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How to automatically back up your Mac with Time Machine
Whether you're using one of the newest Macs with macOS Sequoia or an older Mac with a hard drive, having a data backup solution is a must. Luckily, all Mac desktops and laptops come with Time Machine â a native backup utility that can automatically save your data at selected intervals. In this guide, we'll show you how to set up Time Machine, and make sure you're covered in the event something goes wrong with your computer, storage drive, or macOS instance.
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Things to know before you get started using Time Machine
For starters, you'll need an external drive with enough free space
For those that are new to Time Machine, it's a native macOS backup utility that makes it easy to take snapshots of your system data. If, for some reason, you encounter an issue with your Mac or your macOS instance, these Time Machine snapshots will give you a point to restore from with minimal or zero data loss. That's why using Time Machine is essential, even if you back up your Mac using a cloud service, like iCloud.
Time Machine makes hourly backups for the past 24 hours, daily backups for the past month, and weekly backups for all previous months, according to Apple Support. These backups are saved until your Time Machine disk if full, at which point the utility will automatically delete the oldest backups to make room for new ones. As such, there is a benefit to using a larger drive. Minimally, Apple recommends you use a hard drive or SSD with double the storage of your Mac's internal drive. Any USB or Thunderbolt drive with enough storage should do the trick.
If you plug in your drive and see a message like This drive is not readable by this computer, follow the on-screen prompts to Initialize the drive. This will make the drive readable by your Mac, and by extension, Time Machine.
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How to set up Time Machine for the first time
You can configure Time Machine to make automatic backups
Using the System Settings or System Preferences apps, you can set up automatic backups at daily intervals with Time Machine. However, the exact steps will depend on whether you're running a newer or older version of macOS. Click the Apple menu > About this Mac to view your current OS version, and skip to the steps below that match.
How to set up Time Machine on macOS Ventura or later
- Open the System Settings app, and navigate to the General tab. Then, click Time Machine.
- Click Add Backup disk.
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Enter your password to modify your Time Machine settings.
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Select a disk, and click Set Up Disk to continue.
- If applicable, set a Time Machine encryption password. Then, click Done.
After that, your Mac will automatically back up to the selected drive at daily intervals with Time Machine.
How to set up Time Machine on macOS Monterey or earlier
- Open the System Preferences app and click the Time Machine page.
- Click the Select Backup Disk button.
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Select a disk or choose an AirPort Time Capsule from the list.
- Click the Show Time Machine in menu bar button.
When you have finished, your Mac will automatically back up to the selected drive at daily intervals with Time Machine.
It may take a while for your initial backup to be completed. For recurring backups, Time Machine only needs to back up files that have been added or modified since the last backup, so future snapshots will be saved quicker.
How to manually make a Time Machine backup
Time Machine makes routine backups automatically, but you can make a manual backup at any time using the Time Machine menu bar item. It's pretty easy to do, and it'll work on any macOS version â as long as you've selected the checkbox or toggle to show Time Machine in the menu bar. To make a manual backup, simply click the Time Machine icon in the menu bar and select Back Up Now. It's really that simple.
Why you should use Time Machine
It's a quick and easy way to add redundancy to your Mac's data
Data loss is something that every tech user should be thinking about proactively. Using Time Machine is a quick, easy, and reliable way to back up any Mac to make sure you're covered in the event of data loss. It's as simple as buying one of the best external drives for Mac, setting up automatic Time Machine backups, and forgetting about it.