files
Cons
- only 250 or 500 GB cloud backup by default
- file versioning 30 days only
SpiderOak
Developer: SpiderOak Inc. | Official download link
Compatibility: macOS 10.9 or later | Version: 7.5.0
SpiderOak was founded in 2007, iIn 2013 the company began to develop a JavaScript framework where the server does not know what content it is storing ('zero-knowledge'). By mid 2014, SpiderOak gained over 1 million users, and in 2017 they've changed the direction towards enterprise software.
Trial. A 21-day trial version of the product with no other limitation.
How to start? Download SpiderOak, create the account with email and password, and that's it.
Security. Encrypted cloud storage with a key on a user side, so even SpiderOak employees can't access data. There are two types of encryption in use: 2048-bit RSA and 256-bit AES. The traffic goes through SSL/TLS. SpiderOak practices a 'No knowledge' software building principle, meaning backup contents are nobody's business.
UI and settings. The interface of this program may not be as simple to navigate as other cloud backup services for Mac, but it has a lot to offer. Dashboard informs about the latest actions, uploaded files, cloud backup size, authorized devices. Backup, view, rename, remove data, as well as synchronization over multiple devices (SpiderOak Hive folder), share files with other people.
Preferences comprise of password setting at program startup, disable SpiderOak on a device, exceptions for specific file formats, including size and date; scheduling, HTTP proxy settings, limiting bandwidth (max upload kb/second).
Pricing. Starting at $6 per month for 150GB, $11 for 400GB, and up to $14 for 2TB, $29 for 5TB.
Pros
- unlimited devices in all subscriptions
- adjustable backup exceptions
- zero-knowledge policy
SOS Online Backup
Developer: Infrascale Inc. | Official download link
Compatibility: macOS 10.9 or later | Version: 3.12.1
Sos Online Backup is a part of the Infrascale company, founded in 2011, with data centers in the USA, UK, Canada, Ukraine, India. Infrascale acquired Eversync Solutions in 2014 and began offering recovery, backup and archiving solutions. In 2017 Infrascale partnered with Google Cloud Platform for faster performance.
Trial. An unlimited 15 days of Home edition trial, and 30 days for Business.
How to start? Select a trial version, fill in the form, proceed to download it. Install and launch the application.
Security. A familiar data protection approach: UltraSafe 256-bit AES encryption, sending data over SSL connection, storage via a user-unique 256-bit AES protocol. Users can set a password for files and folders.
UI and settings. SOS interface is to the point, it only has two tabs: Backup and Recovery. Backup tab includes adding/removing folders, setting a schedule, adjusting email notifications. There'a also a peculiar option called 'Delete files from the cloud if they're deleted from the local computer, after X days'.
Pricing. There are a variety of paid plans, differing in storage size and billed monthly or annually. For instance, the starting point is at $5 monthly per 50 GB, in the middle we have $20 for 500GB, and the highest point is $300 monthly for 10TB.
Pros
- locate computer on a map
- flexible paid subscriptions
- triple encryption process
Acronis True Image
Developer: Acronis International GmbH | Official download link
Compatibility: macOS 10.10 or later | Version: 24.6
Acronis is a multi-faceted software vendor with lots of popular products in disk partitioning, boot load, backup, etc. To capture more market, in 2012 Acronis had acquired GroupLogic Inc., and focused more towards mobile software, including Apple products. Their cloud data centers are located in Japan, Singapour, USA, Germany, etc.
Trial. True Image trial is limited to 30 days and 1TB of cloud storage.
How to start? Download the latest version of Acronis True Image on the official page, install it. Select trial or Pro and register a user account.
Security. Acronis offers a triple-layer password protected AES 256-bit encryption. To make sure user data avoids unauthorized access, it encrypts a backup on a user computer, not on their side. Private encryption keys bring an extra security measure, but be extra careful not to forget it later on.
UI and settings. Everything one might need is on the left-side main menu. Backup – for selecting folders, files, hard drive to backup, destination (external device or Acronis Cloud). Click the Activity tab to view recent actions. Click Recovery to select the data to restore. Disk Cloning is for creating the same boot loading disk. Active Protection, enabled by default, acts against ransomware.
Acronis True Image has an excellent mobile application as well. Users can save photos, videos, contacts, calendars, etc. from a smartphone. One of the most impressive abilities of Acronis is system backup that includes OS version, applications, settings, configurations, drivers, files.
Pricing. There are three paid plans in total. One of those, Premium, will get you 1TB of cloud for $100/year per 1 device. Features that are available in all plans: cloud backup, Microsoft 365 backup, ransomware protection, disk cloning, full image backup.
Pros
- full system backup including OS, settings
- 30 days, 1TB trial
- private encryption password
- mobile app
Read next: 16 best backup software tools.
Latest
In category
The discontinuation of CrashPlan for Home on 22 October 2018 is coming soon (see 'CrashPlan Discontinues Consumer Backups,' 22 August 2017), so I've been receiving questions about how best to restore files from the Internet backup service we now recommend, Backblaze (also a TidBITS sponsor).
With Backblaze, backups are largely automatic and work seamlessly in the background, but the process of restoring files requires more attention. It's worth practicing these steps in advance so you can remain calm and work with assurance if you suffer a lost or corrupted file. And there's no need to wait for Friday the 13th to do it (see 'International Verify Your Backups Day,' 13 July 2018).
Get to the Starting Line
First, you need to log in to Backblaze and get to the point of selecting files:
- Click the Backblaze button in the menu bar and choose Restore Files.
- Your default Web browser opens to a Backblaze login page. Enter your credentials and click Sign In. If you have two-factor authentication enabled, enter that code as well, either from your authenticator app or SMS message.
- You're given three choices: Download Zip, USB Flash Drive, and USB Hard Drive. I cover only the first option here, and note that it's a bit of a misnomer because you don't need to download a Zip file if you want to restore only a few files. The other two options are essential if you need to restore so much data that the download would take days.Select Download Zip.(As an aside, the USB Hard Drive option is limited to 4 TB per drive, so if you want to back up an 8 TB drive to Backblaze, consider partitioning it into two 4 TB volumes to simplify asking for a restore drive containing all your files.)
- If you have a private encryption key, enter that in the field near the bottom of the page, scrolling if necessary to see it. Click Unlock.
A file browser appears on the bottom of the page that lets you select files to restore. It will likely take a couple of minutes to load your files, so be patient.
At the top of the interface, you can specify the computer and backup from which you wish to restore. Backblaze retains previous versions of files for up to 30 days, so if you need something other than the latest version of a file that hasn't been touched in a while, leave Files From pop-up menu set to Beginning of Backup and set the To menu to the date from which you wish to restore. Best free diagram software for mac. Click Go when you're done.
Backblaze Reinstall Windows
In the file browser itself, you can check Select All Files and Folders if you wish, but unless you have an absurdly fast Internet connection, you're probably better off having Backblaze send you a USB drive.
The file browser is largely self-explanatory. Click the expansion triangles to open folders and drill down to the files you wish to restore.
Restore a Single File
If you click a file's name, you see options for downloading or sharing it immediately, assuming it's smaller than 30 MB. Backblaze added this feature in 2017 in response to customer requests.
Click Download to download the file in your browser immediately. Clicking Share with Link instead exposes a text field containing a URL and a Copy button that copies the URL to your clipboard. Anyone with that link can download the file. See Backblaze's documentation for some of the trickier details about sharing files in this way, which involves its B2 cloud storage service.
Restore Multiple Files
If you need to restore an entire folder or more than a handful of files, you'll have to select the files in the browser and request a Zip file that takes time to prepare. But on the upside, you download all the files you need in one go.
In the file browser, indicate the files you want to restore by selecting their checkboxes. If you're restoring from multiple folders, note how the folders and subfolders highlight in the sidebar, showing where you've marked files to download.
Once you've selected the files you wish to restore, click Continue with Restore.
Developer: Backblaze | Official download link
Compatibility: Intel Mac, macOS 10.8 or later | Version: 7.0.1.450
Backblaze started in 2007 and went a long way to today's achievements. In 2014 Backblaze hit 100 Petabytes of storage with 30K hard drives, and 400 Petabytes were reached in 2014 (1 PB = 1024 TB). In 2015 they released B2 Cloud Storage allowing IT companies to build their own storage solutions. By 2020 Backblaze hit 1 Exabyte of files stored (1 EB = 1024 PB).
Trial. Backblaze offers a 10GB backup storage for 15 days. What even more impressive – unlimited upload speed, only affected by your Internet provider.
How to start? One has to register an account, then download and install the client.
Security. Backblaze provides data encryption that has to be decrypted with a private key (2048-bit RSA) and account credentials. For large files and large numbers of files a symmetric key is applied: the same key to encrypt and decrypt. All files on a Mac are encrypted in 128-bit AES and transferred over a SSL connection. The data is then stored in data centers with 24/7 staff with biometric security and redundant power.
In addition, Backblaze has a computer tracker on its website. The feature is called Locate My Computer, and it is similar to Apple's Find My Mac. To turn it on, log into the user account, click Locate My Computer, then Mapping is On. Also, check the information such as the last time your Mac was online, IP address.
UI and settings. The backup process starts in auto mode after you install and launch Backblaze. It is then integrated into macOS interface and settings (System Preferences > Backblaze Backup). Settings contain adjustable options: performance, schedule, exclusions, security, reports.
So, one can set a computer name, external storage device, reminders, wi-fi network blocklist; view data uploading speed, the amount of data saved daily, as well as configure automatic backups. In the Exclusions tab you can specify file formats to back up, for example, .mp3, .jpg. Your individual private key to decrypt data (Security tab) is vital, so be careful not to lose or forget it, otherwise no one will ever be able to make use of your backups.
Pricing. Backblaze offers a few subscription options: $6 per month, $60 per year, $110 for 2 years.
Pros
- automation option
- file versioning is up to 1 year, or lifetime
- private encryption key
Carbonite
Developer: Carbonite Inc. | Official download link
Compatibility: macOS 10.7 or later | Version: 2.7.1774
Carbonite started in 2005 and since then has gained over 1 million customers. Currently, the company employs over 1,000 workers and hosts 700 billion files. In 2017 Carbonite had acquired EVault and Double-Take software and began providing enterprise-tier solutions. In 2019 Carbonite was bought off by OpenText and became one of the leading data services.
Trial. Carbonite offers a 15-day trial with no limitations or restrictions.
How to start? Register an account on the official Carbonite site, download and install the application. During the installation, Let the app decide what to backup automatically, or set files and folders manually. Launch Carbonite from Applications.
Security. It begins with data encryption on a user device, then the 128-bit SSL for transferring, and ends up at a secure storage. Carbonite applies special tools for online banking transactions, i.e. Blowfish and Triple DES encryption. 24/7 staff at Carbonite go through biometric scanners with electric key cards.
UI and settings. Excellent cloud backup services for Mac have to check out exact characteristics, one of those is automation. The point is that a user doesn't have to do a thing, a program performs backups automatically, which is exactly what Carbonite does. Left menu hosts all the tools.
Pricing. Home plan for 1-3 users costs $6 per month. For 250GB, 25 computers and a central management dashboard get $24 monthly ready. 500GB starts at $50 per month. Every additional 100GB is $99.
Pros
- free support line, even in trial
- flexible pricing policy
- backup for large files
Cons
- only 250 or 500 GB cloud backup by default
- file versioning 30 days only
SpiderOak
Developer: SpiderOak Inc. | Official download link
Compatibility: macOS 10.9 or later | Version: 7.5.0
SpiderOak was founded in 2007, iIn 2013 the company began to develop a JavaScript framework where the server does not know what content it is storing ('zero-knowledge'). By mid 2014, SpiderOak gained over 1 million users, and in 2017 they've changed the direction towards enterprise software.
Trial. A 21-day trial version of the product with no other limitation.
How to start? Download SpiderOak, create the account with email and password, and that's it.
Security. Encrypted cloud storage with a key on a user side, so even SpiderOak employees can't access data. There are two types of encryption in use: 2048-bit RSA and 256-bit AES. The traffic goes through SSL/TLS. SpiderOak practices a 'No knowledge' software building principle, meaning backup contents are nobody's business.
UI and settings. The interface of this program may not be as simple to navigate as other cloud backup services for Mac, but it has a lot to offer. Dashboard informs about the latest actions, uploaded files, cloud backup size, authorized devices. Backup, view, rename, remove data, as well as synchronization over multiple devices (SpiderOak Hive folder), share files with other people.
Preferences comprise of password setting at program startup, disable SpiderOak on a device, exceptions for specific file formats, including size and date; scheduling, HTTP proxy settings, limiting bandwidth (max upload kb/second).
Pricing. Starting at $6 per month for 150GB, $11 for 400GB, and up to $14 for 2TB, $29 for 5TB.
Pros
- unlimited devices in all subscriptions
- adjustable backup exceptions
- zero-knowledge policy
SOS Online Backup
Developer: Infrascale Inc. | Official download link
Compatibility: macOS 10.9 or later | Version: 3.12.1
Sos Online Backup is a part of the Infrascale company, founded in 2011, with data centers in the USA, UK, Canada, Ukraine, India. Infrascale acquired Eversync Solutions in 2014 and began offering recovery, backup and archiving solutions. In 2017 Infrascale partnered with Google Cloud Platform for faster performance.
Trial. An unlimited 15 days of Home edition trial, and 30 days for Business.
How to start? Select a trial version, fill in the form, proceed to download it. Install and launch the application.
Security. A familiar data protection approach: UltraSafe 256-bit AES encryption, sending data over SSL connection, storage via a user-unique 256-bit AES protocol. Users can set a password for files and folders.
UI and settings. SOS interface is to the point, it only has two tabs: Backup and Recovery. Backup tab includes adding/removing folders, setting a schedule, adjusting email notifications. There'a also a peculiar option called 'Delete files from the cloud if they're deleted from the local computer, after X days'.
Pricing. There are a variety of paid plans, differing in storage size and billed monthly or annually. For instance, the starting point is at $5 monthly per 50 GB, in the middle we have $20 for 500GB, and the highest point is $300 monthly for 10TB.
Pros
- locate computer on a map
- flexible paid subscriptions
- triple encryption process
Acronis True Image
Developer: Acronis International GmbH | Official download link
Compatibility: macOS 10.10 or later | Version: 24.6
Acronis is a multi-faceted software vendor with lots of popular products in disk partitioning, boot load, backup, etc. To capture more market, in 2012 Acronis had acquired GroupLogic Inc., and focused more towards mobile software, including Apple products. Their cloud data centers are located in Japan, Singapour, USA, Germany, etc.
Trial. True Image trial is limited to 30 days and 1TB of cloud storage.
How to start? Download the latest version of Acronis True Image on the official page, install it. Select trial or Pro and register a user account.
Security. Acronis offers a triple-layer password protected AES 256-bit encryption. To make sure user data avoids unauthorized access, it encrypts a backup on a user computer, not on their side. Private encryption keys bring an extra security measure, but be extra careful not to forget it later on.
UI and settings. Everything one might need is on the left-side main menu. Backup – for selecting folders, files, hard drive to backup, destination (external device or Acronis Cloud). Click the Activity tab to view recent actions. Click Recovery to select the data to restore. Disk Cloning is for creating the same boot loading disk. Active Protection, enabled by default, acts against ransomware.
Acronis True Image has an excellent mobile application as well. Users can save photos, videos, contacts, calendars, etc. from a smartphone. One of the most impressive abilities of Acronis is system backup that includes OS version, applications, settings, configurations, drivers, files.
Pricing. There are three paid plans in total. One of those, Premium, will get you 1TB of cloud for $100/year per 1 device. Features that are available in all plans: cloud backup, Microsoft 365 backup, ransomware protection, disk cloning, full image backup.
Pros
- full system backup including OS, settings
- 30 days, 1TB trial
- private encryption password
- mobile app
Read next: 16 best backup software tools.
Latest
In category
The discontinuation of CrashPlan for Home on 22 October 2018 is coming soon (see 'CrashPlan Discontinues Consumer Backups,' 22 August 2017), so I've been receiving questions about how best to restore files from the Internet backup service we now recommend, Backblaze (also a TidBITS sponsor).
With Backblaze, backups are largely automatic and work seamlessly in the background, but the process of restoring files requires more attention. It's worth practicing these steps in advance so you can remain calm and work with assurance if you suffer a lost or corrupted file. And there's no need to wait for Friday the 13th to do it (see 'International Verify Your Backups Day,' 13 July 2018).
Get to the Starting Line
First, you need to log in to Backblaze and get to the point of selecting files:
- Click the Backblaze button in the menu bar and choose Restore Files.
- Your default Web browser opens to a Backblaze login page. Enter your credentials and click Sign In. If you have two-factor authentication enabled, enter that code as well, either from your authenticator app or SMS message.
- You're given three choices: Download Zip, USB Flash Drive, and USB Hard Drive. I cover only the first option here, and note that it's a bit of a misnomer because you don't need to download a Zip file if you want to restore only a few files. The other two options are essential if you need to restore so much data that the download would take days.Select Download Zip.(As an aside, the USB Hard Drive option is limited to 4 TB per drive, so if you want to back up an 8 TB drive to Backblaze, consider partitioning it into two 4 TB volumes to simplify asking for a restore drive containing all your files.)
- If you have a private encryption key, enter that in the field near the bottom of the page, scrolling if necessary to see it. Click Unlock.
A file browser appears on the bottom of the page that lets you select files to restore. It will likely take a couple of minutes to load your files, so be patient.
At the top of the interface, you can specify the computer and backup from which you wish to restore. Backblaze retains previous versions of files for up to 30 days, so if you need something other than the latest version of a file that hasn't been touched in a while, leave Files From pop-up menu set to Beginning of Backup and set the To menu to the date from which you wish to restore. Best free diagram software for mac. Click Go when you're done.
Backblaze Reinstall Windows
In the file browser itself, you can check Select All Files and Folders if you wish, but unless you have an absurdly fast Internet connection, you're probably better off having Backblaze send you a USB drive.
The file browser is largely self-explanatory. Click the expansion triangles to open folders and drill down to the files you wish to restore.
Restore a Single File
If you click a file's name, you see options for downloading or sharing it immediately, assuming it's smaller than 30 MB. Backblaze added this feature in 2017 in response to customer requests.
Click Download to download the file in your browser immediately. Clicking Share with Link instead exposes a text field containing a URL and a Copy button that copies the URL to your clipboard. Anyone with that link can download the file. See Backblaze's documentation for some of the trickier details about sharing files in this way, which involves its B2 cloud storage service.
Restore Multiple Files
If you need to restore an entire folder or more than a handful of files, you'll have to select the files in the browser and request a Zip file that takes time to prepare. But on the upside, you download all the files you need in one go.
In the file browser, indicate the files you want to restore by selecting their checkboxes. If you're restoring from multiple folders, note how the folders and subfolders highlight in the sidebar, showing where you've marked files to download.
Once you've selected the files you wish to restore, click Continue with Restore.
Now it's time to play the waiting game. Backblaze can take several minutes to assemble your backup archive, depending on how many files you've selected, the total size of those files, and the current server load. In my testing, it usually took ten minutes or less, even for a 24 GB restore.
Eventually, you will receive email telling you that your restore is ready. Click 'Sign in to download them' to go to the restore page. (Alternatively, you can access the restore page at any time by signing into your Backblaze account on the Web and clicking My Restores.)
Once you're there, click the Download button to get a Zip archive of the files you selected.
In case you find this process of requesting and downloading a Zip file confusing, I've made a video that should clarify it.
Since you're getting a Zip archive of the restored files, they won't be restored to the Finder locations where they came from. Double-click the archive to expand it, and then move the files manually back to their proper locations.
Backblaze Download
To download a particularly large Zip archive, use the Backblaze Downloader app, as it is more efficient and reliable than a Web browser. When your restore is ready to download, launch the app, enter your Backblaze credentials, select a local folder to receive the download, click Sign In to Start, select a restore, and click Sign In to Start again. Note that you cannot initiate a restore from the Backblaze Downloader, just download one you've already created.
Backblaze Download Mac
It's All about Restoring
I've been a paying Backblaze customer for several years now, and although I'm happy with the service, it could use a better restore experience.
Backblaze Mac Download
Ideally, Backblaze would provide a native Mac app for restoring that would eliminate the need for the browser interface, provide the download functionality of the Backblaze Downloader app, and offer the option of restoring files back to the locations from which they were backed up, much like Time Machine. That would eliminate the need to move files back to their original locations after restoring—not a big deal with a file or two, but a tedious task if you need to restore a large number of files and folders from all around your drive.
Backblaze Download Mac Torrent
Thankfully, I don't have to restore from Backblaze very often, and it's usually just a file or two when I do. But that's what an Internet backup service is ideal for most of the time—retrieving a small amount of data that has slipped through other levels of your backup strategy. Of course, it's also essential as a last line of off-site defense should your data disappear due to fire, flood, or theft.