Even though this is PC Backup Review, some of us have Macs at home or work. It wouldn’t feel right if we didn’t include a basic article about Time Machine. I mean, it is just so slick, PC users need to know what they’re missing!
Download Airport Time Machine and enjoy it on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. You are an air traffic controller in the year 1925. As time progresses, your small grass airfield grows up into a major international airport in 1970. Find an Apple Store or other retailer near you. Or call 1-800-MY-APPLE. Or choose Apple ( ) menu System Preferences, then click Time Machine. Click Select Backup Disk (or Select Disk, or Add or Remove Backup Disk). Select your external drive from the list of available disks. Then select ”Encrypt backups” (recommended) and click Use Disk. If the disk you selected isn't formatted as required by Time Machine, you're prompted to erase the disk first. Click Erase to proceed. How do I set up Time Machine to an internal or directly-connected external HD?.22. How do I set up Time Machine to a shared drive on another Mac?.23. How do I set up Time Machine to a Time Capsule or Airport Extreme?.24. What do the Time Machine icons in my Menubar and Dock do?. This is the 13th version of this tip. Apple Fitness+ is coming late 2020. $4.99/month after free trial. One subscription per Family Sharing group. Offer good for 3 months after eligible device activation. Plan automatically renews until canceled. Restrictions and other terms apply.
This Apple Time Capsule includes a 500 GB hard drive that's designed to work with Time Machine in Mac OS X Leopard. Just set Time Capsule as the designated backup drive for Time Machine, and that's it. Depending on how much data you have, your initial backup with Time Capsule could take overnight or longer.
Not only does Time Machine keep backups of individual files, it also keeps backups of your entire system at frequent intervals (think of these as restore points.) How frequent you ask? Time Machine keeps hourly backups for the past 24 hours, daily backups for the past month, and weekly backups until your backup drive is full. So you can literally go back in time, pun intended.
In this article I will explain how to back up your personal computer using Time Machine, which is already built into your Mac when you first purchase it. You just need to turn it on.
Setting Up Your Backup In Time Machine
In this first part we’ll talk about setting up Time Machine using a regular external hard drive. It only takes six easy steps.
1. Plug in an external hard drive to your machine via USB, Firewire, or Thunderbolt connection.
2. Go under the Apple menu and choose “System Preferences.”
3. Click on “Time Machine.”
4. Time Machine will likely be set to “Off.” Click to turn it “On.”
5. Select your backup destination from the available list. If you have a second internal drive or a plugged-in external drive from step 1, it should appear on the list.
6. Click “Connect.”
That’s all it takes. A countdown timer will pop up, and when it completes the countdown, your backup starts! It’s so easy!
Using a Time Capsule
As if Time Machine isn’t easy enough, you can replace the external drive with a Time Capsule – a wireless storage device that’s a perfect match for your Mac, in both function and fashion.
This little white box (think of it as a time capsule) will store your backups safely and securely, too. You can get it in a 2TB or 3TB version for $299 or $499, respectively.
It carries a premium price tag, but it’s not an ordinary drive – it contains a “server-grade hard drive” that’s more durable than a typical external drive (i.e. less likely to crash from constant use.) You can also use it to backup multiple Macs. Thanks to the wireless connection, you can backup virtually every Mac in your house to a single Time Capsule.
The backup process is almost identical to the steps listed above. The difference is when you’re choosing a backup device from the list, select “Time Capsule.” You will probably be prompted to select the Time Capsule if it’s your first time setting up backup. In the alert window that appears, enter the password for your Time Capsule.
Click “Connect” as before, and your backup will begin.
Restoring Backups Using Time Machine
If you would like to restore a backup from Time Machine, it’s simple.
How to restore individual files and folders:
Go under your Time Machine menu and select “Enter Time Machine.” You’ll be presented with the restore interface that includes a timeline on the right side.
Scroll through the timeline until you find your desired date to restore from. Under each date will be a list of the backed up files as they appeared at that point in time.
Select whatever file or folder you want to restore and click “Restore.” It will be immediately copied from your backup device to your computer.
Once you make sure your backup drive is connected, start up your Mac from the Recovery system (Command-R at startup) or Mac OS X installation disc. Once loaded, use the “Restore From Time Machine Backup” utility. It will do the rest.
How to restore your entire system onto a new Mac:
If your computer was completely wiped out and you’re going to restore the backup onto a new one, the process is slightly different.
You’ll want to go under Applications/Utilities and use the Migration Assistant. Follow the on-screen prompts and your backup will be restored onto the new machine. When finished, simply choose “Inherit Backup History,” and your new Mac will have Time Machine configured automatically.
Apple Time Machine FAQ
Here are common questions about Apple’s Time Machine backup system and the Time Capsule backup drive.
Q: Is it possible to backup to a Time Capsule via Ethernet?
A: Yes. Most people prefer to perform their first backup over an Ethernet cable because it’s much faster than wireless. If you have lots of GBs to back up, it will save a substantial amount of time.
But after your initial backup is complete, all subsequent backups are incremental and occur easily over a wireless connection. So just switch to wireless for the convenience at that point.
Q: How secure is it? What if someone picks up my Time Capsule and walks off with it?
You can use FileVault 2 to encrypt your Time Machine backup on any external drive, and in OS X Mountain Lion, Time Machine itself lets you encrypt Time Capsule backups.
Apple Store Time Machine Embroidery Designs
If someone wants to access your backups, they’ll have to figure out how to decrypt them first.
Q: Is a Time Capsule worth the $299? What about getting a regular external hard drive?
A: Well, a high-quality external drive is going to run $100-200. And it will work fine. But you’ll only be able to use it with one computer at a time, whereas the Time Capsule can be used with as many Macs as you have in the house. If you value convenience, the wireless capability and easy integration make the Time Capsule worth the price. (The price is on par with other NAS units.)
Personally, if I had a Mac at home, I’d jump at the opportunity for such simple, streamlined backup!
Q: What if I lose it all in a house fire or flood?
A: You are out of luck… unless you implemented some sort of offsite, remote backup. Local backups on a Time Capsule are great if your computer crashes, but they’re only safe as long as the Time Capsule is.
That’s why everyone should have online backup in place. Most popular backup services these days – BackBlaze, Mozy, CrashPlan, IDrive, and DollyDrive, just to name a few – are compatible with Macs and are very affordable.
Once you get your Time Machine backup set up, sign-up for some online backup, too.
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Apple Time Machine Troubleshooting
You can use Time Machine, the built-in backup feature of your Mac, to automatically back up all of your files, including apps, music, photos, email, documents, and system files. When you have a backup, you can restore files from your backup if the original files are ever deleted from your Mac, or the hard disk (or SSD) in your Mac is erased or replaced.
Create a Time Machine backup
To create backups with Time Machine, all you need is an external storage device. After you connect the device and select it as your backup disk, Time Machine automatically makes hourly backups for the past 24 hours, daily backups for the past month, and weekly backups for all previous months. The oldest backups are deleted when your backup disk is full.
Connect an external storage device
Connect one of the following external storage devices, sold separately. Learn more about backup disks that you can use with Time Machine.
External drive connected to your Mac, such as a USB, Thunderbolt, or FireWire drive
External drive connected to an AirPort Extreme Base Station (802.11ac model) or AirPort Time Capsule
AirPort Time Capsule
Mac shared as a Time Machine backup destination
Network-attached storage (NAS) device that supports Time Machine over SMB
Select your storage device as the backup disk
When you connect an external drive directly to your Mac, you might be asked if you want to use the drive to back up with Time Machine. Select Encrypt Backup Disk (recommended), then click Use as Backup Disk.
An encrypted backup is accessible only to users with the password. Learn more about keeping your backup disk secure.
If Time Machine doesn't ask to use your drive, follow these steps to add it manually:
Open Time Machine preferences from the Time Machine menu in the menu bar. Or choose Apple () menu > System Preferences, then click Time Machine.
Click Select Backup Disk (or Select Disk, or Add or Remove Backup Disk):
Select your external drive from the list of available disks. Then select ”Encrypt backups” (recommended) and click Use Disk:
If the disk you selected isn't formatted as required by Time Machine, you're prompted to erase the disk first. Click Erase to proceed. This erases all information on the backup disk.
Enjoy the convenience of automatic backups
After you select a backup disk, Time Machine immediately begins making periodic backups—automatically and without further action by you. The first backup may take a long time, depending on how many files you have, but you can continue using your Mac while a backup is underway. Time Machine backs up only the files that changed since the previous backup, so future backups will be faster.
Apple Store Time Machine App
To start a backup manually, choose Back Up Now from the Time Machine menu in the menu bar. Use the same menu to check the status of a backup or skip a backup in progress.
Apple Store Time Machine Online
Learn more
Apple Store Time Machine Software
If you back up to multiple disks, you can switch disks before entering Time Machine. Press and hold the Option key, then choose Browse Other Backup Disks from the Time Machine menu.
To exclude items from your backup, open Time Machine preferences, click Options, then click the Add (+) button to add an item to be excluded. To stop excluding an item, such as an external hard drive, select the item and click the Remove (–) button.
If using Time Machine to back up to a network disk, you can verify those backups to make sure they're in good condition. Press and hold Option, then choose Verify Backups from the Time Machine menu.
In OS X Lion v10.7.3 or later, you can start up from your Time Machine disk, if necessary. Press and hold Option as your Mac starts up. When you see the Startup Manager screen, choose “EFI Boot” as the startup disk.