Backups & restore points · Time Machine and backup strategy
How often should I back up my Mac?
Short answer: As often as the work you'd lose is worth: continuously for files you edit daily (Data Backup's default), daily or weekly for big folders that rarely change, plus Time Machine for the whole Mac.
As often as the work you'd lose is worth. For anything you edit daily, continuous is best — which is why Data Backup's default is As things change, saving a version shortly after each edit. For large folders that rarely change, a daily or weekly schedule is plenty.
A simple setup: documents and projects continuous, photo libraries and archives nightly, and a full-Mac Time Machine backup alongside.