Creating a Ulysses backup: how to set up a secure cloud backup with pCloud

Do you work with Ulysses on your Mac, iPad, and iPhone and want to be sure your texts are never lost? In this article, I'll show you step by step how to create a reliable Ulysses backup and how to set up an automatic cloud backup to pCloud set up. This way, you always have an extra safety net alongside Ulysses' built-in synchronisation.

I was looking for a way to work on the same texts on my MacBook, iPad, and iPhone, without the hassle of loose files. Via Setapp I more or less stumbled upon Ulysses. It turned out to be exactly what I needed: a calm writing environment without any fuss. The formatting can wait. Because Ulysses works entirely with Markdown, I can adjust the formatting at any time – even while writing. That makes writing very relaxed.

When you're working on the same articles across multiple devices, reliability suddenly becomes very important. I regularly flesh out an idea on my iPhone while waiting somewhere. Later, I'll pick up the iPad because it's just a bit more comfortable to write on than the Mac. Ultimately, I'll finish the article on my Mac: I'll flesh out the text, handle the formatting, add photos, and publish the piece on my blog.

This is precisely why you not only want everything to stay neatly in sync, but also to have a good backup of Ulysses. It’s a shame to lose your work – whether that’s half an idea or an article you’ve already spent hours on.

Why pCloud for your Ulysses backup?

I've been using for my photography for years pCloud , a cloud service from Switzerland. I like that my files aren't automatically in the US, under US legislation, with all the ambiguity surrounding reuse and AI training. The stricter European rules provide a bit more peace of mind. I'm happy to make use of that.

pCloud is the central hub for me for everything related to files: delivering photos to clients, sharing large files, and backups and synchronisation between different devices. So it makes sense to also keep your Ulysses backup on pCloud to save, so that a cloud backup of your library is automatically created. If something goes wrong with your Mac, you can quickly restore your Ulysses library.

Below, I'll show you step-by-step how to set that up.

Overview: how to create a Ulysses cloud backup to pCloud

We'll do two things:

  1. Turning on automatic backup in Ulysses.
  2. Linking the Ulysses backup folder to pCloud , so that every backup is automatically synced to the cloud.

I'll assume that pCloud is already on your Mac and that the pCloud client is running and synchronising. If not yet, create an account first with pCloud . With the free account, you have more than enough space for your Ulysses backups.

Step 1: Enabling backup in Ulysses

  1. Open Ulysses and go to the top left, next to the Apple logo, Ulysses → gear icon / Settings and choose Backup.
  1. Turn on the backup using the slider under Backup Enabled.
  2. Click Backup Now to immediately create a first Ulysses backup.
  1. Click Browse Backups to see where Ulysses stores the backups. You'll need that location shortly for the connection with pCloud .
  2. In the Browse Backups window, you'll see a list of existing backups. Go to the top one; that's usually the backup you just created. Hold down the Control key and click on this backup. In the menu, choose Reveal in Finder.
  1. A Finder window will now appear with the folder where your Ulysses backups are stored. Just leave this window open; you’ll need it again shortly for your cloud backup.

Step 2: Ulysses– pCloud Set up cloud backup

Now that Ulysses automatically creates local backups, we'll link that folder to pCloud . This way, you always have an extra copy of your articles outside of your own Mac. Handy if your computer is ever lost, stolen, or simply gives up the ghost.

Make sure the pCloud client is installed and that you are logged in. If not, create an account first via pCloud and install the client.

  1. In the Finder window with your Ulysses backups, go to the Backups folder and Control-click on this folder.
  1. pCloud Drive now opens a window with your Backups folder. From this moment on, your Ulysses backups will automatically be sent to pCloud copied, as long as pCloud Drive is turned on and can synchronise. You'll hardly need to look at this again.
  1. macOS might show a security alert. Click Allow, otherwise the synchronisation will be blocked.
  1. In Finder, you can now go to pCloud Drive → pCloud Backups → ‘Computer Name’ → Backups go. There you'll see the same files as in the local Ulysses backup folder.

You now have an extra, independent cloud backup of Ulysses in pCloud . This setting applies per computer: if you want the same security on another Mac, follow the same steps there.

Ulysses ensures your texts stay in sync everywhere; pCloud provides that extra safety net if something goes wrong locally.

Happy writing.

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