38 | MACFORMAT | SEPTEMBER 2019 macformat.com @macformatTime Machine basics
Time Machine makes backups easy – here’s how to set it up on your Mac
IT WILL TAKE
30 minutesYOU WILL LEARN
How to use
Time MachineYOU’LL NEED
External storage diskBacking up your Mac is
essential. We know it. You know
it. Apple knows it too, which is
why it created the Time Machine
application to make it as easy as it could
possibly be to back up your Mac.
Sadly, Time Machine’s hardware buddy
Time Capsule is no longer with us. However,
several NAS boxes do support Time Machine,
albeit with varying degrees of success and
difficulty in setting them up. (Check out MF
#332 for our group test on four networkdrives.) The other option is to use a regular
external hard drive – fine if you have a desktop
Mac, not so convenient otherwise.
Once you’ve set up Time Machine, it backs
up everything except folders you specifically
exclude, then makes incremental backups at
regular intervals, deleting old backups when it
needs more space. Time Machine also stores a
limited number of snapshots on your startup
disk in case your external drive isn’t available
when you need to restore data. It deletes them
when you run short of space. Kenny HemphillHOW TO Set up Time Machine >
1
Choose a disk
Choose a disk to use for your backup
and connect it to your Mac. If you’re not
asked if you want to use the disk for Time
Machine, go to System Preferences >
Time Machine or open Preferences
from the Time Machine menu bar item.2
Select the disk
If required, click on the padlock and
type in your username and password,
then click Select Backup Disk. Click on the
storage device you just connected, then
Use Disk. If you want your backups to be
encrypted, click Encrypt backups.3
Copy disk data
If your disk isn’t properly formatted
for Time Machine, you’ll be prompted to
erase it, so make sure you’ve copied its
data elsewhere before agreeing. Choose
Backup Automatically to start regular
automatic backups.APPLE SKILLS Mac software