I am keeping copies of my documents on another drive, separate from my Time Machine backup. However, every few days I want to update the backup drive with changes made to my documents. I don't need a full backup software package as I just want to keep my documents folder updated on the second drive. Does macOS update changes to the newest version when copying files or is there a way to sync my documents to a second location to keep the current without having to purchase something like Carbon Copy Cloner?
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Best way to update files in a backup location?
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rsync is perfect for this, and it is included with the OS install. It takes some configuration to get it running though.
There are GUI front ends for rsync which can make setting up a tad easier.
https://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/56516/rsyncosx
As Time machine makes just a copy of your files, why not using time machine on both external drives.
It will simply alternate between the two without the need for further intervention.
BTW, this is what I do, as well as having a copy of all my important data on OneDrive.
Alternatively, there are data synchronisation apps out there that will keep two (or more) folders (or entire drives) synchronised.
I have been using (and I still do) an open-source package called FreeFileSync and it works just fine and it is updated regularly.
Finally, MacOS has a built in utility called rsync that can do the job if you are willing to tinker with command line and Automator.
It will simply alternate between the two without the need for further intervention.
BTW, this is what I do, as well as having a copy of all my important data on OneDrive.
Alternatively, there are data synchronisation apps out there that will keep two (or more) folders (or entire drives) synchronised.
I have been using (and I still do) an open-source package called FreeFileSync and it works just fine and it is updated regularly.
Finally, MacOS has a built in utility called rsync that can do the job if you are willing to tinker with command line and Automator.