Keep Your iCloud Data. Forever.
Parachute is a set-and-forget backup companion for iCloud Photos and iCloud Drive.
It automatically backs up your memories—photos, videos, and documents—to your own storage (or another cloud provider), giving you peace of mind and full control.
Your Data, Your Way
• Back up your entire iCloud Photos and iCloud Drive (including shared albums)
• Your photos originals in full resolution, any adjustment data, and the current edited version (also full resolution) are all backed up
• Choose from manual or scheduled runs
• Supports full, mirror, or smart incremental backups
• Select custom folders on your Mac for backup in addition to iCloud Drive locations
• Works with your external drives, NAS, SFTP mounts or other cloud "drives' available in Finder (Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, etc.)
• Smart offloading: avoids filling up your Mac’s disk while keeping files available on demand
Why It Matters
• iCloud is great for sync — but not a true backup
• Accidental deletions, expired storage plans, or sync issues can lead to permanent loss
• Parachute protects your digital life from deletion and disaster
No Subscriptions. No Lock-In.
• One-time purchase — no recurring costs
• Your data stays in your storage, not ours
• No sign-ups, no telemetry, no bloat
FAQs
Q: How does Parachute save space while backing up iCloud?
A: Parachute downloads one file at a time from iCloud, backs it up to your chosen destination, and then re-offloads the file back to iCloud (if "Optimize Mac Storage" is enabled). This prevents your disk from filling up during backup.
Q: What backup modes are available?
A: Parachute offers three backup modes:
Full: Always copies all files, even if unchanged.
Mirror: Keeps the backup in exact sync with the source, including deletions.
Smart Incremental: Only copies new or changed files since the last backup.
Smart Incremental: Only copies new or changed files since the last backup.
Q: Are original and edited photo versions both preserved?
A: Yes. Parachute backs up both original and edited versions of your media when available.
Q: Will Parachute ever delete anything from iCloud?
A: No. Parachute is strictly read-only and will never delete files from iCloud.
Q: How do I restore my files?A: Your backups are just normal files and folders. Use Finder to browse and drag them back — no special app required.
Q: What happens with corrupt iCloud files?
A: If Parachute can't export a file due to corruption, it will notify you at the end of the backup. These files often cannot be recovered from iCloud or Photos manually either.
Q: Does it back up Shared Albums?
A: Yes. Parachute includes support for backing up Shared Albums and the media shared with you.
Q: Can I back up to a NAS, SFTP, or WebDAV mount?
A: Yes. Parachute supports local and remote destinations that are mounted on your Mac.
Q: Can I include non-iCloud folders in the backup?
A: Yes. You can add any folder on your Mac as a backup source using the Custom Folders option.
Q: Can I use Parachute Backup even if I don't use iCloud Photos?
A: Yes. Parachute will backup your photo library even if it's only local on your Mac.
This app hasn’t received enough ratings or reviews to display an overview.
All iPad and iPhone users should use this app
pja2536
Most folks think that keeping their data in iCloud means that it's backed up and it is. But how important is your data? To have an independent backup gives more confidence. Parachute enables you to have that independent backup.Parachute is also available for your Mac (I purchased my copy today). The Mac version is just as easy to use as the iOS version and works just as well.A hint for older device owners; lightning pirt devices backup easier to SD Cards.Parachute is recommended for iOS devices AND Macs.
Developer Response
Thank you very much for the positive review! We will continue to evolve both Parachute Backup for Mac and Parachute Backup Mobile.
Amazing! Exactly what is needed to keep iCloud data safe
bluepill42
I love that I can keep a copy of my iCloud files on an external drive. I get safety for my files (from Parachute), on the go access when I need them (from iCloud), and I don’t have to spend a fortune on storage on my device. Perfect! There are a couple features that I hope will be built in the future but this version is an excellent start and well worth the money. I love that it’s not a subscription too.
Great knowing I have a parachute!
YelpingBuffoon
Does an excellent job at exactly what it says it will do - backing up my Photos and iCloud data to my own media for safekeeping. Can take a long time for the initial backup if you have a large library but that’s to be expected. I hope I don’t need it, but it’s good knowing I have a parachute if I do!
Essential companion to Photos app
JimmyDubdub
Anyone with a large number of photos knows that the Photos app on Mac becomes slow and unstable when trying to sync originals. Parachute Backup does an amazing job of syncing original quality images to standalone storage, while avoiding these stability issues.
Parachute Backup is ready for macOS 27. This update fixes problems reported by users:
• Files backups don’t include Photos libraries unless you explicitly include them per folder.
• Added a warning when trying to add the startup disk, home folder, or a system folder as a source.
• Fixed a case where two devices backing up the same library could store a photo twice.
• Two shared albums with the same name are now backed up into separate folders instead of being mixed into one.
• Other smaller fixes.
Version 1.9.5
The developer, Leitmotif GmbH, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
Data Not Linked to You
The following data may be collected but it is not linked to your identity:
Contact Info
Usage Data
Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More
Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More
