First time mac user.. backup included apps?

[kofman13]

Just got a apple certified refurbished 2015 rMBP and loving it. it came with el capitan. I want to do a clean install of sierra. How do i backup the apps that came with my mac? (imovie, pages, numbers, etc etc)
Coming from using windows my whole life, app installations in windows is more complicated and you cant simply always drag an app folder to a hard drive to back it up but so far with macOS, the apps just seem to sit in the application folder, there is no hidden files.
Do i simply drag all the apps i want to backup from the application folder to a backup location and drag them back into application folder after a fresh install? or is there more to it?

 

[chscag]

If you purchased an Apple refurbished 2015 MBP from Apple, why would you need to do a clean install of Sierra? I can understand if you purchased the machine from someone - not Apple - then a clean install makes sense. There really is no need to do a clean install, just install Sierra over El Capitan. All your apps and whatever documents and data you generated with El Capitan will be preserved.

 

[DeltaMac]

There's no need to backup the apps that came pre-installed on your new Mac.
Those kind of apps would be listed in your App Store, under the Purchased tab.
And, your Mac knows who you are (your AppleID).
So, you can clean install macOS. Set up with the same AppleID that you used for first use.
Additional apps will appear in your App Store.
This article will explain further.

 

[kofman13]

If you purchased an Apple refurbished 2015 MBP from Apple, why would you need to do a clean install of Sierra? I can understand if you purchased the machine from someone - not Apple - then a clean install makes sense. There really is no need to do a clean install, just install Sierra over El Capitan. All your apps and whatever documents and data you generated with El Capitan will be preserved.

isn't it always better to do a fresh install of an OS rather than an upgrade? smoother and faster. At least it was the case with windows and my iphone. Also another reason i wanted to backup the iWork suite was for future use, i dont need them now so i could delete for more space and then selectively bring back one of the apps if i need

 

[chscag]

OS X is not Windows. And as "DeltaMac" indicated the iWork suite (now just known as Pages, Numbers, and Keynote) will always be available to you from the Mac App Store. Those three apps take up very little space and unless you have a very small SSD on that 2015 MBP there really is no need to remove them or anything else for that matter. I suggest going ahead and install Sierra over the top of El Capitan and use your machine that way for awhile. You won't notice any difference.

 

[kofman13]

OS X is not Windows. And as "DeltaMac" indicated the iWork suite (now just known as Pages, Numbers, and Keynote) will always be available to you from the Mac App Store. Those three apps take up very little space and unless you have a very small SSD on that 2015 MBP there really is no need to remove them or anything else for that matter. I suggest going ahead and install Sierra over the top of El Capitan and use your machine that way for awhile. You won't notice any difference.

awesome, and yes i just noticed that they are now added to my apple ID account so i can redownload them later. purchase date is when i booted up the new macbook today

 

[DeltaMac]

Just started today?
Then, unless you loaded a large pile of junk from a backup, then there's almost no reason to upgrade to Sierra clean, as you are pretty much as clean as you can get already. (Unless you simply want to do that clean install, there's no compelling reason a brand new system would need a clean install, unless you have already made what you consider a bad decision by installing something that you absolutely need to clear off to the walls.
Try not to refer to your system as a refurb, thinking that means there's software left from the original purchaser. That just won't happen! Apple would blow anything installed out with factory wipe/install of original load, or perhaps simply swapping in a different SSD as part of the inspection process that they do. That would save time when a wipe/install has already been completed on the drive before it is even inside your Mac.