. Buy an external hard drive (here aresome good options). Connect it to your Mac. Click 'Yes' when asked if you want to use this disk for Time Machine backups. Time Machine is Apple's backup software. Every new Mac has it, and most old ones do too, as it was introduced with System 10.5 (Leopard). From your System Preferences menu on your Mac you start up Time Machine. Why doesn t adobe work on my mac. If the big button for Time Machine is off turn it to On. Select your WD Elements drive as your Time Machine backup drive. And then any time when you plug in your WD Elements drive into your Mac, Time Machine will do a back up.
But if you set up Time Machine you'll see there's a restore option. Or boot into recovery mode. But if you don't have a backup set up, you can't restore. One step at a time, Dweeb, one step at a time. You can't graduate from college without taking Writing 101, for example.
In case you haven't setup Time Machine Backups on Mac, it is time that you start thinking in terms of making use of this free tool on your Mac to setup automatic backup of all your Files, Photos and Data on Mac.
Time Machine Backups on Mac
Time Machine can be described as an in-built backup tool in macOS, which can be setup to make automatic backups of all the data on your Mac to an external hard drive, connected via USB, FireWire or Thunderbolt Port.
Time Machine can also be setup to backup Mac's data wirelessly to Disks connected over a network, as long as the disk supports AFP (Apple's File Sharing Protocol)
Once it is setup, Time Machine starts automatically backing up all your Files, Apps and the operating system to the External Hard Drive designated for Time Machine Backups.
Time Machine runs its periodic and automatic backups on hourly, daily and weekly schedules. Whenever the Backup Drive gets full, Time Machine automatically deletes the older backups and replaces them with new versions.
This ensures that your latest Time Machine backup has all the new files and all the changes that you had made to files on your Mac.
Advantages of Time Machine Backups
Most other Data backup solutions are based on making a backup of your whole system. The benefit of Apple's Time Machine Backups is that it makes a backup of the entire Data on your Mac only for the first time.
After this, Time Machine copies only the most recent files or the files that you are working on, instead of making a copy of all the data on your Mac all over again. This ensures that Time Machine Backups are quick and do not waste resources on your Mac.
Also, Time Machine makes it really easy to restore the data on Mac. In case something goes wrong, you can roll back your Mac to a specific point in time or recover a specific File or Photo, in case you have only lost a single File or Photo.
Hard Drive For Time Machine Backups
In order to setup Time Machine Backups you will need an External Hard Drive that is much greater than the capacity of all your Files, Photos and other data on your Mac.
This will allow Time Machine to store different versions of the Data on your Mac, which in-turn will allow you to go back in time and recover files before you made any changes to them.
In general, you can go for a Hard Drive that has at least the same capacity as the Local or Internal Hard drive on your Mac.
Steps to Set Up Time Machine Backups on Mac
Follow the steps below to setup Time Machine Backups on Mac
1. Connect the external Hard Drive to your Mac (in case you haven't already done so)
2. Next, click on the Apple Logo from the top menu bar on your Mac and then click on System Preferences in the drop-down menu.
3. On the System Preferences screen, click on Time Machine option.
4. On the Time Machine screen, Click on Select Backup Disk… button (See image below).
Recommended: Select the option to Show Time Machine in Menu bar (See image above). This will make it easy to Restore Files from Time Machine Backups
5. On the next screen, select the External Hard Drive that is connected to your Mac for Time Machine Backups and click on the Use Disk button. Also, select Backup Automatically option, in order to setup Automatic Time Machine Backups.
Note: Optionally, you can check Encrypt Backups in case you are using FileVault.
In case the attached Hard Drive is in an incompatible format, Time Machine may prompt you to Erase the Disk (See image below)
As mentioned above, Time Machine will make a copy of every single file, folder, and application on your Mac for the first time. Hence, the first Time Machine Backup will take a long time.
After this Automated Time Machine backups will occur in the background on your Mac, as long as the External Hard Drive is connected to your Mac and you haven't paused or stopped Time Machine Backups.
Exclude Files From Time Machine Backups
By default, Time Machine is set to backup almost all the Files, Folders and Data on your Mac. However, you can exclude certain Files or Folders from Time Machine Backups by following the steps below.
1. Click on the Apple Logo from the top menu bar on your Mac and then click on System Preferences in the drop-down menu. Why is my usb not showing up mac.
2. On the System Preferences screen, click on Time Machine option.
3. Next, click on the Options button located at the lower right corner of Time Machine Screen (See image below).
4. On the next screen, click on the + Plus button (See image below)
5. On the next screen, choose the File or Folder that you want to exclude from Time Machine Backups and click on Exclude.
6. Click on the Save button to save the List of Files/Folders excluded from Time Machine Backups
Restore Files On Mac Using Time Machine Backups
Follow the steps below to Restore Files or Folders on your Mac using Time Machine Backups,
1. Click on the Time Machine Icon located in the top menu bar of your Mac (Top right corner) and then click on Enter Time Machine option in the drop-down menu.
2. On the next screen, select the File or Folder that you want to Restore and then click on the Restore option.
Time Machine will copy the selected File/Folder from the external Hard Drive and copy it back to its original location on your Mac.
Get an ultimate backup appIt's important to back your Mac up. Not only does it help create a backup of files and folders, backups provide a place you can reboot to if your Mac stops working, or you get a new Mac.
Time Machine is Apple's method for backing your Mac up, and it's a solid choice. It's reliable, fairly easy to use, and can keep your Mac backed up on a routine schedule. Here, we'll show you how to use Apple Time Machine, and showcase a few apps that you might prefer to Apple's Time Machine.
What is Time Machine?
Time Machine is a service from Apple to backup your Mac. It creates a simple 'image' or 'snapshot' of your Mac, which simply means a compressed file containing everything on your Mac at the time of the backup that you can revert to when needed. Time Machine backups can also be used when you need to boot a new device, or refresh your Mac after returning it to factory settings.
Apple's Time Machine is meant to run in the background, offering a simple, straightforward way to back your Mac up. When activated, it will periodically back your Mac up, keeping the last few versions in case you need to revert to a backup from a few weeks ago.
Most will use Time Machine when booting new Macs. On startup, a new Mac asks if you want to start fresh, or boot from a backup. Using Time Machine backups will make you feel like you picked up where you left off. Like most services Apple creates, Time Machine is in both your System Preferences menu and is available as an app for the Mac.
How to use Time Machine on Mac
For most of us, knowing how to use Time Machine means knowing how to activate it. Because it typically runs in the background, the service isn't something you need to access often to create backups. But we'll cover Time Machine to restore Mac computers, to backup your Mac, and how to use Time Machine to restore files as well.
Setting up Time Machine
Setting Time Machine up is really simple. Here's how:
- From your Mac's menu bar, select the Apple logo on the left side
- Select 'System Preferences' from the drop-down menu
- Select 'Time Machine'
Note: These directions will show you how to use Time Machine to set up automatic backups.
Time Machine Backup
- Select 'Automatic Backups' on the left side of the Time Machine window
- Choose the disk you want to use to store your backups
That's all you need to do. Once you complete these steps. Page screen mac. Time Machine will begin creating a backup to the disk you've designated on a schedule. Unfortunately, you're unable to manage this schedule yourself.
Using Time Machine with an Apple AirPort Time Capsule
Time Machine Setup
Apple used to make routers, and one of their best was the AirPort Time Capsule. You can still find Time Capsules for sale, and if you can source one, we highly recommend it. Not only are they excellent routers, the AirPort Time Capsule works perfectly with Time Machine.
Knowing how to use Time Machine with an AirPort Time Capsule is the same as knowing how to use Time Machine with external hard drive. The Time Capsule has a one or two terabyte hard drive inside it, making it both a router and external drive for Time Machine backups. As you see in the screenshot above, our Time Machine is backing up to a Time Capsule!
All you have to do setup your AirPort Time Capsule as the main router for your network and make sure your Mac is connecting to the network the AirPort is on. Then, choose the AirPort Time Capsule as the external drive you want to save backups to.
That's it! The best part about using this method is when you reconnect a Mac reset to factory settings or buy a new Mac, and log into the same network, you know your backups are available.
How to restore Mac from Time Machine
Restoring a Mac from a Time Machine backup is straightforward, but not always the best option. Having done it, we can attest it can take days for your Mac to get back up and running when restoring from a backup. Consider whether or not you have time to devote to that process. We should also note since Apple has stopped making the AirPort Time Capsule there's little chance Time Machine will improve in this area.
Consider why you're trying to restore your Mac from a Time Machine backup, too. Sometimes we restore to a backup because we believe we've lost a file that was crucial. If we go back in time, the file will be there, right? Maybe, but the process is time consuming, and not always accurate.
A better option may be Disk Drill. It recovers lost files with relative ease – or at least files you think you'd lost. With Disk Drill, you may be able to find those lost files without the trouble of diving through Time Machine backups and wasting hours (or days!) restoring your Mac for one file.
How to restore from Time Machine to a new Mac
Ready to learn how to use Time Machine on new Mac computers? We've got you covered. Here's how it's done:
- Make sure your backup disk is connected to your new Mac (Note: if you're using a Time Capsule, make sure your router is setup and your computer connects to the same network. This will automatically 'connect' your backup disk to your Mac.)
- When signing into your new Mac, select 'From a Mac, Time Machine backup, or startup disk' when asked how you'd like to transfer your information
- On the next screen, select your backup disk from the available options
- Select 'Continue'
- Choose the data you'd like to transfer, and select 'Continue'
That's all you need to do. Your Mac will begin the process of transferring your data from the Time Machine backup.
Restore your Mac from a backup
Here's how to restore your Mac from a Time Machine backup:
- Make sure your backup disk is connected to your new Mac (Note: if you're using a Time Capsule, make sure your router is setup and your computer connects to the same network. This will automatically 'connect' your backup disk to your Mac.)
- Open the Migration Assistant app on your Mac
- Select 'From a Mac, Time Machine backup, or startup disk' when asked how you'd like to transfer your information
- On the next screen, select your backup disk from the available options
- Select 'Continue'
- Choose the data you'd like to transfer, and select 'Continue'
This is Apple's method for restoring from the most recent backup. If you need an earlier backup to restore, to, simply open the Time Machine app and choose the backup you want to boot from. You can scroll through a list, and the right side of the screen has a timeline feature in the event you're trying to reboot to a more narrow timeframe.
A failing of Time Machine is you lack granular control. There's no way to really define the files or folders you want to back up, and you can't define a backup schedule that works for you. Instead, Get Backup Pro may be the better solution for you.
Get Backup Pro allows you to customize the backup schedule that works for you. If you'd rather have a weekly backup on Friday night after your work week is done, it can handle that. You're also provided a lot more control over the files and folders included in your backup; maybe you aren't worried about things backed up to iCloud, or Google Drive which are duplicated on your machine. Perhaps you would rather your important documents folders be what's saved; Get Backup Pro can do it!
It also compresses backups to a really small size, which speeds up the backup process by quite a bit – especially if you define the items you want backed up.
Additional tip: How to Speed Up your Mac
In addition to files, folders, apps, and things you interact with daily, Mac backups also include things like settings for apps, the system, and even browser history. Those all add up to a whole bunch of garbage cluttering your system.
This is where CleanMyMac X shines. The app pokes through your Mac to ensure all of your settings are optimized, the file system is well organized, and unnecessary stuff like browser cookies and mail attachments are disposed of when appropriate. It runs on a schedule, and allows you some deep granular control over which settings and systems are optimized. Run CleanMyMac X on a routine schedule, and you know all of your backups will help your Mac run smooth after you boot to them.
How To Use Time Machine
Conclusion
Backing your Mac up is really important; everyone should do it on a routine basis. Time Machine is a great option, but also very basic. It can be time consuming when you're restoring from a backup, too.
Many may prefer Get Backup Pro, which allows for a lot more control, and compresses backups far more than Time Machine. When used with CleanMyMac X, you'll always know your backups are clean, organized, and free of any weird settings or bloatware you forgot about.
Those trying to use Time Machine to recover lost files should try Disk Drive first. More often than not, you'll find your files quickly with Disk Drive, saving you a ton of time with backups.
All three of these apps are available for free as part of a seven day trial of Setapp, the world's best suite of productivity apps for your Mac. When your trial is through, continued unlimited access to the full Setapp catalog of nearly 200 Mac apps is only $9.99 per month, or $19.99 for families with up to four Macs. What are you waiting for? Give Setapp a try today!
Meantime, prepare for all the awesome things you can do with Setapp.
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How To Set Up Time Machine
