Backing up your Mac is simple and important. We recommend it for everyone.
Back up with Time Machine
Lsat night my Mac Mini unexpectedly crashed. My screen went back and I could hear what I was listening to for maybe 5-10 more seconds, then it shut down. It did try to restart itself, but there were vertical bars across the screen and it would only load half way. Tried again, same thing. So my hard drive is kaput, I'd say. It will work with just about any storage device that you can mount to your Mac, including disk images, hard drives, SSDs, and USB flash drives. While it's still possible to create an exact copy (a clone) of any drive connected directly to your Mac, changes to Disk Utility have created extra steps when you use Disk Utility’s Restore function. Use this guide to replace the hard drive in your hard-drive-only or Fusion Drive Mac mini Late 2014. This guide was made with a Fusion Drive Mac mini. If your Mac mini only has a hard drive, skip the steps about the PCIe SSD and its connector. Rinbers Top Hard Disc Drive Flex Cable for Apple Mac Mini A1347 Server 2nd SSD HDD Upgrade Kit 821-1501-A 821-1347-A (2011-2014) with Tools 4.3 out of 5 stars 39. Only 3 left in stock - order soon. The Apple Mac mini 'Core i5' 2.5 (Late 2012/Aluminum Unibody) features a 22-nm 'Ivy Bridge' 2.5 GHz Intel 'Core i5' (3210M) processor with two independent processor 'cores' on a single chip, a 3 MB shared level 3 cache, 4 GB of 1600 MHz DDR3 SDRAM (PC3-12800) memory, a 500 GB hard drive, and Intel HD Graphics 4000 which shares system memory.
Time Machine is the built-in backup feature of your Mac. It’s a complete backup solution, but you can use other backup methods as well.
Create a backupStore files in iCloud
You can also use iCloud and iCloud Drive to store files, such as your photos, documents, and music.
Set up iCloud and iCloud DriveRestore your Mac from a backup
When you have a backup, you can use it to restore your files at any time, including after the original files are deleted from your Mac.
External Hard Drive Mac Mini
Restore from a backupPrepare your Mac for service
Making a backup is an important part of preparing your Mac for service, especially because some types of repair might require erasing or replacing your hard drive.
Get your Mac ready for serviceApple Mac Hard Drive
How much space do I need for a backup?
To see the size of a specific file or folder, click it once and then press Command-I. To see storage information about your Mac, click the Apple menu in the top-left of your screen. Choose About This Mac and click the Storage tab. For Time Machine backups, it's good to use a drive that has at least twice the storage capacity of your Mac.
Related topics
Free up storage on your Mac
macOS can save space by storing your content in the cloud. This isn't a backup, but it includes new tools to make it easier to find and remove large or unwanted files before you make a backup.
Use Optimized Storage in macOSErase or format a storage device
You can use Disk Utility if you need to erase or format a storage device.
Learn how to use Disk UtilitymacOS Community
If you can't back up your Mac
We'll find the best support options for you.
My hard drive failed on my Mac Mini 2011. I don't have a CD/DVD drive on it. How do I boot to the disk utility ore restore utility?
I downloaded and installed the mac remote boot on a thumb drive, using my wifes mac. I've tried rebooting my mac with the thumb drive in and nothing but grey screen. I tried by holding down the Command button, nothing but grey screen. I tried by holding down the Command+S, nothing but grey screen. I tried by holding down the Command+R, nothing but grey screen.
The hard drive is making a bunch of loud clicking noises.
If I buy a new drive and install it, how do I get the OS onto it and get it up and running, if the Command, Command+R do not work?
Mac mini (Mid 2011) What is apple os catalina.
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