Need to fresh install Catalina on MacBook Pro -- NOT reinstall

[Cmulder]

Ok so I am having permission issues I've tried everything to fix just won't fix--other glitches as well and the hard drive getting close to being filled up. Its been 6 years since purchase so I think its a good idea to just fresh install and then copy back over photographs, documents and things I really need. So the question is the best way to do that. I'm not real concerned about the software as it all comes from the App Store all passwords are via dashlane. Nothing I really need/want to save except photos and documents and desktop folders/items.

So I want to wipe the drive re-format it and then reinstall Catalina. What is the best way to do that and by best I mean quickest and most painless. I use iCloud to backup. What I DON'T want to do is simply restore a bunch of stuff I don't need. Although I do have Onedrive that tends to take a long time to upload. I could also backup to an external drive although I don't have one for MAC so I'd need to format a drive for that purpose--do have some older drives I could reformat--its only 250 Gig hard drive so not big.

 

[Mr_Brightside_@]

1. iCloud isn't backup
2. Use Carbon Copy Cloner to clone your data to an external drive
3. Make a USB installer for Cat (in my experience, far more reliable than using built in recovery)
4. Boot off the USB installer, wipe Macintosh HD, install Cat, set up a new user account, copy what you need from CCC drive

 

[Cmulder]

But I don't really need a "backup" because I don't want to "restore". All I really care about are the pictures movies and documents--i.e., the "data" on the Mac. My point in doing this is to start new and only install apps I need. Preferably where I can simply go to the backed up data and choose what I want to restore. So if I use TimeMachine can I access that data and copy back over to the reformatted and reinstalled OS Mac only the data I want?

My whole point in this is cleaning up and only copying back what I need/want. Ideally, I'd just copy contents of folders such as the desktop and photos, etc. to the backup.

 

[schlotz]

The point about using CCC is to ensure if anything fails you can easily go back which is a good procedure to follow. BTW done correctly and with a dock that is capable, you can reboot using that clone. Using CCC does NOT mean you are going to keep the cloned backup. All of your data is there, grab what you want and copy it to the fresh install. Once you are totally satisfied, reformat the clone drive for use as you see fit.

 

[Taz Mangus]

So if I use TimeMachine can I access that data and copy back over to the reformatted and reinstalled OS Mac only the data I want?

Yes you can use TimeMachine to access and copy what you want over.

 

[sk8andmetal]

you can use a backup (preferably CCC) to just save your back, no need to restore everything. once backup and fresh install you can just copy and paste the document you need, and here you go

 

[Mr_Brightside_@]

As everyone has said, yes you can selectively restore your data, which is why I wrote "copy what you need from CCC drive". You do want to restore data, just not all of it.