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.
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.
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
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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.
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Free DownloadTry to repair Time Machine backup when your Time Machine backup/restore failed, corrupted or missing. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac is helpful to recover a missing or deleted Time Machine backup or disk image on your Mac.
Time Machine Backup/Restore Failed
Mac users, who're currently running macOS Catalina or Mojave, report that they got an issue with Time Machine. Mainly, it's about Time Machine backup failed to back up the scheduled files to the configured backup disks, let it be the Time Capsule drive or third-party drive. Hence, how to repair Time Machine backup becomes the topic we're going to discuss here.
You can read on or jump to the issue & solution you're most concerned about.
Workable Solutions | Step-by-step Troubleshooting |
---|---|
Issue 1. Can't Backup or Restore | Check Time Machine system requirements > check your Mac..Full steps |
Issue 2. Backup Corrupted | Create a new backup > restart Time Machine > repair with terminal command..Full steps |
Issue 3. Backup Missing | Download software to recover missing backups > repair unrecognized..Full steps |
Issue 1. Can't Backup or Restore Your Mac Using Time Machine
One phenomenon to get Time Machine backup failed is that you can't back up or access an existing Time Machine backup, or restore from an earlier backup won't work. According to Apple's official instructions (https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204157), when you have a problem with Time Machine, check these things if you see an alert that Time Machine is unable to back up your data, or if you can't select your backup disk in Time Machine preferences.
Fix 1. Check Time Machine System Requirements
- External hard drive connected to a USB, FireWire, or Thunderbolt port on your Mac
- Time Capsule or macOS Server on your network
- External hard drive connected to the USB port of an AirPort Extreme Base Station (802.11ac) on your network
Fix 2. Check Your Mac
- Make sure that your Mac software is up to date.
- Restart your Mac and see if the issue continues.
Fix 3. Check your AirPort Base Station
- If you're using an AirPort Time Capsule or a drive connected to an AirPort Extreme Base Station, make sure that your AirPort firmware is up to date.
- Restart your base station and see if the issue continues. To restart, unplug the base station from AC power for 5 seconds, then plug it back in.
Fix 4. Check Your Network Connection
If you back up to a server, AirPort Time Capsule, or drive connected to your AirPort Extreme Base Station, make sure that your Mac is connected to the same network as your backup drive. You can select your wireless network from the Wi-Fi status menu.
Fix 5. Check Your Backup
If you back up to a server, AirPort Time Capsule, or drive connected to your AirPort Extreme Base Station, make sure that your current Time Machine backup doesn't have any issues that could prevent further backups:
- While holding down the Option key on your keyboard, click the Time Machine menu in the menu bar, then choose Verify Backups.
- If Time Machine finds an issue with your backup, it displays a message with details. Follow the onscreen instructions.
Fix 6. Check Your Drives
- If you're using a drive connected to a port on your Mac or AirPort Extreme Base Station, make sure that the drive is turned on.
- If you're using a USB hub or a similar device, try connecting the drive directly to your Mac or base station.
- If you're backing up to an external third-party drive, check with the drive manufacturer to make sure the drive's firmware is up to date.
- If you're backing up to an external drive, check the formatting of the drive. Time Machine requires that an external drive be formatted like a Mac startup disk: Mac OS Extended (Journaled) with a GUID Partition Table (GPT). If you select a differently formatted drive for use with Time Machine, your Mac automatically prompts you to erase it for Time Machine.
- Reformatting a disk erases all data stored on the disk, so you might want to move important files to another disk first.
If your drive is already formatted correctly, turn off Time Machine, then check it for problems:
- To check the drive of an AirPort Time Capsule, follow the steps to verify an AirPort Time Capsule drive.
- To check an external drive connected to your Mac, open Disk Utility from the Utilities folder of your Applications folder. Then use the First Aid feature in Disk Utility to verify your disk. Do this for your startup disk as well.
- You can turn Time Machine back on after your drives are verified or repaired successfully.
Issue 2. Time Machine Backup Is Corrupted
What's a corrupted Time Machine backup? Below are some backup corruption symptoms.
- Fail to complete Time Machine backup
- can't access time machine backups
- Time Machine keeps asking to create new backups
- Searching for time machine backups taking forever
- Time Machine disk or external device becomes unrecognized
How to repair a corrupted Time Machine backup? According to some experienced users and professional geeks, when Time Machine corrupted, it can be fixed by the following four troubleshooting methods.
Fix 1. Create New Backup
If Time Machine keeps asking you to create new backups, click Create new backup to start the new backup then. So that it can work smoothly later.
Fix 2. Restart Time Machine
Restart Time Machine several times may also help. You may need to switch Time Machine to On-Off-On and then reboot the Time Machine again.
Fix 3. Swap out The Hard Drive
Another solution to repair Time Machine is to set up a new external hard drive with Time Machine as a backup drive.
Time Machine Is Read Only
Fix 4. Repair Corrupted Time Machine with Terminal command
![Backup For Mac With Time Machine Backup For Mac With Time Machine](/uploads/1/2/6/6/126657207/795578766.jpg)
If Time Machine stops responding or even not working on Mac, to repair the corrupted Time Machine becomes tough yet still resolvable with Terminal command.
- Notice:
- Before starting the process, You should stop Time Machine: Time Machine Preferences > Toggle Time Machine 'OFF'.
- Step 1: Open Terminal on Mac and type: $ sudo su - and hit Return.
- Step 2: Type: $ chflags -R nouchg '/Volumes/.sparsebundle' and hit Return.
- If you don't know the TM name, go to Time Machine Prefernces and check out. Or type: $ ls '/Volumes/ and hit Return.
- Step 3: Type: $ hdiutil attach -nomount -readwrite -noverify -noautofsck '/Volumes/.sparsebundle' and hit Return.
- Step 4: Type the below command and hit Return each time:
/dev/disk5 GUID_partition_scheme
/dev/disk5s1 EFI
/dev/disk5s2 Apple_HFS - Step 5: Type: $ fsck_hfs -drfy /dev/diskxs2 and hit Return. After this, if you receive 'The volume was repaired successfully', congratulations.
But if Terminal warns you 'The volume could not be repaired', relax and continue with next command. - Step 6: Type: $ fsck_hfs -p /dev/diskxs2 and hit Return.
- Step 7: Type: $ fsck_hfs -drfy /dev/diskxs2 and hit Return. Wait for the process to complete.
- Step 8: Type: $ vi '/Volumes//.sparsebundle/com.apple.TimeMachine.MachineID.plist' and hit Return.
Change the value of integer from 2 to 0 within that file.
Issue 3. Time Machine Backups Missing
When you cannot access to Time Machine or Time Machine corrupted, you are highly recommended to get backup data back first. How?
Fix 1. Recover Missing Backup Image with Software
If the Time Machine backup disk can be opened but nothing appears, the best way is to scan and restore all lost Time Machines' Backups.backupdb files. Here we'd like to recommend you try EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac which supports users to restore all lost data from different situations within only 3 steps. Download EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac and restore Time Machine backups now:
Step 1. Select the disk location (it can be an internal HDD/SSD or a removable storage device) where you lost data and files. Click the 'Scan' button.
Step 2. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac will immediately scan your selected disk volume and display the scanning results on the left pane.
Step 3. In the scan results, select the file(s) and click the 'Recover Now' button to have them back.
What's more, if you lost files on Mac or external storage devices, you can also apply EaseUS Mac data recovery software to easily recover files on Mac without Time Machine backup.
Fix 2. Repair Unrecognized Time Machine Drive
When the Time Machine backup disk or external hard drive becomes unrecognized, as a result, backups are missing, you can first mount it on Mac and then run First Aid on Time Machine disk with disk utility.
Step 1: Connect the Time Machine backup external hard drive to Mac. Launch Disk Utility, check external hard drive at the left panel.
You'll see that the external hard drive is greyed out, marked as untitled. (Untitled means unmounted on Mac computer.)
Step 2: Select the untitled external hard drive and click the 'Mount' button from the Disk Utility bar.
Step 3: Select Time Machine drive at drive level on the left panel of Disk Utility and run First Aid.
Step 4: Select Time Machine drive at volume level and run First Aid.
Imac Time Machine
Wait for the process completes, check if Mac computer can recognize your backup disk and open it in Time Machine again.
Conclusion
Back Up Using Time Machine
Regarding the topic 'Time Machine backup failed' and 'how to repair Time Machine backup', we gathered all feasible solutions to help you resolve the various issues with Time Machine on your Mac. If you have further Time Machine problems, click for more Time Machine guidelines from the following collection.