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!
- How To Create A Backup Using Time Machine
- How To Backup Using Time Machine On Mac
- How To Backup Using Time Machine
- How To Backup Using Time Machine On My Passport
- How To Backup Imac Using Time Machine
Before you can start backing up your Mac using Time Machine, you first have to enable it and set up the external hard drive that you want to back up to. Open up System Preferences and click on Time. RELATED: How to Restore Files From a Time Machine Backup on Windows. If you’d just like to stop using Time Machine and use the drive with a Windows PC, you can reformat the drive with the NTFS or FAT32 file systems using the Windows Disk Management tool. Time Machine isn’t a cross-platform backup solution, but it is very powerful. First of all, you backup your iPhone via iTunes on your Mac. Then use Time Machine to back up the iTunes backup files to Time Capsule or an external hard drive. If you don’t know how to create an iTunes backup for your iPhone, here’s how: Connect your iPhone to your Mac via the lightning cable. Open the iTunes app on your Mac.
How To Create A Backup Using Time Machine
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.
How to make a 3d computer model. 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!
How To Backup Using Time Machine On Mac
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. How to install microsoft powerpoint for free. 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.
How to restore your entire system:
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.
How To Backup Using Time Machine
If someone wants to access your backups, they’ll have to figure out how to decrypt them first. Cura mac.
Q: Is a Time Capsule worth the $299? What about getting a regular external hard drive?
How To Backup Using Time Machine On My Passport
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!
How To Backup Imac Using Time Machine
![How To Backup Using Time Machine How To Backup Using Time Machine](https://www.applegazette.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/time-machine-backup.jpg)
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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It’s a good idea to back up your Mac in case your hard drive fails or your computer crashes. If this happens, you could lose all of your personal files. To prevent this, you should back up your files on a separate drive that you can restore from if anything happens to your computer. And thankfully, you can do this easily on your Mac with a built-in backup application on your computer. Here’s how to back up your Mac with Time Machine.
What Does Time Machine Back Up?
TimeMachine backs up all the files on your computer, including apps, music,documents, photos, emails, and system files. With a backup, you can restorefiles you accidentally delete or change. When Time Machine is turned on, itwill automatically back up your files on your Mac hourly, daily, or weekly. Inaddition, it also deletes older backups as the backup starts running out ofspace.
Note: To use this application, you’ll need some form of external storage, such as an external hard drive. If you want to know more about how to format your hard drive for Mac computers, check out our guide here.
How to Back Up with Time Machine
![How To Backup Using Time Machine How To Backup Using Time Machine](https://notebooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/daisydisk.jpg)
- Connect an external hard drive to your computer. If you are connecting this drive for the first time, a pop-up window will appear to ask you if you want to use Time Machine. If you see this pop-up window, you can click “Use as a Backup Disk.” Then skip to the last step.
- Then click the Apple icon in the Apple Menu. The Apple icon is always located in the top-left corner of your screen.
- Next, select System Preferences.
- Click on the Time Machine icon. The icon looks like a curving arrow pointing downward that surrounds a clock face. Clicking this will open Time Machine preferences.
- Click Select Backup Disk.
- Select the drive you’ll use as a Time Machine backup.
- Finally, click the Back Up Automatically box. This will automatically start to back up your files on your Mac to your chosen disk.
Once the first backup is complete, Time Machine will check your computer for new, changed, and deleted files every hour to make backups of your Mac. The application keeps a daily backup for the past month. It will also keep weekly backups as long as the storage device still has space. Once the storage device runs out of space, the oldest backups will be deleted from Time Machine.
If you want to back up your Mac manually, click the box next to Show Time Machine in menu bar. Then click the icon in your menu bar and select Back Up Now.
How to Selectively Back Up with Time Machine
If you don’t want to back up every single file, you can also opt to select which files you want to back up. Follow the steps below to exclude files from your backup:
- First, select System Preferences from the Apple menu.
- Then click on the Time Machine icon.
- Click Options… You will find this in the bottom-right corner of the window.
- Click the “+” button.
- Choose the files or folders you want to exclude in your backup. You can select applications, files, and folders to exclude. You can select multiple items at once by holding the Command key on your keyboard.
- Then click Exclude.
- Finally, click the Save button.
The files you don’t want to back up will now be excluded from Time Machine backup.
Now that you know how to back up your files, check out our guide on how to restore from Time Machine here.