It’s important to back up your Mac regularly to keep your files safe. You can back up your apps, accounts, settings, music, photos, movies, and documents using Time Machine, which is built into your Mac. Time Machine doesn’t back up the macOS operating system.
Decide where you want to back up your files. Time Machine can back up to an external storage device connected to your MacBook Pro, as well as other supported storage devices. For a list of devices supported by Time Machine, see the Apple Support article Backup disks you can use with Time Machine.
Set up Time Machine. Before you begin, consult the documentation that came with your storage device, and make sure your MacBook Pro is on the same Wi-Fi network as your external storage device, or connect the external storage device to your MacBook Pro with a cable, using an appropriate adapter if necessary (see Adapters for your MacBook Pro). Open System Settings, click General > Time Machine, then click Add Backup Disk. Select the drive you want to use for backup, and you’re all set.
Restore your files. You can use Time Machine to restore your files, and choose to restore only some files or all of them at once. Click the Time Machine icon in the menu bar, then choose “Browse Time Machine backups.” Select one or more items that you want to restore (individual folders or your entire disk), then click Restore.
Note: If the Time Machine icon isn’t in the menu bar, choose Apple Menu > System Settings, then click Control Center in the sidebar. Click the pop-up menu next to Time Machine, then choose Show in Menu Bar.
(This how-to is based on my experiences and info on Apple’s support pages — where the images come from.)
