James: What if anything should I consider when backing up files that OSX (Catalina) ?optimized,? i.e., stored in iCloud to save space on the internal drive? Dropbox does the same: rarely used files on the internal drive are replaced by links/aliases and downloaded if and when the user opens the file. In that situation, does Qrecall back up the actual file (that resides in the cloud) or just the link (that resides on the local drive)? Best, Hanno

Hanno,

QRecall only captures what's on the physical drive. So placeholders or links to items in the cloud (or even just a different volume) get captured as is; QRecall doesn't go out a try to read what that item refers too.

In this situation the cloud copy is really your "backup" and all reputable cloud storage providers have their own backup mechanism.