Backup For Mac With Time Machine

Delete Mac Time Machine Backup
How To Back Up Macbook Air
Backup Mac Time Machine File
Backup Mac With Time Machine
Backup Drive For Mac Time Machine

/Mac Tips /What Does Time Machine Backup? The Ultimate Guide

Time Machine is a free built-in backup software which copies Mac disk contents to external storage. When it runs first, the Time Machine makes a full backup and performs incremental backups after that. After the backup was done it is possible to restore individual files, applications or entire storage to a previous version.

Time Machine uses a unique method that mimics complete backups after creating a copy for modified files at hourly intervals. Time Machine runs like clockwork without manual upkeep or fuss. It only duplicates a file if altered, but this generates snapshots for every backup with hard links for each item on the backed-up drive.

The drives can be used with Time Machine for Mac backups, but LaCie's ToolKit app also allows you to 'mirror' individual folders. This is a good option if you use your Mac at work, and have.
When Time Machine runs for the first time, it takes the full backup of data on the disk. After that, it keeps deltas (only files that have changed). Time Machine keeps local snapshots, hourly snapshots for the last 24 hours, daily, and weekly snapshots as storage permits. If the backup disk gets full, the Time Machine starts deleting the oldest.

But the stark contrast with proprietary backup tools is that it not only mothballs spare duplicates of all files but also memorizes how your Mac looked on any day-so you can walk back in time. But exactly what does time machine backup? At the outset, Time Machine does not back up everything, unlike duplication-centered solutions like MacDaddy.

Article GuidePart 1: What Is The Scope of Apple’s Time Machine Back UpPart 2: What Does Time Machine Backup Files?Part 3: Other Alternatives to Backup FilesPart 4: Final Thoughts

People Also Read:How to Backup Mac and Why It Is Important to Do SoHow to Remove Old Backup Files from Mac?

Part 1: What Is The Scope of Apple’s Time Machine Back Up

About Time Machine

Time Machine uses a hard link that mimics and behaves like a separate clone of a file accessible via the Finder or Terminal. The hard link keeps the file extent uniquely once on a drive. Each instance of the file presents a link to that one special version. They’re removable without purging the original until you remain with one link.

The hard-link system benefits include intuitive navigation via Finder, and also a simple approach of reinstating a snapshot even without extra operations. It also allows you to delete snapshots without banishing data associated with other backups.

In case you inadvertently remove your recovery partition and you want to restore it back, you need to regenerate it. Restore everything, reinstall macOS and then load on everything with Time Machine.

Excluded Files

Contrary to the popular opinion that Time Machine backs up everything, it excludes a variety of files based on ecosystem rules. Accordingly, this nomenclature rules out cache files, log files, junk, and certain app settings.

iMyMac Mac Cleaner-The Must-Have Instrument for Cleanup

Unlike Time Machine, cloud services garbage down junk files and eat up precious space. iMyMac offers thoroughbred cleanup and optimization tools to keep clutter at bay. It zeroes in on system junk like broken links, cache files and vestiges of uninstalled apps.

You only need to run regular scans and farm out all types of redundant content. iCloud’s 5GB storage space will be filled to the brim quickly if you allow junk files to claim gigabytes of room. Mac Cleaner is a safe pair of hands and a preventative measure to salvage hard disk space.

It’s the go-to all-in-one system maintenance software to breeze through cleanup and wipe out all types of clutter. It comes with a Free Trial to erase a host of files excluded from Apple’s Time Machine backup. Install it to remove junk that may end up in your backups.

Temporary and system-specific files fall outside Apple’s Time Machine. By default, it does not back up:

System log files
Spotlight indexes
All types of cache files
Trash contents
Temporary files

It applies to all lineups of Mac OS X equipped with Time Machine.

Part 2: What Does Time Machine Backup Files?

Time Machine comes in handy for pre-update backup. So how to back up your Mac with Time Machine? Below are the steps:

Step 1. Plug-in An External Storage As Time Machine Backup Disk

Plug in an external storage like a USB or Thunderbolt drive. Check whether you have a backup disk sanctioned by Apple for use with Time Machine.

When you plug in the drive, you should encounter a prompt to use it as your Time Machine backup disk. If you don’t see it, navigate to Apple menu > System Preferences > Time Machine.

Step 2. Check the Back Up Automatically

Check the Back Up Automatically field. Hit Select Backup Disk.

Step 3. Highlight the Disk You Wish to Use

Highlight the disk you wish to use. To bolster the backup, check the field to Encrypt backups, but it adds the time taken to get the job done. Finally, hit Use Disk. After you configure a backup disk, Time Machine kicks off automatic data back up without diminishing workflow efficiency.

To launch a manual Time Machine backup, go to the menu bar and click the Time Machine icon. Highlight Back Up Now in the menu. Time Machine backs up everything from soups to nuts. For instance, Time Machine will do a fresh install of specific apps, folders, and handpicked files. As long as you know where to find your files on your HDD, you can create a backup.

Part 3: Other Alternatives to Backup Files

Duplication Tools

Duplication-based tools like CCC, MacDaddy, and SuperDuper will back up literally everything. However, these tools lock out some files by default like temporary or system-specific files recommended for exclusion by Apple. Look for a trouble-free experience to create a full backup or clone. They come in handy for generating bootable clones for a backup system. You can create precise copies of your hard drive, Mac OS X startup drive, or Apple iPod.

iCloud

If you have upgraded your iCloud storage, it’s a good option to backup troves of data. You can select Desktop and Documents folder, Mail, Pages, and Numbers. It’s helpful for Mac users with more than one Apple device.

Apart from iCloud, you can use Dropbox, Google Drive, and other cloud backup solutions. They allow you to share files or storing collaborative data but we wouldn’t recommend them to back up all your files. You wouldn’t easily extract a clone on your computer if you lose it. You could have a downloadable disc image of your system in the cloud.

Part 4: Final Thoughts

Apple preinstalls its backup software, Time Machine in macOS. It’s pretty easy to use armed with an external storage source, hard drive, or SSD to do the trick. Time Machine not only backs up your Mac but also generates incremental copies so you can retrieve an earlier version of a file if you need it.

You may want to set up Time Machine on NAS drive to back up wirelessly, but it runs at a snail’s gallop. Alternative backup software with a clever mix of features puts Apple’s tool in the shade because you can use it to boot from another Mac.

I hope you now know the answer to the question-what does time machine backup.

ExcellentThanks for your rating.

Rating: 4.6 / 5 (based on 109 ratings)

How does Time Machine work

Time Machine (TM) on Mac uses hard links (wiki) concept to create backup folders. Let me explain. When the first backup runs Time Machine copies all files from a startup disk to a new folder on the backup disk.

When TM runs next time it only copies files that have changed to a new folder. For the files that have not changed, it creates hard links that point to the actual files in a previous backup.

For instance, if initially, we had two files: file1.txt and file2.txt, they both will be copied on the first backup. Now if we make a change to fil1.txt then when next backup runs TM will copy file1.txt to a new folder and create a hard link to file2.txt from a previous backup without copying its contents.

So, if initial backup copied 100,000 files and only one file has changed since then only one file will be copied during the second backup.

To optimize further, in case if the folder did not change since last backup TM creates a hard link on a folder instead of thousands of hard links on each file inside the folder so the incremental backup runs very fast.

So, with this knowledge we can answer the following question:

Does Time Machine do a full backup every time

The Time Machine does a full backup only for the first time. After that, the Time Machine only saves contents of files that have changed since the last run and uses hard links to the previously backed files and folders to optimize the storage and speed up the backup process

How often does Time Machine backup

If the Time Machine is set to back up automatically it will run once every hour. The Time Machine keeps up to 24 hourly backups. After 24 hours it creates a daily backup for one month and weekly backups for multiple months. The Time Machine does not create monthly backups.

Does Time Machine delete old backups

The Time Machine keeps adding backup files as long as there is enough space on the backup disk. When the drive is full the Time Machine deletes old backups to free space for new data. While the Time Machine deletes old versions of the file it never deletes the latest one.

When TM deletes it still keeps the latest version of the file. For example, let’s assume we have two files file1.txt and file2.txt. The file1.txt was changed once and file2.txt was deleted. If there is enough space TM will store 2 versions of file1.txt and deleted version of file2.txt.

When the backup disk fills up TM will delete old (first) version of file1.txt and the last version of file2.txt. TM will not delete the last version of file1.txt because there is still hard link (from the last back up) pointing to it.

How to Limit the size of backup disk for Time Machine

Although the Time Machine can clear space from old backups it prefers to expand to the entire disk to avoid deleting old backups as long as possible. If the disk is shared with other applications the way to limit the Time Machine from expanding is to create a fixed partition on the disk and use the partition as a backup disk.

Now, when we know all the theory behind TM backup let’s see it in action.

How to back up with the Time Machine on Mac

Plug in an external hard drive
Start the Time Machine from System Preferences
Click on Select Backup Disk button.

This will open a window with a list of volumes available. If the external disk has multiple partitions, then all partitions will appear as possible volumes for back up. Select the volume and click on Use Disk button.

You can also check the Encrypt Backups option to make sure that all backups are encrypted with a password. Encrypting backups is a recommended approach, but remember, however, if you forget the password no one (even Apple) will be able to decrypt the backups later.

Choose if you want to Back Up Automatically.

Automatic backups assume that you either have an external hard drive constantly plugged-in or network storage such as Apple AirPort Time Capsule.

To exclude folder or drives from being backed up click on Options button.

By default, all external drives will be excluded. If you need to exclude other folders just click on the plus sign and browse to the desired folder.

Check Show Time Machine in menu bar option.

Now, if you need to bring up this dialog window you can select Open Time Machine Preferences option from the menu bar.

Click on Time Machine icon in the menu bar and click on Back Up Now to start back up manually.

If the automatic option is enabled, then the backup will start in one hour. You can always when the next backup will start from the Time Machine Preferences.

Choosing between Automatic or Manual backups

The advantage of automatic back up over manual is that we never know when we may need the old data. If the Time Machine is not set to run automatically then it is highly possible that some documents will not be available because you forgot to take manual back up on time.

Note that choosing Automatic back up does not mean that you can’t do it manually when needed. I often do manual backups when I am planning to do something that I may want to need to revert, e.g. install a new application which I may want to delete if I don’t like it.

Personally, I use manual backups which run from time to time, but I keep all my documents in the DropBox. With this set up I know that even if I have an old backup I can always rollback my Mac to an older version, run updates for all apps and sync all documents from DropBox to a local drive.

Another advantage of DropBox in this configuration is that I can access documents from different laptops.

Restoring from Time Machine backups

The main reason to back up anything is the ability to restore data to an older version. There are multiple reasons to restore and among them are the following:

A document was deleted and now you need it back
A document has been changed and you need an older version of it
Need to restore the previous version of an app or operating system
Restore current Mac image to a new Mac. Here is a good guide on moving contents to a new Mac with Time Machine
Disk corruption

How to restore a previous version of the document with Time Machine

To restore a previous version of the document first, start Time Machine from Applications or click on Enter Time Machine from the menu bar. This will bring up the Finder app with up and down arrows on the side. Use arrows to select the time of backup. Find the document and click on the Restore button.

If the file you are restoring already exists the Time Machine will give you options to Keep Original (which means not restoring older version), Keep Both (in this case the original file will be renamed to include original in parentheses) or Replace (the original file will be replaced with older version).

If you are not sure if the version you planning to restore is the one you need you can preview the document either by hitting a Space bar on the selected document or by double-clicking (or double tapping on touchpad). Previewing the document will not restore it, so it is safe.

How to restore a previous version of the app with Time Machine

The process of restoring apps is similar to restoring files and documents. To restore a previous version of the app start Time Machine and in the Finder window click on the Applications folder. Use up and down arrows to switch to the time when the older version was backed up and click on the Restore button.

How do I find files in Time Machine

If you don’t remember in which folder was the deleted file located, but remember the day when the file existed before deletion then you can search for files the same way as you search any file in the Finder app. Just make sure to select the timestamp of the back-up instead of “This Mac” as a search location.

How to restore Mac from the Time Machine backup

Besides restoring individual documents and apps it is possible to restore the entire Mac to a previously known state. Common reasons to do this are:

Restore deleted user
Restore the previous version of the macOS
Get rid of viruses and malware
Cleanly remove the unwanted application

Steps to restore Mac from the Time Machine

Click on Restore From Time Machine Backup
Select the disk with the desired backup
If the disk contains backups from multiple Macs select the right computer
Select the date and time of the back-up

This process will first completely erase the startup disk and copy all files from the backup disk.

Apple AirPort Time Capsule and alternatives

The biggest problem with Automatic backups and external drives is that need the drive to be constantly plugged into your Mac. This is not a problem for an iMac, but definitely not a good solution for MacBooks. Especially now, when new MacBook has only one USB-C port which is used for accessories and power.

Apple for a long time had a solution: Apple Time Capsule which is essentially a wireless router with a built-in hard drive. If you choose the time capsule as a backup disk then your MacBook will run a backup every hour as long as it can access it thru the wireless network.

For instance, if you have the time capsule at home your MacBook will not be able to run backups while you are at work, but as soon as you get home it will get back in a routine.

However, the simplicity of the solution was also a reason why Apple decided to stop making Time Capsules. The problem with everything being in one device is that you cannot change the built-in drive if you need more space or if the drive crashes.

You still can buy renewed Apple Time Capsules on Amazon, but this is not recommended anymore.

So, what is an alternative to Apple Time Capsule

Basically, to reproduce the functionality of AirPort Time Capsule you need two pieces of hardware: wifi router and an external drive or a network storage solution which combines both. After some research, I found an inexpensive reliable solution: Buffalo TeraStation.

There is good documentation which describes how to use Buffalo TeraStation for Time Machine backups.

If you prefer YouTube tutorials there is one here.

I had many questions when I was exploring this topic and after some research, I decided to write a small FAQ section on Time Machine for Mac.

FAQ

Will Time Machine run in sleep mode

Delete Mac Time Machine Backup

The Time Machine will run in a sleep mode as long as Power Nap option is enabled. To enable Power Nap feature on Mac, go to the Energy Saver section in System Preferences and check Enable Power Nap option for Battery, Power Adapter or both.

Now, make sure that Automatic Backups option in Time Machine Preferences is set to On.
If the Mac is in sleep mode and automatic backup enabled, then the Time Machine will make backups every hour if:

Mac is not plugged into the power and Power Nap is enabled under Battery tab in Energy Saver
Mac is plugged into the power and Power Nap is enabled under Power Adapter tab in Energy Saver

Can I put my Mac to sleep while Time Machine is running

It is safe to put Mac to sleep from the menu or by closing MacBook’s lid while the Time Machine is running. Depending on Power Nap configuration in Energy Saver preferences the backup process will continue if Power Nap is enabled or will stop and resume when Mac comes back from the sleep mode.

Can I use Mac while Time Machine is backing up

The Time Machine back up process may take a long time, but it is safe to continue working on Mac while the back up is running. However, the changes you made at this time may not be picked up in the current batch.

How much space does Time Machine need

When choosing a drive for Time Machine choose the one with at least twice as much storage as needed to back up. For instance, if MacBook’s drive is 128GB, then at least 256GB is needed. However, if possible, choose a disk as much storage as possible. More space allows keeping backups for a longer time.

Time Machine and compression

Currently, the Time Machine does not compress backups because it uses sparse disk bundles where each file can be split across multiple chunks which makes effective compression impossible. Also, compression generally slows down any process and backup process is not an exception.

If you need a backup solution with compression capabilities, you need to use commercial applications such as GetBackup Pro.

What is backed up in Time Machine

Time Machine backs up everything on the disk including documents, applications, photos, videos, mail, etc. Anything that gets saved on the disk (even browser cache and saved passwords) will be saved during a Time Machine back up and can be restored later when needed.

How do I access Time Machine files from another Mac

Open Time Machine Backup disk in Finder
Open Backups.backupdb folder
Open the folder with the name of another Mac
Open Latest folder
Open Macintosh HD
Browse folders and find the file you need
Drag the file from Finder to Desktop

Can I use Time Machine with a USB flash drive

Time Machine allows to back up to flash drives. Note, however, that flash drives are much slower than SSD drives, so both backup and restore with USB drives will be slow. For instance, it took 48 minutes to back up a disk with 12GB data to a flash drive and 67 minutes to back up 71GB to an external SSD drive.

If you need a help with choosing a proper SSD drive for backups check the recommended external drives here.

Can you back up multiple Macs to one-time machine

It is possible to use the same Time Machine disk for multiple Macs. When Time Machine runs backups it saves them under Backups.backupdb folder followed by a folder with the name of the Mac, e.g. Backups.backupdbMac’s MacBook. When restoring select the correct Mac folder and access to snapshots under it.

Can you pause Time Machine

To pause Time Machine click on the Time Machine icon from the menu bar. In a drop-down list click on Skip This Backup link. Time Machine will pause the backup but will start it again later if it is configured to run automatically.

Can Time Machine backup to iCloud, DropBox, Google Drive or OneDrive

Currently, Time Machine cannot upload to iCloud, DropBox, Google Drive or OneDrive. However, it can back up to external drives, flash drives, and network attached storage (NAS).

Why Time Machine is slow

The slowness of the Time Machine can be caused by multiple factors:

A lot of changes since the last backup
The last time was interrupted. Time Machine needs to rescan files changed
The last backup was done a long time ago
If Time Machine backing up to a network drive
Antivirus interference. Exclude backup disk from antivirus scans

Why does Time Machine gets stuck on preparing backup

How To Back Up Macbook Air

If Time Machine is stuck in Preparing Backup state then stop the process by clicking on x icon next to the progress bar. Open external drive in Finder app, find the latest in-progress file, delete it. Set Spotlight to not index time machine drive. Reboot and try again.

Why Time Machine does not recognize an external hard drive

Backup Mac Time Machine File

If Time Machine does not recognize an external USB or FireWire disk then do the following:

Backup Mac With Time Machine

Eject the drive in Finder.
Physically disconnect it from the Mac.
Shut down the Mac.
Reconnect the disk.
Turn the Mac on.

Backup Drive For Mac Time Machine

Topics: