We stand with Ukraine to help keep people safe. Join us
All Apps
Best AppsReviewsComparisonsHow-To
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission

Retrospect for Mac

Backup and recovery software.

$169.00
In English
2.3
Based on 41 user rates

Retrospect overview

Retrospect is the most trusted name in Mac backup and recovery, with more than two decades of field-tested expertise - protecting Macs and Windows PCs and servers worldwide from data loss due to user error, computer failure or site-wide disasters such as fire, theft or flood.

Features
  • Protect servers, business-critical applications, desktops and notebooks with a single, easy to use product.
  • Manage multiple backup servers remotely from a single screen, easing management for larger installations.
  • New! Back up to and restore from offsite cloud storage. Use powerful filtering rules to allow complete local backups, while ensuring only critical data gets copied to the cloud.
  • Back up Windows, Mac, Linux, Solaris, and NetWare computers with a Mac host computer.
  • Ensure the security of your data with the highest level of government standard 128- or 256-bit AES encryption and new enhanced link encryption technology.
  • Monitor backups on-the-fly with free iPhone app and new Growl notifications.

What’s new in version 19.2.0.122

Engine
  • New: Support for macOS Sonoma (14.0) - Certified September 26, 2023
  • New: Media sets no longer created as Storage Groups by default
  • Fixed: Object locking retention date is now set during backup set transfer (#10318)
  • Fixed: Backups to Dropbox no longer fail when the connection times out (#10387 / Verify/Restore error) - See details
  • Fixed: Storage Group New: member data is now always saved to all sub-sets (#10319)
  • Fixed: No longer report Unknown Mac error when trying to open offline cloud files (#10349)
  • Fixed: Unwanted Public/Private keys no longer created on startup (#10351)
  • Fixed: Stop reporting erroneous files no longer present message during backup (#10374)
  • Fixed: Fixed: assert when internal local volume list maxes out (#9895)
  • Fixed: Fixed: bad line endings in some Script Hooks example files (#10341)
Console
  • New: Can now Forget licenses in License preference pane
  • Improved: Client update now defaults to correct .rcu file directory(#10345)
  • Fixed: Now reporting all licenses are already in use when adding client with a public key (#10348)
Client
  • New: Mac Client: Support for macOS Sonoma (14.0) - Certified September 26, 2023
  • Improved: Windows Client: System tray app now works with high DPI resolutions (#10358)
  • Fixed: Mac Client: Fixed: issue where clients would go to sleep early in a backup (#6162)
  • Fixed: Windows Client: Fixed: password issue when adding clients that had been re-installed (#10356)
  • Fixed: Windows Client: Fixed: issue where public key file was ignored if client already used a password (#10383)
View older Retrospect versions

Retrospect for Mac

$169.00
In English
Version 19.2.0.122

What users say about Retrospect

Try our new feature and write a detailed review about Retrospect

Write your thoughts in our old-fashioned comment

MacUpdate Comment Policy. We strongly recommend leaving comments, however comments with abusive words, bullying, personal attacks of any type will be moderated.
2.3

(107 Reviews of Retrospect)

  • Comments

  • User Ratings

Mikeymike
Mikeymike
Jul 26 2019
16.1.2
0.0
Jul 26 2019
0.0
Version: 16.1.2
This has become overpriced crapware. I bought it several months back, carefully considering whether Retrospect was worthy of consideration after they had dropped support for the Mac years back. I used to use it to back up to optical media and a tape drive before (then Dantz) decided to change their catalog format to a backwards-incompatible format, drop optical media support and then dropped Mac support entirely.

Since I've bought it, primarily to back up drives to B2 storage, this app has been nothing but trouble. It loses its settings on quit, doesn't recognize that it has been given full disk access, doesn't start the Engine on startup even though it is checked to do so in Retrospect's System Preferences panel or adding it directly to login items. Directly trying to launch the Engine results in an instant crash. Trying to start Retrospect proper yields a message "connecting to 127.0.0.1" that is an endless loop of nothing happening.

I have spent hours via email and phone support on this piece of garbage. I'm giving the phone support people one more chance tomorrow, then I'm going to ask them to revoke my license and refund my money. Even their support materials show screen shots that are versions and versions of macOS old and their support material is not up to date, especially regarding cloud backups. I've spent 98% of my time with this app troubleshooting instead of backing up. EPIC fail!

I was using ChronoSync to B2, but upload speeds were horrible using that app. I may have to revert to that despite its slowness.

CAVEAT EMPTOR!
Eric•Woehler
Eric•Woehler
Mar 31 2019
16.0.1
0.5
Mar 31 2019
0.5
Version: 16.0.1
Once upon a time.... this was my goto backup protocol. Fast copy to external HD, high degree of file/folder selection/synch/backups etc etc then prog started playing up, dev was less than responsive and prices for single users became silly, so it was bye bye Retrospect. A once-great product that has withered and has been replaced by plenty of better/cheaper/faster apps. Pass on Retrospect and look around for alternatives - plenty of said cheaper/better/faster out there!
Hal-Itosis
Hal-Itosis
Oct 22 2018
15.6.0.125
0.0
Oct 22 2018
0.0
Version: 15.6.0.125
For $136, one could purchase ChronoSync •and• Carbon Copy Cloner •and• SuperDuper... plus still have enough cash left over for a burger. -HI-
Hermie
Hermie
Sep 5 2017
14.5.0.146
4.0
Sep 5 2017
4.0
Version: 14.5.0.146
Uploading to Backblaze B2 is still terrible in 14.5. Speed 1.4 MB/sec on a 500 Mbps line. Both Retrospect and Backblaze Support don't seem to care as I reported these issues to them ages ago and of course nothing has been done about it.
Thinking-Differently
Thinking-Differently
Mar 1 2016
13.0.0.230
0.0
Mar 1 2016
0.0
Version: 13.0.0.230
Retrospect has now been working again for some time.

Old time Mac users, will remember Retrospect as the go-to Mac backup program. However, Retrospect fell on hard times as a sequence of new owners seemed more interested in milking revenue from the customer base, than investing in a quality product. There was a period of literally years, where it was junk.

However, now that it has been spun off and is no longer part of some big company, it now is working again, and each new release seems to bring improvements. Hopefully, they will reform their pricing model, which still charges a very hefty premium for backing up any Mac running Apple’s $19.99 server app. Still, it is now, again, a program that you should consider.

I am looking forward to seeing what this new version brings.
iLeopard
iLeopard
May 20 2020
5.0
May 20 2020
5.0
Version: null
Eric•Woehler
Eric•Woehler
Mar 31 2019
0.5
Mar 31 2019
0.5
Version: null
anonymous-trout-1840
Mar 9 2018
4.0
Version: null
peterpamn
peterpamn
Aug 22 2015
5.0
Aug 22 2015
5.0
Version: null
Hermie
Hermie
Mar 28 2014
4.0
Mar 28 2014
4.0
Version: null
jol9904
jol9904
Mar 5 2014
0.5
Mar 5 2014
0.5
Version: null
signalprocessor
signalprocessor
Jan 7 2014
1.0
Jan 7 2014
1.0
Version: null
Jweisbin
Jweisbin
Jul 13 2013
1.0
Jul 13 2013
1.0
Version: null
CFrag
CFrag
Jul 24 2012
2.0
Jul 24 2012
2.0
Version: null
Chuckwagen
Chuckwagen
May 23 2012
3.5
May 23 2012
3.5
Version: null
Islandmacman
Islandmacman
Apr 23 2012
4.0
Apr 23 2012
4.0
Version: null
ElizabethBrooke
ElizabethBrooke
Feb 19 2011
4.0
Feb 19 2011
4.0
Version: null
paulsrandall
paulsrandall
Feb 2 2011
5.0
Feb 2 2011
5.0
Version: null
Peternsteinmetz
Peternsteinmetz
Oct 16 2010
2.0
Oct 16 2010
2.0
Version: null
mrsidoric
mrsidoric
Jul 3 2010
1.0
Jul 3 2010
1.0
Version: null
Lylehm
Lylehm
May 13 2010
4.0
May 13 2010
4.0
Version: null
Scotty321
Scotty321
Dec 13 2009
1.0
Dec 13 2009
1.0
Version: null
Ooshnoo
Ooshnoo
Oct 29 2009
1.0
Oct 29 2009
1.0
Version: null
Steve-Howe
Steve-Howe
Aug 11 2009
1.0
Aug 11 2009
1.0
Version: null
mike-evangelist
mike-evangelist
Jul 26 2009
4.0
Jul 26 2009
4.0
Version: null
Itty
Itty
Jul 23 2009
1.0
Jul 23 2009
1.0
Version: null
Jim-Weisbin
Jim-Weisbin
May 19 2009
1.0
May 19 2009
1.0
Version: null
Stugots
Stugots
Apr 21 2009
1.0
Apr 21 2009
1.0
Version: null
Filchescat
Filchescat
Apr 21 2009
2.0
Apr 21 2009
2.0
Version: null
Ean
Ean
Apr 21 2009
2.0
Apr 21 2009
2.0
Version: null
Fhals
Fhals
Jan 3 2008
5.0
Jan 3 2008
5.0
Version: null
Abates25
Abates25
Nov 8 2007
4.0
Nov 8 2007
4.0
Version: null
D9
D9
May 8 2007
1.0
May 8 2007
1.0
Version: null
Donmontalvo
Donmontalvo
Apr 20 2007
1.0
Apr 20 2007
1.0
Version: null
lacwbo
lacwbo
Apr 19 2007
1.0
Apr 19 2007
1.0
Version: null
Freeintonga
Freeintonga
Oct 10 2006
2.0
Oct 10 2006
2.0
Version: null
Engele
Engele
Sep 6 2006
1.8
Sep 6 2006
1.8
Version: null
Drbones666
Drbones666
Jun 29 2006
1.0
Jun 29 2006
1.0
Version: null
Mischivo
Mischivo
Dec 17 2005
2.8
Dec 17 2005
2.8
Version: null
Guest
Guest
Nov 23 2005
5.0
Nov 23 2005
5.0
Version: null
Guest
Guest
Sep 2 2005
1.0
Sep 2 2005
1.0
Version: null
Guest
Guest
May 4 2005
2.8
May 4 2005
2.8
Version: null
Bluemoose2k
Bluemoose2k
Nov 11 2004
1.5
Nov 11 2004
1.5
Version: null
Guest
Guest
Oct 18 2004
1.5
Oct 18 2004
1.5
Version: null
Guest
Guest
Apr 10 2004
1.0
Apr 10 2004
1.0
Version: null