- Apple Time Machine
- Time Machine Backup Macbook Pro
- Backup On Mac Time Machine
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Apr 01, 2019 Choose the Time Machine icon. Check the box next to Show Time Machine in menu bar. Click Enter Time Machine after clicking the Time Machine icon in the Menu bar. Find the file or folder in question and click Restore. Time Machine will copy that file back to its original location on your hard drive. I had a Mac OS X Macbook Pro 2011, and then switched over to a windows 10 laptop. I have an external hard-drive that has a time machine backup. ALL I NEED FROM THIS BACKUP are a couple of Pycharm Python files, THAT IS IT, I don't need much else from my backup. Turn on Macbook Pro and external hard drive. When you see the drive pop up on the home screen, you've got your place that will store your backup ready. Click on the small icon for Time Machine up in the taskbar. Click Open Time Machine Preferences. Click Select Disk. Under Available Disks, click on your external hard drive.
Almost everyone knows that backing up all of the files on your computer or any other device you have frequently is a good practice. You never know when your device, even if it's reliable and secure (like a MacBook Pro), might fail, break, get lost or stolen. If any of these things happen it can be devastating but if you backup your data with an external hard drive, you at least have all of your files and other important information.
These days, backing up your MacBook Pro is easy to do and if you own one of these computers you should learn how to back it up and do it often. It can be as easy as a click of a button but we will take a look at all of the steps necessary to backup your Mac as well as some other information to consider during the process.
Why Backing up MacBook Pro to an External Hard Drive
Apple Time Machine
The reasons to backup your MacBook Pro to an external hard drive are pretty obvious but if you are unfamiliar with the reasons, or with backups in general, you should learn about them. Backing up your computer basically means that you are making copies of all the important information found on your computer. This could be all of your photos, music, videos, files, and any other piece of data found within your MacBook.
All of this data exists stored and saved within the hard drive built into your computer but making a backup of these is a good idea for a couple of reasons. Your MacBook Pro is an electronic device and these devices can break or fail due to accidents or because of manufacturer's defects. Also, because of the popularity and cost of Apple products, your computer might be a target for theft. Because of these possibilities, it is important to back up your computer in case any of them happen to you.
An external hard drive makes it really easy to back up your computer so it's a good idea to purchase one and learn the steps to back everything up. Hard drives can vary in cost and storage capacity but even though they are an added expense, they are more than worth it in the worst-case scenario of a broken or stolen MacBook.
Time Machine Backup Macbook Pro
How to Backup MacBook Pro to External Hard Drive
The first step to backing up your MacBook Pro is to connect your computer to an external hard drive. Hard drives come in many different shapes and sizes but all have a cord that will connect the drive into your computer. Plug this cord into the corresponding input on your MacBook Pro to allow the backup process between the hard drive and your computer to begin. Depending on what model MacBook Pro you have and which hard drive, this cord could be USB, Thunderbolt, or Firewire.
When you plug the hard drive into your computer, a popup box should appear that will ask you if you'd like to backup your computer using Apple's built-in backup program, Time Machine.
Backup On Mac Time Machine
When you see this box above, go ahead and click on Encrypt Backup Disc and then the Use as Backup Disk button.
You can also open up the Time Machine settings manually if it doesn't happen to appear automatically.
To do this go to the Apple menu in the top left corner of your screen then click on System Preferences and then on Time Machine.
Once in the Time Machine box, click on Select Backup Disc to choose your external hard drive as the device to store the backup.
Click on the Use Disk button once you locate your external hard drive and your MacBook Pro will begin to back up your files.
If you turn Time Machine on and keep your computer plugged into your external hard drives, it will complete backups at scheduled intervals so you don't have to worry about going through this process that often. You can choose the frequency you'd like backups to take place but having it set to automatic is an easy way to make sure your most current data is backed up.
Time Machine can automatically back up files every hour for 24 hours, once a day for a week, and weekly for previous months of use. The first time you back up your MacBook Pro to an external hard drive, it can take a long time. After this initial backup, it shouldn't take as long and if you have Time Machine set up to conduct automatic backups, you might not even realize the backups are occurring.
Final Thoughts
Backing up your files from your MacBook Pro to an external hard drive is important and you should really consider doing it. It is a simple step you can take to easily recover important information in case of something bad happening to your computer and it's really easy to do. The automatic backup feature on Time Machine makes things even easier and once you follow the steps above, your computer will be consistently backed up.
There are many different options when it comes to choosing an external hard drive. The main thing to consider is how much storage space you need. I'd recommend getting at least a 1TB size hard drive and that should cover an average person's files from their computer. If you want a smaller drive, 500GB might be enough but hard drives these days are pretty compact so getting one with a larger capacity is recommended.
Do you backup your MacBook Pro often? What size hard drive do you use?
You can use the Time Machine menu to check the progress of your backup. When Time Machine backs up your data, the 'Backing Up' indicator appears and increments:
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If you see an alert message in the Time Machine menu, or you can't back up at all, see If you can't back up or restore your Mac using Time Machine.
If your Time Machine backup is working but it takes longer than you expect, check these things:
Your first backup
The first time you back up your Mac with Time Machine, it might take a long time to complete. This is because Time Machine copies most or all of the data on your Mac to your first backup. You can keep using your Mac while Time Machine works in the background to back up your data.
After the first backup is complete, Time Machine works in the background to back up only files that have changed since your last backup. This means your next backup is usually faster.
If you want to pause a backup and finish it later, select Skip This Backup from the Time Machine menu. Time Machine automatically tries backing up again later. If you want to start a backup manually, choose Back Up Now from the menu.
Backing up large changes
Some backups might take longer than others if you've made changes to a lot of files, or changes to large files since the last time you backed up. You might see 'Preparing' in the Time Machine menu for a longer period of time when this happens. Best video software, free download. For example:
- When your backup disk isn't available (such as when you're traveling, or your backup disk is disconnected or powered off) Time Machine can't back up your files. If you use your Mac for several days without access to your backup drive, it might take longer the next time the drive is available.
- If you're using virtualization software on your computer, such as Parallels or VMWare, that software might create a large disk image or other file to store data related to other operating systems. Time Machine might try to back up the whole disk image, even if you've only changed a few files on it. For best results, make sure your software is up to date, then check the developer's support site for information on using Time Machine with these apps. If you want Time Machine to skip these files, you can also tell Time Machine to exclude them from your backup.
- If you recently installed new software or upgraded macOS, it might take longer to complete the next backup. After Time Machine finishes backing up your new software, backups should be faster.
- If you canceled or unexpectedly interrupted the previous backup, Time Machine might take longer the next time it backs up your files. This can also happen if you don't shut down your Mac properly, or if you don't eject a drive before disconnecting it.
Network speed
If you're backing up over a Wi-Fi network, make sure your Wi-Fi access point or router is nearby. A Wi-Fi network connection can slow down if your Mac is too far away from your router. You can get a good idea of how strong your wireless network signal is by looking at the Wi-Fi menu. If necessary, check for Wi-Fi issues.
Antivirus software
If you use antivirus software on your Mac, make sure that software is up to date. If it appears to interfere with backing up your computer, you might want to exclude your backup drive from the virus scan. Apple macbook number pad. Check the documentation that came with your antivirus utility or contact the maker of the utility for more information.
Check your drives
Your backup might be slower if there's an issue with one of the drives you're backing up, or with the drive where your backup is stored.
If you're using an AirPort Time Capsule, you can make it verify its built-in disk drive:
- Disconnect your AirPort Time Capsule from AC power.
- Wait ten seconds, then reconnect your AirPort Time Capsule to power.
When the built-in drive on your Time Capsule is working, the indicator light on the Time Capsule turns green. If there's an issue, the light flashes amber. Open AirPort Utility and connect to your Time Capsule to learn more about the issue. If you can't resolve the issue, you might need to erase the drive using AirPort Utility, after creating an additional backup using Time Machine and another drive. If you can't erase the drive, your Time Capsule might need service.
For other drives, open Time Machine preferences and turn Time Machine off, then use Disk Utility to verify your startup disk, external backup drives, and any other drives that you're backing up. You can turn Time Machine back on after your drives are verified or repaired successfully.
