Time Machine iconFinding a reliable backup solution for the Mac that runs in the background and isn't a drain on system resources was once considered a challenging prospect.

With the arrival of OS X 10.5 Leopard, Apple changed that preconception by introducing its native backup solution, called Time Machine. This article explains the benefits of using Time Machine and runs you through the setup and restore process.

Benefits of Using Time Machine

Time Machine has won over many Mac users due to its automated scheduling and intuitive recovery process, along with its ability to run in the background without affecting overall system performance.

The application achieves this by making an initial full backup of your Mac's system disk and then stacking subsequent changes to the volume in a chronological hierarchy. Hourly backups, daily backups and weekly backups occur automatically, while the oldest backups are overwritten with new ones as the external backup disk reaches full capacity.

This creates a layered snapshot system that's reflected in Time Machine's navigable timeline and makes the recovery of individual files and folders a simple affair.

Time Machine on a MacBook Air
Another big plus with Apple's solution is that a Time Machine backup can be used in Recovery Mode to restore your Mac to its original state if the worst happens and your drive fails.

Likewise, the same backup volume can be used by Apple's Migration Assistant during an OS X installation to quickly transfer your applications, files and settings from an old Mac to a new one.

If you're using a Mac notebook running OS X Lion or later and you move away from the backup disk, Time Machine will save daily backups to your Mac's startup disk and even manage these local snapshots to ensure you still have storage space available.

Time Capsule

What You Need

Apple's AirPort Time Capsule (from $299) is a Wi-Fi base station with a built-in backup disk, making it an ideal wireless solution for Time Machine since it avoids the need to keep an external hard drive physically connected to your Mac.

You can also use an external drive connected over a network, so long as it supports Apple File Protocol (AFP) file sharing. Otherwise, any hard drive that connects via USB, Thunderbolt or FireWire and uses a Mac filesystem format will do the job.

Bear in mind that the initial backup takes time, so you may want to set up Time Machine in the evening and leave your Mac on overnight for the process to complete.

Setting up Time Machine

When you connect an external hard drive to your Mac, a prompt may appear asking if you want to use it as a Time Machine backup disk. If you'd prefer to secure your backups with a password, check the "Encrypt Backup Disk" option, then click "Use as Backup Disk".

Time Machine query dialog

If the dialog prompt doesn't appear, follow these steps:

  1. Open Time Machine's settings by selecting System Preferences from the top-left Apple menu in the menu bar and clicking the Time Machine icon in the preference pane.
  2. Turn on the Time Machine slider and tick the "Show Time Machine in menu bar" option if it isn't already selected.
  3. To exclude specific items from your backups, click "Options…" and use the + button to select the files or folders in question. Here you can also choose whether to back up when your Mac's running on battery power and whether or not to be notified when old backups get deleted. Click Save when you're done.
  4. Click "Select Backup Disk…" and choose the drive you'd like to use from the list. Finally, tick the box if you want to Encrypt backups and then click "Use Disk".

Time Machine preference pane

And that's it. The chosen volume will be formatted and the initial backup begins a couple of minutes later. Time Machine looks after the rest.

Using Multiple Backup Disks

Of course, using one backup disk may prove impractical if you often move your Mac between two locations. Fortunately, Time Machine supports multiple backups and will automatically rotate backups between disks, so there's nothing to stop you from keeping one in both places.

To add another backup disk to Time Machine, simply wait for the initial backup to complete on the first disk and then repeat step 4. Time Machine will ask if you want to use this new volume instead or to take turns backing up between the two disks. Select "Use Both".

Time Machine Use Both Disks

Restoring From a Backup

To restore individual files and folders from your desktop, follow these steps:

  1. Enter Time Machine by selecting the option from the Time Machine icon on the OS X menu bar.

  2. In the screen that appears you'll see a Finder window and several more receding into the distance; select a date from the timeline right of the screen or click the up/down arrows to navigate the backup snapshots and locate the deleted item (or an earlier version of an item) you want to recover.

  3. Select the relevant item in the snapshot window, click Restore, and Time Machine will copy the file or folder to its original location on your Mac's startup disk.

Time Machine screen
If you're using multiple backup disks and want to restore an item from another backup volume, return to the desktop, hold down the Option key and click on the Time Machine icon in the menu bar. Select the option that appears to "Browse Other Backup Disks…" and choose the attached volume in question.

Finally, to restore your startup disk wholesale in the event of a disaster, restart your Mac and hold down the Command and R keys to enter Recovery Mode. Select the option to "Restore your Mac from a Time Machine backup" from the OS X Utilities window and follow the steps on screen.

Alternatives to Time Machine

If you'd prefer more scheduling flexibility than Time Machine offers or you want to back up to a bootable clone disk, check out third-party apps like SuperDuper! ($27.95) and Carbon Copy Cloner ($39.99).

Alternatively, CrashPlan offers a free off-site backup solution as well as a cloud-based option for as little as $5 a month.

Top Rated Comments

JimmyHook Avatar
120 months ago
Great article. Ignore the condescending comments. Some people are new and learning... "just search for it" is a terrible attitude
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Crosscreek Avatar
120 months ago
SuperDuper runs every night on my Mac so I always have a fresh bootable copy from external WD drive.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JeffyTheQuik Avatar
120 months ago
This is nice for those new to Macs, or those that have forgotten to do so. This kind of thing would have been nice to have when I entered the Mac waters back in 2008.

Thank you!
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Weaselboy Avatar
120 months ago
If you're using a Mac notebook running OS X Yosemite or later and you move away from the backup disk, Time Machine will save daily backups to your Mac's startup disk and even manage these local snapshots to ensure you still have storage space available.
Just a correction Tim, local snapshots came out with Lion. http://pondini.org/TM/30.html

Well written article. Thank you.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
glenthompson Avatar
120 months ago
This doesn't offer any way of backing up the hard drive to itself, does it?

I mean... surely that would be more useful than nothing, wouldn't it?
Pretty much this is a useless approach. The only thing it would protect you against is accidental deletion or overwriting of a file. Almost any other disaster scenario would leave you without a backup. Think fire, theft, flood, etc.

Best practice for backups is to have at least 3 copies of your data with one of those copies being off-site.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
r03dz Avatar
120 months ago
My Time Capsule has saved me multiple times. A great purchase.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
macbook pro blue green

When Will Apple Release the M5 MacBook Pro?

Wednesday March 26, 2025 4:53 pm PDT by
Apple regularly refreshes the MacBook Pro models, and a new version that uses M5 series chips is in the works. Apple just finished refreshing most of the Mac lineup with M4 chips, and now it's time for the M5. Rumors suggest that we could see the first M5 MacBook Pro models this fall. Design There have been no rumors of a design update for the M5 MacBook Pro models that are coming this...
Facebook Feature

Facebook's New iPhone App Feature Turns the Clock Back to 2007

Thursday March 27, 2025 1:59 pm PDT by
In the mid-to-late 2000s, Facebook was all about staying connected with friends and family. However, as the social media platform added new features and grew over time, that core experience began to get drowned out. That changes starting now, according to Meta, which today introduced a new feature that will "bring back the joy" of classic Facebook. Specifically, Meta has redesigned the...
iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Expected Next Week - Here Are the Release Notes

Friday March 28, 2025 2:01 pm PDT by
With the second release candidate of iOS 18.4 that Apple seeded out today, the company finally provided us with release notes that give a full rundown on what to expect. There's an Apple Vision Pro app, new Apple Intelligence features for notifications and additional language support, plus an Apple News Food feature for Apple News+ subscribers, and several updates that should improve the...
iOS 18 4 Ambient Music Control Center

How to Use iOS 18.4's New Ambient Music Feature in Control Center

Thursday March 27, 2025 7:45 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 18.4 update for the iPhone adds an Ambient Music feature to Control Center. Below, we take a closer look at how it works. iOS 18.4 is currently in beta, so the Ambient Music feature is not widely available yet. The update will likely be released to the general public next week. To use the feature on iOS 18.4, open Control Center and tap on the plus sign in the top-left...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature 1

'iPhone Fold' to Feature Metallic Glass Hinge That Resists Deformation

Thursday March 27, 2025 4:21 am PDT by
Last week, we covered a report claiming that Apple's book-style foldable iPhone (or "iPhone Fold," as we are provisionally calling it here) will use liquid metal hinges to improve durability and help minimize screen creasing. Today, a Chinese leaker provided more details on the properties of this hinge material that help to clarify why Apple chose it for its first foldable device. According...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Homescreen

Six Things to Know About Apple's Upcoming Foldable iPhone

Friday March 28, 2025 3:54 pm PDT by
We've been hearing rumors about a foldable iPhone for almost a decade now, but it looks like we might finally see the device come to fruition in 2026. We're going to be waiting many more months for the foldable iPhone, but so far we're hearing good things. Apple wants to make it creaseless. It's taken Apple multiple years to design a foldable iPhone that it's satisfied with because Apple ...
Magic Mouse Green

What to Expect From the Magic Mouse 3

Saturday March 29, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Apple is reportedly working on a new Magic Mouse. Below, we recap what to expect. The two key rumors for the Magic Mouse 3 so far include a relocated charging port, along with a more ergonomic design. It was briefly rumored that the Magic Mouse 3 would also feature voice control, but that was misinterpreted information. Relocated Charging Port While the Magic Mouse switched from...
Apple Lumon Terminal Pro

Apple's Mac Site Features Fictional 'Lumon Terminal Pro'

Wednesday March 26, 2025 12:19 pm PDT by
Apple is going all out with promotions for the popular Severance Apple TV+ show today, and as of right now, you'll find a new "Lumon Terminal Pro" listed on Apple's Mac site. The Lumon Terminal Pro is designed to look similar to the machines that Severance employees like Mark S. and Helly R. use for macrodata refinement. The Terminal features a blue keyboard, a small display with wide...