To use Time Machine, you need to connect an external hard drive to your Mac with a USB or Thunderbolt cable, or you may have an additional hard drive installed in one of the additional drive bays inside an older Mac Pro desktop computer (the new 2013 Mac Pro models don't have multiple drive bays). Every Mac owner needs to backup their computer and the best way is to use Time Machine which comes pre-installed into every Apple Computer. Time Machine can.
Just because your files are tucked snugly in your hard drive, it doesn't mean their safety is guaranteed. Irreparable data loss could rear its ugly head at any time. Hopefully, you don't lose any or all your important files or documents before you see the importance of backing up your data. Thankfully, Mac users have Apple Time Machine as a safety net for all their data to fall back on.
Read on to find out how you can benefit by using Apple Time Machine. We'll provide run-throughs on setting it up and retrieving backup files.
Why Use Apple Time Machine Over Others?
It's not every day you come across a Mac backup app that runs silently in the background without draining system resources. This is the primary advantage that Apple Time Machine has over other backup solutions.
It does this by making a full backup of your Mac's system disk initially and then stacking subsequent changes in chronological order. The changes are often saved automatically in hourly, daily, and weekly increments, with the oldest backups being overwritten with the newest versions. The cycle continues until the external backup disk is filled to the brim.
Apple Time Machine's backups can also be readily used in Recovery Mode. This means you can easily restore your Mac to its original, functioning state if your drive ever crashes and fails. In addition, the backups can be utilized by Apple's Migration Assistant during the installation of a new OS so you can swiftly transfer files, applications, and even settings from your old Mac version to the newest one with absolute ease.
Best of all, using Apple Time Machine is surprisingly easy. Setting it up is a cakewalk and recovering files is even more so.
How do I Start Using Apple Time Machine?
To begin with, you need to have an external drive that supports the Apple File Protocol (AFP) file sharing. That, or any hard drive that connects via USB, FireWire, or Thunderbolt, and as uses a Mac filesystem format.
Ideally, though, it's best to get Apple's own AirPort Time Capsule—a Wi-Fi base station with a built-in backup disk. Since it's a wireless device, you won't have to keep an external HDD physically connected to your Mac at all times.
How Do I Set Up Apple Time Machine?
Photoshop cs3 mac os sierra. Simply connect an external hard drive or the Time Capsule to your Mac. From there, a prompt asking you if you'd want to use a Time Machine backup disk should appear. Check the ‘Encrypt Backup Disk' option when you want to secure your backups with a password. Otherwise, just click on 'Use as Backup Disk'.
And just like that, you're set to go! The volume you chose will subsequently be formatted and the initial backup will begin a few minutes after. From there on, everything will be taken care of by Apple Time Machine.
Nevertheless, keep in mind that the initial backup process takes a long time. Thus, we recommend you set up Time Machine before you catch some zzz's and leave your Mac running all night or until the backup is completed the next day.
How Do I Recover Files from a Time Machine Backup?
When you wish to restore individual files and folders to your desktop, follow these procedures:
- Select the 'Enter Time Machine' option in the Time Machine icon on the OS X or MacOS menu bar.
- A screen will then appear. In there, you'll see a Finder window and several others receding into the distance.
- Choose a date from the timeline on the right side of the screen, or just click the up/down arrows to navigate through the backup snapshots.
- When you find the deleted file (or an earlier version of the document) that you wish to restore, select the item in the snapshot window. Click ‘Restore', and hten Time Machine will copy the file/folder to its original location on your disk.
What is the latest mac os. If you wish to recover your entire startup disk in case of a massive data loss, follow these steps:
- Restart your Mac.
- Press the Command + R keys to enter Recovery Mode.
- Choose the 'Restore your Mac from a Time Machine backup' option on the OS X/MacOS utility window.
- Follow the subsequent steps shown on the screen.
With its automated scheduling, straightforward recovery process, and amazing ability to backup your data without hindering your system's performance, it should come as no surprise that more Mac users are starting to appreciate and utilize Apple Time Machine. Download office for macbook free. Its capacity to save your data from certain doom makes it an indispensable application for every Mac computer.
Mac is one of the most reliable computers, but after all technology can still fail at any time. So Apple recommends that everyone should back up their Mac at regular intervals to prevent loss of data. This could also be a lifesaver in case of unfortunate events such as fire, theft, or an accidental drop. So in this post, let's look at the four ways to backup your Mac.
What is Time Machine and How it Works?
Time Machine is the best way to backup your Mac. It is an in-built tool on every macOS powered computer. You require an external storage device like a hard drive, SSD, etc. to use it. For best performance, it is recommended that the external drive be at least twice the size of your Mac's internal drive. For example, if you have a 500 GB drive in Mac, use a 1 TB external drive for Time Machine.
Before you begin, make sure to use a new drive. If you use an old drive, then ensure nothing is on it. If there are files on it, they will be lost after re-formatting. Further, it is not recommended to use the drive for anything else, except Time Machine. But if you plan to use an external drive for both backup and regular use, then you will have to create a partition. It's best to avoid this. Let's check it out.
How to Backup Your Mac with Time Machine
Step #1. Connect the external storage device to your Mac.
Step #2. You will see a window asking you to use this drive to back up with Time Machine. Check the box for Encrypt Backup Disk. Then click Use as Backup Disk.
In case you automatically do not see the above window when you connect the external drive, follow the steps below.
How Does Apple Time Machine Work
Step #3. Click on the Apple logo from the top left and then select System Preferences.
Step #4. Next, click Time Machine.
Step #5. Click Select Backup Disk.
Step #6. At last, select your external drive from the list of available disks. Next, it is recommended that you check the box for Encrypt backups. Finally, click Use Disk.
Note: In case the disk you selected for Time Machine is not appropriately formatted as needed, you will be prompted to erase the disk. Click Erase to proceed.
Done! You have successfully enabled Time Machine backup for your Mac.
From now on, Time Machine will make periodic backups without needing any action from you (except merely plugging in the external drive). The first backup will take a long time. But future backups will be quick as Time Machine will backup only the files that have changed since the previous backup.
Time Machine on your Mac automatically makes hourly backups for the past 24 hours and daily backups for the past month. Further, it also makes weekly backups for all previous months. The oldest backups are deleted when your backup disk is full to manage storage on the external drive.
Simple image editor mac. Suppose you are shutting down your Mac and want to back it up now to save all changes, then click on the Time Machine icon from the top menu bar and select Back Up Now.
Overall, Time Machine is fantastic. But if you lose your backpack that has your Mac and the external drive, or if a natural calamity hits your house, then chances are both your computer and the Time Machine backup drive will be lost or destroyed. (Unless you back up to Time Machine on a NAS located elsewhere.) So, the next best solution is to use the power of Cloud to store your most important files. Let me show you how.
How to Back up Your Mac to iCloud
Apple gives you 5GB of free iCloud space. This is too little to backup all files from the Mac. But still, it can be used to keep your important documents and data safe and available on all Apple devices. If you like, you can buy a subscription plan that starts at $0.99 for 50GB. Other options are $2.99 for 200GB and $9.99 for 2 TB.
Step #1. Click on the Apple logo from the top left and select System Preferences.
Step #2. Now Click on Apple ID.
Step #3. Next, click on iCloud.
Step #4. Check the box for iCloud Drive.
Step #5. Next, click on Options and choose what you would like to store in iCloud.
Step #6. Desktop & Documents Folders will backup everything in them to iCloud. Similarly, you can choose or (turn off) Numbers, Pages, etc. and Click on Done.
How To Set Up Time Machine
How to Clone Your Mac to Use It as Backup
Cloning is different from a back up because, with cloning, you can create a bootable copy of your entire hard drive. This allows you to access whatever you have on one Mac on another Mac. You can do this simply by connecting the drive to the other Mac, and when you turn on that Mac, press the option key. Finally, select the drive and click the arrow.
Use Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive as your Mac Storage
Dropbox, Google Drive, One Drive, Box are some of the most popular online storage services. It is very easy to upload and save files from your Mac to these.
This is not the same as Time Machine backup or cloning. It is simply saving you important files to these cloud services. After you have your photos, music, documents safely stored on these, you can access them on any mobile device or computer.
The free space provided by these cloud storage services vary.
Mac Time Machine How To Use Garageband
- Dropbox offers 2 GB of free space with every account. Individual paid plan starts at $9.99 per month for 2 TB
- Google Drive, on the other hand, offers 15 GB free with every account. Its paid plans start at $1.99 for 100 GB and go up to $9.99 for 2 TB
- Microsoft offers 5 GB for free with each account. After that, you can pay $1.99 per month for 100 GB of One Drive. Or, you can pay $6.99 per month and get 1 TB of One Drive as well as Office apps. It is a sweet combo
The process of using these services is almost the same for all. First, you have to register (that is to create an account), and then you can sign in to manually backup your files. If you do not want to use the browser, then most of these services have Mac apps that you can install and then simply drop files in their respective folder, and they would be backed up automatically.
You can start using Dropbox, Google Drive, One Drive from these links.
Mac Time Machine How To User
That's all, folks.
Flextime 1 4 1. Signing off…
With so many options, there's no excuse not to back up your Mac routinely. It can save your precious data and make it easy to restore when things go wrong. You can also check out our selection of the best Mac backup software to further help you out. Do you have any further questions about backups? Let us know in the comments below.
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I have been an Apple user for over seven years now. http://mvdmvln.xtgem.com/Blog/__xtblog_entry/19205950-night-of-the-meteor-game#xt_blog. At iGeeksBlog, I love creating how-tos and troubleshooting guides that help people do more with their iPhone, iPad, Mac, AirPods, and Apple Watch. In my free time, I like to watch stand up comedy videos, tech documentaries, news debates, and political speeches.
Restore From Time Machine Backup
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