A little lighthouse for your files.
Encrypted Mac backups, powered by restic. Set the course. Check the cargo. Bring your files home. Download link coming soon Explore backups
Back up. Check. Breathe.
- Choose your destination. A local drive, S3, Backblaze B2, Azure, SFTP or a restic REST server.
- Set your schedule. Pick when backups run, with battery and network constraints to suit your Mac.
- Check your backups. Schedule integrity checks and test restores. A finished backup is only part of the story.
- Keep your options. Encrypted, deduplicated restic repositories, readable with restic even without Pharos.
Small icon. Important job.
Pharos lives in the menu bar. See which task is running, start a backup, or open your plans without giving it a permanent home in the Dock. When something needs attention, the status tells you. Your backup app should have a quiet day. It should also know when to interrupt yours.
A plan for your files
Choose folders, exclusions, a destination and a schedule. The setup wizard estimates the source size before your first backup and lets you review the plan before creating it. Useful defaults leave caches and build artifacts behind. Your documents deserve passage. Yesterday’s DerivedData can fend for itself.
The return journey matters.
Browse snapshots, search for a file, and restore it to its original location or somewhere new. Compare snapshots when you need to know what changed. Quick Look and Finder-style navigation keep the process familiar. Restore a file, a folder, or the lot. No archaeology degree required.
A backup deserves a check-up.
Verification, on your calendar.
Schedule quick or full integrity checks. Run a test restore to a temporary directory before the day you need a real one.
Keep what matters. Reclaim the rest.
Retention rules decide which snapshots stay. Scheduled pruning reclaims unused space, without asking you to do the arithmetic.
Keys in the Keychain.
Repository credentials are stored using the macOS Keychain. Backups are encrypted and deduplicated by restic.
Logs you can share.
Export diagnostics for support. Pharos redacts credentials from URLs and configuration before the bundle is written.
Pharos, and Pharos Pro.
Two editions share the same restic repositories and plan format. Pharos uses the App Sandbox. Pharos Pro adds capabilities that need broader access to your Mac.
| Pharos | Pharos Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Encrypted backups and restores | Yes | Yes |
| Schedules and integrity checks | Yes | Yes |
| App Sandbox | Yes | No |
| APFS snapshot-backed backups | No | Yes |
| Pre and post-backup commands | No | Yes |
| Imported password commands | No | Yes |
| Release links will appear here when confirmed. The capabilities above describe the two builds, not a promise that either is currently available to download. |
Give your files a safe harbour.
Pharos requires macOS 26. Available in English, French, German, Italian, Japanese and Spanish. Storage-provider charges depend on your chosen destination. Download link coming soon Questions? Get in touch. Read the privacy policy.