Technical guide

How to automatically back up a folder on Mac

An automatic backup is a policy plus a background execution path. Choosing a time is easy; reliable automation also depends on macOS approval, folder access, power, network and storage availability, credentials, and visible failure reporting.

Last technically reviewed: July 10, 2026.

Scope and disclosure. Azivault includes scheduled selected-folder backups through a bundled login-item helper. This guide documents the real scheduling boundaries and does not promise execution while a Mac is powered off or disconnected from its destination.

The short version

System-managed: choose an hourly, daily, or weekly cadence and allow macOS to choose the precise background opportunity.
Exact time: choose a preferred time; the helper treats an overdue plan as due when it can evaluate it again.
Main app can close: the Azivault Scheduler helper owns due-run execution and the menu-bar status item.
Automation needs testing: close the app, let a due run execute, then restore a file from that completed run.

Choose the folder and recovery objective

Select the authoritative folder whose loss matters. Decide how much recent work you can afford to lose: an hour, a day, or a week. That recovery-point objective should determine the cadence.

Azivault plans protect one selected source folder. Use separate plans only when folders need meaningfully different schedules, destinations, or source-file policies.

System-managed and exact-time schedules

Azivault supports system-managed and exact-time modes. System-managed schedules express an hourly, daily, or weekly cadence through macOS background scheduling; macOS chooses the precise execution opportunity. Exact-time schedules use a requested time and a helper timer while the process is available.

Neither mode turns a sleeping, powered-off, logged-out, or disconnected Mac into an always-on server. If the helper launches after a missed due time, stored plan policy treats the plan as overdue and still due rather than silently advancing it without work.

The main Azivault window does not need to stay open. A bundled sandboxed login-item helper named Azivault Scheduler owns the persistent menu-bar status item and scheduled execution. macOS may require the user to approve that background item in System Settings.

Disabling or rejecting the helper prevents it from running due backups. Existing repositories remain restorable; background execution and restore access are separate concerns.

Folder permissions and credentials

Sandboxed background work cannot rely on remembering a path string. New plans save separate scheduler security-scoped bookmarks for user-selected source and folder destinations. Repository keys and S3 credentials needed by the helper use a shared Data Protection Keychain access group.

If a folder moves, a disk is reformatted, permissions change, or a bookmark becomes invalid, reconnect the location. The helper does not fall back to unapproved direct path access.

External disks, NAS, and S3 behave differently

An external destination must be attached and mounted. A network share must be reachable with valid access. S3-compatible backup needs network availability, provider credentials, correct endpoint and region settings, and an active provider account.

A missed destination is not evidence that the schedule itself is broken. The useful diagnostic distinguishes not-due, blocked, unavailable storage, invalid access, inactive billing, and an actual backup failure.

Cloud-only files can block unattended completeness

When a selected folder contains dataless placeholders, downloading changed content depends on the file-provider process in the logged-in user session. At the login window, the provider may be unable to materialize bytes even though the scheduler can evaluate the plan.

Choose whether cloud-only files should be reported, skipped, or downloaded when changed. Do not call a plan independently complete if its policy intentionally skips remote-only content.

Subscription and power policy

The helper refreshes subscription state before starting due work. An expired trial or subscription blocks new runs, including Run Now, while existing backup restore remains available. Temporary StoreKit uncertainty can use verified cached access within its expiry and grace rules.

A laptop may also need power or sufficient battery under the configured policy. Automatic backup should avoid surprising battery consumption while still making blocked decisions visible.

Verify the automation end to end

Approve the helper, close the main app, make a small change, and let a due schedule run. Confirm the menu-bar status and recent activity show a completed run. Then reveal that run in Finder and restore the changed file into a temporary folder.

Repeat after changing the source, destination, provider credentials, or schedule. Alerting and logs are useful, but a restore proves that permissions, execution, repository commit, encryption, and recovery all worked together.

FAQs

Can Azivault run when the main app is closed?

Yes. The approved Azivault Scheduler login-item helper can run due plans while the main UI is closed.

Will an exact-time backup always start at the exact minute?

No. macOS process availability, sleep, power, login state, permissions, network, and storage can delay execution. An overdue plan remains due when evaluated again.

Can a scheduled backup run while the Mac is powered off?

No. The Mac and required storage or network services must be available.

Do scheduled backups continue after a subscription expires?

New scheduled and manual backup runs require active access. Existing backups remain available for restore.