Please Note: You need to setup subfolders the same way. It will only backup the files in the main folder you setup and not the subfolders underneath it. You need to set those folders up individually. Also, if you setup Automator on a folder already containing files it won't copy existing files in that folder. Only new files you copy to the folder are transferred since it only copies files from the time Automator was setup. Backup Your Data First and have fun but just remember that you need to setup all folders even subfolders.
Well, that doesn't work, easier to use an auto copy software than to do all folders and subfolders one by one, is there's away to copy the folder and all it's content directly?
Awesome video. I had no idea this already existed on my mac. I purchased and downloaded Hazel that pretty much does the same thing but the latest update is a paid one. Now that I've found this little gem that I already had makes my day! Thanks for posting this!!!
Thanks for the video, worked perfectly to an external drive. I've seen a couple of people ask this and so I just wanted to see if you had found a workflow for auto updating the folders if the external drive is unplugged. For example, if I unplug the external drive from a laptop and then so some work on a folder or file, when I come back and plug the drive back in, it would be great if there was an app that could compare the two folders and make sure they remain up to date. I can't seem to find anything that will do that.
Does this work from one hard drive to another? I have a hard drive I use for my photos. I use it to back up my LR content, so my catalogue & images go into that drive. I also have a back-up drive for that drive, i.e. I have that content on two drives. Can I use that so I can update the back-up drive?
Nice Video 👌 My next question is, if I add new files while the external drive is disconnected it can synchronized the new files when I connected again? Thanks
Is there a way to automate the copying of newly created folders? For example - If I create a new Logic X project in the 'Logic' sub folder on my mac, is there a way to automate the copying of that whole project and all the files within it, onto a back up hard drive? Many thanks for your help.
I have a few videos on Automator so I would search my channel for that word. It's been a little time since I did those but I would just go in and dabble with it as it can do most things and is easy to learn. I do think you should be able to do what you need there.
@@manullosa I ended up buying a monthly sub for dropbox. I now have my logic projects folder automatically backing up to the cloud as well as my exernal hard drive with a copy of everything. I'm in the UK, but it's about £95 for a years sub if you pay yearly.
I was really excited about this before I found out it doesn't automatically update/delete the files in the folder/subfodlers to keep it up to date. Is there anyway to do that?
I'll review. I'm sure you can make another rule on the other folder to delete in the original folder so it's like coding it in both directions. If I get some time I'll see what I can come up with. Thanks for watching Floob.
Thanks for this video, it works, but I wonder if is possible to create a task that saves any change into a specific file i.e. pages file we are working on.
I have not tried that but for sure give that a try. Automator is quite powerful and fun to fool around with. I'll let you know if I figure anything out on that.
Hey Craig, can you do this same method on an entire external drive being used as "the folder" ? So to copy that to a second external drive? Basically I'm trying to automate and do periodic up-to-date, no redundant files clones of an external drive to another external drive.
I would need to test that but I'm not sure to be honest. I would just try and see if you can program that or do a search on Google to see if it's been done. I'll let you know if I figure anything out.
I think with this plan it's only new files that are added so if you save the documents maybe save as with a new name. I would just test it out. My video was only a test to show people how to start using Automator so it only covers some basics. Just always backup data when using Automator etc. before trying things.
Does this work if I have a project file (like Final Cut, Logic, Photoshop, etc.) that I am currently working on and I make changes to it? Say I make a change to the project file and I save those changes to the original location, will those changes also be saved in the backup drive?
This was from a while ago and I didn't test that. I would just set this up as it takes a few minutes and test it all out. Thanks for watching and sorry I could not answer this for you.
Thanks and please note that you need to setup individual subfolders the same way. It will only backup the files in the folder you setup and not the subfolders underneath it. You need to set those up individually. Also, if you setup Automator on a folder already containing files it won't copy. I only copies new files that are moved into that folder from the time you setup the automator task, not on past files since the copy works only when the files are copied into the folder. Also, always backup your work before performing any tasks just in case you make a mistake.
Great video! Quick question, if I follow these steps, would the backup also work if I update a document that’s already in the original folder? Or does this only work for new drag and drops into the original? Thanks again!
I think it should work but with Automator setup a test always and test out what you want to do. With Automator you can make a mistake and delete things or move things maybe you didn't want to. I always setup the quick program and just test it and then try it with the normal stuff. Also backup as always.
Thanks Huw. Just note You need to setup individual subfolders the same way. It will only backup the files in the folder you setup and not the subfolders underneath it. You need to set those up individually. Also, if you setup Automator on a folder already containing files it won't copy. I only copies new files that are moved into that folder from the time you setup the automator task, not on past files since the copy works only when the files are copied into the folder. Also, always backup your work before performing any tasks just in case you make a mistake.
Nice video but I have a question- so I can’t let my external ssd be plugged in every time. So is it Possible when I plug-in my ssd it backs up my folder that I have chosen?
Hello Craig, what a great video! In combination with your external drive tutorials this is more than helpful! I think it is a fantastic idea to make a series about Automator. I've tried it out and it really copied everything from one folder to my new ssd external drive. Then I tried to backup my complete school-folder with many sub-folders in it. But this didn't work at all. I've experimented a lot and it seems that you have to do the procedure you showed in this video folder by folder. Is there any shortcut to this? You can imagine that it is a lot of work when you want to backup a giant folder which has been growing for years.... I certainly did recognize your desktop. Please let me know when you're planning to come here again.
Thanks for watching. Yes, you would need to setup folders individually and this is really for a new folder you setup where you drag files into it. See my post on the video (at the top) for a bit more info on this. I'll see if I can get around that and let you know.
Can it be done, that when i plug in the camera, it woule automatically copy the files and separate jpg and raw files to separate folders, all without touching any buttons, so automatic once i plug in the camera? Thanks
Sorry, I don't have time to try and program that out but I could be but normally it takes an action in order to start something in Automator. I would search on RUclips to see if somebody wrote a similar program and that could help for sure. Thanks for watching, I do appreciate that. Also, somebody can post here is they know for sure.
I'm not sure yet and would need to research it. Maybe search for a video on that and it could be out there but if I do a video on that I'll let you know.
Great video, but this didnt work for me. I followed your steps and I watched the video more than once to make sure I didnt miss anything and it still doesn't work. Any suggestions? Thanks
I have not heard that before so not sure. It would be hard to trouble shoot without a bunch of info but I was on Mojave when performing these tasks. I have yet to test on Big Sur but not sure if that could be a difference. I just don't think that would have caused it. Thanks again for supporting the channel and let me know if you figure anything out.
I'm not sure I understand the question. I think this video shows that but I guess I'm not sure what you are asking 100%. Yes, you can auto copy to an external drive or any folder using the same process if that helps.
@@craigneidel Sorry for not being clear. I meant instead of a folder, the source destination and target destinations are both the top level directory in two hard drives. I think you've answered the question, thank you.
This works great, but it doesn't work with sub folders. If you were to have a folder such as "pictures" nested in your "Important Files" folder, and add a file to the "pictures" folder, automator will not recognize that something has been added to that. Setting up additional automator tasks for every folder you continue to make would be inconvenient. Is there a way around this?
The video was just a quick tutorial on how to get people using Automator. There are going to be other ways to program things using it etc. and the video is just a start. Thanks for sharing this info for the viewers etc. I would need to look into that but I'm sure there is a way to program that. Did you find any video on that topic on RUclips.
Thanks. Just note you need to setup individual subfolders the same way. It will only backup the files in the folder you setup and not the subfolders underneath it. You need to set those up individually. Also, if you setup Automator on a folder already containing files it won't copy. I only copies new files that are moved into that folder from the time you setup the automator task, not on past files since the copy works only when the files are copied into the folder. Also, always backup your work before performing any tasks just in case you make a mistake.
Nice video, but you forgot to zoom in the important area of your screen. 😂 From a tablet, we don’t see much anything. So, it’s just a bit more than an audio recording. I hope next time you’ll do a better job at recording.
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
Please Note: You need to setup subfolders the same way. It will only backup the files in the main folder you setup and not the subfolders underneath it. You need to set those folders up individually. Also, if you setup Automator on a folder already containing files it won't copy existing files in that folder. Only new files you copy to the folder are transferred since it only copies files from the time Automator was setup. Backup Your Data First and have fun but just remember that you need to setup all folders even subfolders.
Well, that doesn't work, easier to use an auto copy software than to do all folders and subfolders one by one, is there's away to copy the folder and all it's content directly?
Please continue with Automator videos, just what I need.
I may make a few more in the future but just not sure when. Thanks for watching.
Awesome video. I had no idea this already existed on my mac. I purchased and downloaded Hazel that pretty much does the same thing but the latest update is a paid one. Now that I've found this little gem that I already had makes my day! Thanks for posting this!!!
Thanks Latrice. I hope it helps and thanks for watching.
This is AWESOME Thank you so much!! I've been looking for something like this for a while :)
Thanks for watching
Thanks for the video, worked perfectly to an external drive. I've seen a couple of people ask this and so I just wanted to see if you had found a workflow for auto updating the folders if the external drive is unplugged. For example, if I unplug the external drive from a laptop and then so some work on a folder or file, when I come back and plug the drive back in, it would be great if there was an app that could compare the two folders and make sure they remain up to date. I can't seem to find anything that will do that.
Thanks for watching. I think there is something out there to do that and I'll let you know if I can find it. It's been a while so I need to research.
Hi Craig, Great video, well presented and easy to follow. I would like to know if it is possible for Automator to copy files to a folder on a NAS.
Yes, it should be as the nas shows up as a drive. Sorry for the late response but I missed a few questions and cleaning them up now.
Does this work from one hard drive to another? I have a hard drive I use for my photos. I use it to back up my LR content, so my catalogue & images go into that drive. I also have a back-up drive for that drive, i.e. I have that content on two drives. Can I use that so I can update the back-up drive?
I think you can just pick a folder on the desktop it it routes to the external drive.
Nice Video 👌
My next question is, if I add new files while the external drive is disconnected it can synchronized the new files when I connected again? Thanks
I think it would error out as it needs to be connected.
Is there a way to automate the copying of newly created folders? For example - If I create a new Logic X project in the 'Logic' sub folder on my mac, is there a way to automate the copying of that whole project and all the files within it, onto a back up hard drive? Many thanks for your help.
I have a few videos on Automator so I would search my channel for that word. It's been a little time since I did those but I would just go in and dabble with it as it can do most things and is easy to learn. I do think you should be able to do what you need there.
I need this function for my Logic Pro folder too! Let me know if you find the way!!
@@craigneidel Thanks Craig.
@@manullosa I ended up buying a monthly sub for dropbox. I now have my logic projects folder automatically backing up to the cloud as well as my exernal hard drive with a copy of everything. I'm in the UK, but it's about £95 for a years sub if you pay yearly.
@@gezma12 thanks for the tip! But have you found a way to automatically sync your logic proyects folder to an external drive??
I was really excited about this before I found out it doesn't automatically update/delete the files in the folder/subfodlers to keep it up to date. Is there anyway to do that?
I'll review. I'm sure you can make another rule on the other folder to delete in the original folder so it's like coding it in both directions. If I get some time I'll see what I can come up with. Thanks for watching Floob.
Thanks for this video, it works, but I wonder if is possible to create a task that saves any change into a specific file i.e. pages file we are working on.
I have not tried that but for sure give that a try. Automator is quite powerful and fun to fool around with. I'll let you know if I figure anything out on that.
@@craigneidel thank you very much for your answer, I'll wait for news.
Hey Craig, can you do this same method on an entire external drive being used as "the folder" ? So to copy that to a second external drive?
Basically I'm trying to automate and do periodic up-to-date, no redundant files clones of an external drive to another external drive.
I would need to test that but I'm not sure to be honest. I would just try and see if you can program that or do a search on Google to see if it's been done. I'll let you know if I figure anything out.
@@craigneidel Thank you :)
Welcome
Great video! Just wonder if it backups everytime I save a document I'm working on? Thanks!
I think with this plan it's only new files that are added so if you save the documents maybe save as with a new name. I would just test it out. My video was only a test to show people how to start using Automator so it only covers some basics. Just always backup data when using Automator etc. before trying things.
@@craigneidel Ok, thanks!
Welcome.
Does this work if I have a project file (like Final Cut, Logic, Photoshop, etc.) that I am currently working on and I make changes to it? Say I make a change to the project file and I save those changes to the original location, will those changes also be saved in the backup drive?
This was from a while ago and I didn't test that. I would just set this up as it takes a few minutes and test it all out. Thanks for watching and sorry I could not answer this for you.
Great tutorial Craig. Stay save and healthy.
Thanks and please note that you need to setup individual subfolders the same way. It will only backup the files in the folder you setup and not the subfolders underneath it. You need to set those up individually. Also, if you setup Automator on a folder already containing files it won't copy. I only copies new files that are moved into that folder from the time you setup the automator task, not on past files since the copy works only when the files are copied into the folder. Also, always backup your work before performing any tasks just in case you make a mistake.
Great video! Quick question, if I follow these steps, would the backup also work if I update a document that’s already in the original folder? Or does this only work for new drag and drops into the original? Thanks again!
I think it should work but with Automator setup a test always and test out what you want to do. With Automator you can make a mistake and delete things or move things maybe you didn't want to. I always setup the quick program and just test it and then try it with the normal stuff. Also backup as always.
Nice tutorial man! Really useful and time-saving👍🏻
Thanks. I'm glad it helped and thanks for feedback.
Thanks Craig - Happy New Year when it comes!
Thanks Huw. Just note You need to setup individual subfolders the same way. It will only backup the files in the folder you setup and not the subfolders underneath it. You need to set those up individually. Also, if you setup Automator on a folder already containing files it won't copy. I only copies new files that are moved into that folder from the time you setup the automator task, not on past files since the copy works only when the files are copied into the folder. Also, always backup your work before performing any tasks just in case you make a mistake.
God bless you Craig. Thank you so much for your content!!
Thanks for the nice words and for watching.
So how do I copy a file moved into Desktop Folder to my NAS Share Folder?
Hi, is there way I can have my Mac automatically backup as soon as I connect to a dedicated network?
I tend to use time machine but there could be software out there that does that. I just haven't used something like that before.
Nice video but I have a question- so I can’t let my external ssd be plugged in every time. So is it Possible when I plug-in my ssd it backs up my folder that I have chosen?
I have not tried that yet but will let you know if I determine it's possible. You might want to do a Google search on that one to get started.
@@craigneidel Thanks!!!!
Thank you for the very helpful and easy to follow Video!
Welcome. Thanks
This is great, but when I add content inside sub-folders, it does not seem to copy those over...any suggestions?
Hello Craig, what a great video! In combination with your external drive tutorials this is more than helpful! I think it is a fantastic idea to make a series about Automator. I've tried it out and it really copied everything from one folder to my new ssd external drive. Then I tried to backup my complete school-folder with many sub-folders in it. But this didn't work at all. I've experimented a lot and it seems that you have to do the procedure you showed in this video folder by folder. Is there any shortcut to this? You can imagine that it is a lot of work when you want to backup a giant folder which has been growing for years....
I certainly did recognize your desktop. Please let me know when you're planning to come here again.
Thanks for watching. Yes, you would need to setup folders individually and this is really for a new folder you setup where you drag files into it. See my post on the video (at the top) for a bit more info on this. I'll see if I can get around that and let you know.
@@craigneidel Thank you!
Can it be done, that when i plug in the camera, it woule automatically copy the files and separate jpg and raw files to separate folders, all without touching any buttons, so automatic once i plug in the camera? Thanks
Sorry, I don't have time to try and program that out but I could be but normally it takes an action in order to start something in Automator. I would search on RUclips to see if somebody wrote a similar program and that could help for sure. Thanks for watching, I do appreciate that. Also, somebody can post here is they know for sure.
Hi, How to do incremental backup using Automator (to do continues backup for modified files), is that possible?
I'm not sure yet and would need to research it. Maybe search for a video on that and it could be out there but if I do a video on that I'll let you know.
Will I be able to copy a folder from one drive to another drive automatically?
is this suitable for outlook?
Not sure exactly what you are asking but just try Automator and run some tests. It's fun to use.
Great video, but this didnt work for me. I followed your steps and I watched the video more than once to make sure I didnt miss anything and it still doesn't work. Any suggestions? Thanks
I have not heard that before so not sure. It would be hard to trouble shoot without a bunch of info but I was on Mojave when performing these tasks. I have yet to test on Big Sur but not sure if that could be a difference. I just don't think that would have caused it. Thanks again for supporting the channel and let me know if you figure anything out.
@@craigneidel Ill keep trying to fix it. If I figure it out, Ill let you know. Thanks for the reply. Have a great day.
Absolutely awesome
Thanks for watching.
Question: can you set the folder that's copied *as* an ext HDD? As in, automatically copy items from one to another?
I'm not sure I understand the question. I think this video shows that but I guess I'm not sure what you are asking 100%. Yes, you can auto copy to an external drive or any folder using the same process if that helps.
@@craigneidel Sorry for not being clear. I meant instead of a folder, the source destination and target destinations are both the top level directory in two hard drives. I think you've answered the question, thank you.
@@craigneidel What happens if you later remove the source file at the original location? Will it be deleted from the backup?
If your harddrive is not plug in and you put files in folder? Will it copy when you plug in your drive?
I think it needs to be in place when you do it.
This works great, but it doesn't work with sub folders. If you were to have a folder such as "pictures" nested in your "Important Files" folder, and add a file to the "pictures" folder, automator will not recognize that something has been added to that. Setting up additional automator tasks for every folder you continue to make would be inconvenient. Is there a way around this?
The video was just a quick tutorial on how to get people using Automator. There are going to be other ways to program things using it etc. and the video is just a start. Thanks for sharing this info for the viewers etc. I would need to look into that but I'm sure there is a way to program that. Did you find any video on that topic on RUclips.
Thank you, awesome video!
Thanks for watching and the nice words Confia Music.
Awesome 🤩
You can do quite a bit with Automator.
Of course, we will benefit from you@@craigneidel
Thanks.
Thank you!!!!
Thanks for watching.
Can i create an automator app and sell it to public?/
And how to make that when something is deleted on the mac, it is also deleted in the backup?
I've tried and that can't be done
I would need to look into that and if I figure it out can do an update.
@@craigneidel Thanks
script rsync + automator
Great. 😄
Thanks. Just note you need to setup individual subfolders the same way. It will only backup the files in the folder you setup and not the subfolders underneath it. You need to set those up individually. Also, if you setup Automator on a folder already containing files it won't copy. I only copies new files that are moved into that folder from the time you setup the automator task, not on past files since the copy works only when the files are copied into the folder. Also, always backup your work before performing any tasks just in case you make a mistake.
brilliant
Thank you.
Nice video, but you forgot to zoom in the important area of your screen. 😂 From a tablet, we don’t see much anything. So, it’s just a bit more than an audio recording. I hope next time you’ll do a better job at recording.
Ok, thank you.