Copies what Finder misses
Permissions, ownership, symlinks, special files and sparse files come across intact, so the copy behaves like the original.
Free backup utility
Mac Backup Guru
Free backup software for macOS: incremental snapshots, direct clones, and scheduled backups — no subscription, no account.
- APFS and HFS+ clones of your apps, settings, and data
- Incremental snapshots with smart pruning to save space
- Scheduled backups that wait for your disk and notify you of the result
Why people rely on Mac Backup Guru
Weeks of history, minimal space
Hard-links reuse unchanged files, letting you keep dozens of restore points on a single SSD while still browsing them like full clones.
Set it and forget it
Schedule a backup and walk away. If the destination disk isn’t connected, the job waits and starts the moment you plug it in—then a notification reports the result.
What’s new in version 7.2.0
Released 30 July 2026. Mac Backup Guru is actively developed; this is the current release.
- Now a universal app: runs natively on Apple silicon and Intel Macs.
- New Full Disk Access setup: the app detects missing or stale permission, walks you through granting it, and continues automatically once granted.
- Scheduled backups no longer launch the app at login when the backup disk isn’t connected — the backup starts as soon as the disk is plugged in.
- Clearer backup-failure messages, including detection of network drives (NAS) that drop out mid-backup.
- Notifications now report the result of scheduled and unattended backups.
- Extra data-safety checks on the copy path and more robust failure handling.
- Requires macOS 15 (Sequoia) or later.
Bootable backups on modern macOS
Bootable copies are still possible, but Apple’s Signed System Volume changed the rules: cloning alone no longer produces a bootable disk, because Apple only trusts a system volume written by its own installer. The dependable route is to install macOS onto the external drive first (Install Disk Creator helps here), then bring your apps, settings, and documents across with Mac Backup Guru. Follow the step-by-step bootable backup guide — last reviewed June 2026.
Inside Mac Backup Guru
Mac Backup Guru creates clones and incremental snapshots. The original guides are still available: the quick visual guide, the full product manual, and the archived comparison of the Mac App Store and full website editions. The latest build is always MacBackupGuru.zip.
Direct cloning
Create a byte-for-byte copy of any volume. The engine handles very large volumes, complex ACLs, and system files that Finder copies usually miss. For a copy you can boot from on modern macOS, follow the installer-first workflow.
Synchronisation
Update an existing clone in a fraction of the time. Only the files that changed are written, and anything else on the destination disk stays untouched.
Incremental snapshots
Snapshots behave like full clones but reuse unchanged files with hard links. A 500 GB source can keep months of restore points on a 2 TB drive while each run only adds the data that changed.
Frequently asked
- Is Mac Backup Guru really free?
- Yes. The full app is free — every feature, no trial period, no subscription, and no locked “pro” tier.
- Can I back up while I’m using my Mac?
- Yes. Clones and snapshots run in the background while you keep working.
- Will scheduled jobs run if the app is closed?
- Yes. The first time you open Mac Backup Guru it registers a small helper as a login item. The helper watches the clock and the mounted disks and opens Mac Backup Guru when a scheduled backup is due; it does nothing else.
- What happens if the destination drive is offline?
- The job runs automatically the moment the drive reconnects, and you’ll see a notification that a backup is waiting.
- Can I back up to a NAS or other network drive?
- Yes, though a directly attached SSD is the more dependable home for your primary backup. Network drives can drop out mid-backup; when that happens, Mac Backup Guru detects it and tells you exactly what failed rather than reporting a bad backup as successful.
- How do I restore a backup?
- Clone from the backup back to your working drive. Pick any clone or snapshot as the source and write it to the volume you want to restore.
- How is this different from Time Machine?
- You choose what to back up, where it lives, and how long snapshots stick around. You can browse backups in Finder, delete what you no longer need, and the run finishes dramatically faster on large datasets.
Tip: Only the newest completed snapshot has to stick around. Prune older snapshots manually or set the retention count so Mac Backup Guru deletes the oldest copies automatically after each run.
Download & uninstall
- Download: MacBackupGuru.zip
- Price: Free — the full app, no subscription, no trial.
- Requirements: macOS 15 (Sequoia) or newer · Universal for Apple silicon and Intel
- Uninstall: Turn off any scheduled backups in the app, then drag Mac Backup Guru from Applications to the Trash. The login-item helper lives inside the app bundle, so it goes with it.
Questions about your backup workflow?
Share your setup, source drives, and any gotchas. We’ll help you tune the schedule, snapshot retention, or cloning strategy.