(July 2024) The Ultimate Guide to Mac Time Machine Backups

Does the Time Machine back up everything?

Time Machine is a built-in backup feature of macOS. It enables you to back up your files and their various versions over time. Once set up, Time Machine can automatically back up a user's data. According to Apple Support, the data it supports for backup includes applications, music, photos, emails, and documents, among others.

If you're new to Mac Time Machine, you might be wondering whether Time Machine is enough to create a proper backup. Does Time Machine back up everything on my Mac? Do I need additional backup software? You'll get the answers in this section.

Time Machine appears to save most personal data. However, it has some limitations. For example, Time Machine does not back up:

- Your iOS device - Your iCloud content - Your email messages or accounts - Network settings - Some system files and apps

II. How to Set Up and Use Time Machine on a Mac

Now that you know what Time Machine can and cannot back up, the next question is: how do you create a backup with Time Machine on your Mac? Like any built-in backup tool, you have to set it up the first time you use it. To back up your Mac data with Time Machine, you'll need a backup disk. What kind of storage can you use? Let's go over your options.

#1. Prepare the backup drive: What drive can you use?

Many data safety experts recommend that you back up your data to an external hard drive for safety. You have more choices than just an external hard drive, however. If you're a Mac user, your options include an external hard drive, a USB drive, a FireWire drive, a NAS device, a shared Mac, or an AirPort Time Capsule. Most users will want to choose an external hard drive or a USB drive as their backup disk. If you're interested in an external storage device, see Apple's support page for more information.

Here's what to look for in an external drive:

1. Your external hard drive should be large enough to hold all of the data you want to back up.

2. If the disk was formatted previously, make sure the file system is compatible with macOS. Compatible file system formats include APFS, macOS Extended, MS-DOS (FAT), and exFAT.

If the disk is formatted incorrectly, you can format it on the Mac first.

4. There are no brand restrictions for the hard drive you choose; you can pick whichever one you like.

#2. Set up Time Machine on your Mac and enable automatic backups

In this part, connect the backup disk to your Mac and set up Time Machine backups following these instructions.

Step 1: From the Apple menu, choose System Preferences, then click Time Machine.

Step 2. In the Time Machine window that appears, click “Select Backup Disk.” Choose the backup disk that is connected.

Choose a backup disk.

3: Check the box next to "Backup automatically" so that Time Machine will save backups to your backup disk on its own. You can also choose to show Time Machine in the menu bar.

Step 4: You're done. Time Machine will now begin your first backup.

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How to Restore From a Time Machine Backup

When the backup is done, if you need to restore from the backup, follow these steps to learn how to restore from Time Machine.

Time Machine supports two kinds of restore: full system restore and file/folder restore.

Restore from Time Machine backup: This erases your Mac and installs macOS, along with the files and settings from your backup. It returns your Mac to the state it was in when that backup was made. For detailed instructions, visit the Apple Support page.

File/Folder Recovery: You can use this feature to select specific files or folders for recovery from a backup. The steps are as follows:

Step 1. Connect the backup disk to your Mac. Open Time Machine and select the connected backup drive.

Step 2: Use the timeline on the right side of the screen to find the date when the file or folder you want to restore was last modified or created.

Scroll through the timeline and select the backup you want to restore.

Step 3: To preview a file, select it and press the space bar.

Step 4: To restore a file, select it and click the Restore button.

5. When you're done restoring files, quit Time Machine by pressing Command-Q.

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IV. Lost your backup files? Recover deleted Time Machine backups

There might be two situations where you could lose Time Machine backup files: accidentally deleted backups or formatted backup drive. No matter which situation you are in, if you want to recover deleted Time Machine backup, you need to seek help from a third-party data recovery tool.

Here, we will take tools Data Recovery Wizard for Mac as an example to show you how to recover deleted Time Machine backup.

Download the software from the button below, connect your Time Machine drive to the Mac, and then follow the guide to recover your deleted files step-by-step.

Step 1: Search for the Lost File

Select the disk location where you lost your files and data – it can be an internal HDD/SSD or an external drive. Click on the “Search for Lost Files” button.

Note: Before you proceed with data recovery, it's recommended to click 'Disk Backup' from the left sidebar and create a backup of your HDD/SSD to prevent further data loss. After the backup, the software can recover data from the disk image, and you can use the HDD or SSD again.

Step 2: Browse the scan results

The software immediately scans the disk volume you select and displays images, documents, audio, video, and email on the left.

Step 3. Select the files and recover them

Click on the data to preview them, and then hit the "Recover" button to get them back.

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Problem #1: Time Machine Can't Complete the Initial Backup

There is no such thing as perfect software, and users have reported some issues with Time Machine. The first issue is that Time Machine gets stuck during the initial backup. Usually, if you run into this problem, you'll see an error message that says “Time Machine can't complete the initial backup,” or Time Machine will get stuck preparing the backup.

There are multiple ways to address this issue. Some are more basic solutions, while others require more user expertise. Here, we will present three of the simplest methods. You can follow these steps to resolve the problem.

Method 1: Cancel the backup and try again

For many software issues, the simplest solution is to quit and relaunch the app in question. If you find that a Time Machine backup is stalled, click the “X” icon to stop it. Then, restart Time Machine from the Apple menu and choose Back Up Now to begin a new backup. See if this one completes successfully.

Method 2: Repair the backup drive using First Aid

"Disk Utility" is another macOS tool you can use to manage internal and external drives. If Time Machine fails to back up, the backup drive might be damaged. Follow this guide to use First Aid.

Step 1: Open Disk Utility on your Mac.

Step 2: All internal and external disks should appear on the left. Select your Time Machine backup disk.

Click “First Aid,” and your Mac will begin repairing the backup drive.

Method 3: Format the Time Machine Drive as APFS

Another possibility is that your disk is formatted with an unsupported file system. APFS is the recommended file system for backup disks on macOS. Try formatting the disk as APFS, and then attempt to create a Time Machine backup.

Step 1: Connect the backup drive to your Mac and open Disk Utility.

Step 2: Select your target drive, then click “Erase” at the top.

Step 3: Choose to format the disk as APFS.

Which One to Choose: ExFAT or Mac OS Extended?

On macOS, the supported formats include FAT, ExFAT, APFS, and Mac OS Extended. For some users, it's hard to choose between ExFAT and Mac OS Extended due to the lack of understanding of their pros and cons. In this article, we'll help you figure it out.

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Problem #2: Repairing Time Machine backups: failed, damaged, or lost

Failed, corrupted, or missing Time Machine backups are the second most common issue. Each of the mentioned Time Machine backup problems has its own solution. Check the following to fix a failed Time Machine backup.

How to Solve the Problem of Backup Failure

Check the Time Machine system requirements Check your Mac's network connection Make sure your Mac is up to date

How to Repair a Corrupted Backup

If a Time Machine backup is corrupt, the easiest thing to do is create a new Time Machine backup. That way, you can save yourself the time and effort it might take to repair the damaged backup files. As long as your backed-up data isn't lost, you can simply start over with Time Machine and create a new backup.

How to fix missing Time Machine backups

If you accidentally delete Time Machine backup files from the disk, your only option is to scan the backup drive with data recovery software to see if you can recover deleted files from it.

As mentioned earlier, Data Recovery Wizard for Mac is a data recovery tool designed specifically for Mac. You can refer to the guide in Part 4 on how to use a data recovery software.

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Ⅶ. Issue #3: The Time Machine Restore button is grayed out and unavailable

The last question is about inability to restore a Time Machine backup. A user on the Apple Discussion forum reports that the Restore button is grayed out when he or she tries to restore a Time Machine backup. If you're seeing the same, this section should help.

First, you should understand why the Restore with Time Machine button might appear grayed out. There are a few possible reasons:

• The Time Machine backup drive was formatted.
• A previous backup wasn't complete.
• Your Mac detected that a backup was damaged.

To resolve this, you need to enter the time machine correctly. There are two practical approaches:

Solution 1: Open Finder on your Mac, then click Go to Time Machine.

Solution 2: Force a restore from a Time Machine backup at startup.

1. Restart your Mac while holding down Command + R until you see the Apple logo.

2. Release the keys, then choose macOS Utilities from the menu. Select Restore From Time Machine Backup and see if you're able to restore from there.

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