Disk Imaging/Cloning software for MacOs? (Disk Utility is terrible)

[kofman13]

Hey all. For most of my backup needs I’ve used Macrium Reflect on windows which is AMAZING. First off the personal use version is free and the basic features in this version are fine for me. It does amazing compression ratios, its super fast, it can make its own format of images that are read/write and mount very quickly in windows.


But recently I use my 2019 MacBook Pro Touch Bar more than my pc and I’d rather not have to turn on my windows computer every time I want to clone backup my drives once a month or whatever I do. Several people recommended the native Disk Utility in macOS to do backup/cloning and I found it to be horrible. I tested making an image of 16GB flash drive in disk utility. Not only did it take a whopping 22 minutes at 13 mb/s, it made a 16GB image even though only 2 GB is used. Macrium reflect in windows would have taken maybe 2 minutes at a MUCH faster output speed and it would only make an image from the data USED (2 GB), and on top of that it would compress it with a REALLY good ratio so it would have been like a 1.6 GB image done in 2 minutes instead of a 16gb image done in 23 minutes in disk utility on Mac.


Is there a good third party app for macOS that can do what I do in windows?

 

[Fishrrman]

CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper.

Both offer 30 day free trials.

SD will run FOREVER in "full clone mode" (but to do incremental backups, you have to register)

'Nuff said on this subject !!

 

[kofman13]

CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper.

Both offer 30 day free trials.

SD will run FOREVER in "full clone mode" (but to do incremental backups, you have to register)

'Nuff said on this subject !!

will superduper make an image only based on USED space? (2gb used on 16GB yielding ~2GB image instead of full 16GB image?)

 

[chown33]

If you're making disk-images with DiskUtility, then the type of disk-image file makes a big difference. There should be a popup menu for "Image format" when you create the disk-image.

Create a disk image using Disk Utility on Mac

Use Disk Utility on your Mac to create a disk image.

support.apple.com

For example, a sparsebundle or sparseimage type will be smaller than other types.

Also, you can convert any disk-image to compressed read-only, which will make it as small as possible. I've done this on some sparseimages, and it makes a notable difference.

Convert a disk image to another format using Disk Utility on Mac

Use Disk Utility on your Mac to convert a disk image to another image format.

support.apple.com

 

[kofman13]

CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper.

Both offer 30 day free trials.

SD will run FOREVER in "full clone mode" (but to do incremental backups, you have to register)

'Nuff said on this subject !!

i just got the trial for CCC and im a little confused. i want to image a 16GB thumb drive to a 2TB portable drive, but when i choose these source/destination, it gives me a "clone button". does that mean its going to erase my entire 2 TB portable drive and try to clone the entire 16GB thumb drive to the portable? all i want to do is make an image of my thumb drive and other small drives to store on a larger backup drive

 

[Plutonius]

Hey all. For most of my backup needs I’ve used Macrium Reflect on windows which is AMAZING. First off the personal use version is free and the basic features in this version are fine for me. It does amazing compression ratios, its super fast, it can make its own format of images that are read/write and mount very quickly in windows.


But recently I use my 2019 MacBook Pro Touch Bar more than my pc and I’d rather not have to turn on my windows computer every time I want to clone backup my drives once a month or whatever I do. Several people recommended the native Disk Utility in macOS to do backup/cloning and I found it to be horrible. I tested making an image of 16GB flash drive in disk utility. Not only did it take a whopping 22 minutes at 13 mb/s, it made a 16GB image even though only 2 GB is used. Macrium reflect in windows would have taken maybe 2 minutes at a MUCH faster output speed and it would only make an image from the data USED (2 GB), and on top of that it would compress it with a REALLY good ratio so it would have been like a 1.6 GB image done in 2 minutes instead of a 16gb image done in 23 minutes in disk utility on Mac.


Is there a good third party app for macOS that can do what I do in windows?

What is wrong with Apple's Time Machine for backups ?

 

[kofman13]

What is wrong with Apple's Time Machine for backups ?

most of my backups are of external archive drives and thumb drives, not my main boot

 

[Plutonius]

most of my backups are of external archive drives and thumb drives, not my main boot

Do you use Time Machine to backup your main drive ?

If so, you might be able to include your external drives in the Time Machine backup.

That being said, I'm not sure the best way to backup your external drives.

 

[Fishrrman]

OP:

From what you wrote above in replies 5 and 7, you sound like you DON'T want "cloning software".
"Cloning" and creating disk images are two entirely different things altogether.

 

[kofman13]

OP:

From what you wrote above in replies 5 and 7, you sound like you DON'T want "cloning software".
"Cloning" and creating disk images are two entirely different things altogether.

i just want to make compressed backups of external archive drives lol

 

[Brian33]

i just got the trial for CCC and im a little confused. i want to image a 16GB thumb drive to a 2TB portable drive, but when i choose these source/destination, it gives me a "clone button". does that mean its going to erase my entire 2 TB portable drive and try to clone the entire 16GB thumb drive to the portable? all i want to do is make an image of my thumb drive and other small drives to store on a larger backup drive

If you chose your 2TB drive itself as the destination, yes, it would replace its current contents with a copy of the 16GB thumb drive -- but there would be a big warning box first!

For destination, you probably want to choose "New Disk Image" (or maybe "Choose a folder"). It will open a window that allows you to place the new disk image file onto your 2TB portable drive. You can put many disk image files onto that drive. The only compression feature I know of is at the bottom of the "New disk image" window where you can choose Image Format "Read-only compressed disk image". I've never used that option.

I highly recommend CCC. I've used it for many years. The reliability of the software and the quality and knowledge of the tech support are truly outstanding.
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Reading your original post more carefully, I wondering if it might be easier just to put your flash drive contents into .zip files...