How to set up Time Machine to back up your Mac
Plug in an external hard drive, go to System Settings → General → Time Machine, and click 'Select Backup Disk'. Choose your drive and Time Machine starts backing up immediately. It runs automatically every hour after that.
Time Machine is macOS's built-in backup tool. It saves every file on your Mac automatically every hour. If anything goes wrong—corrupted files, accidental deletion, hard drive crash—you can restore from a Time Machine backup. It's that simple.
No step-by-step guide available for this issue yet — book a technician directly.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Using a drive that's too small—you need at least 2x your Mac's hard drive space or Time Machine runs out of room
- Unplugging the external drive without warning—Time Machine expects the drive to stay connected
- Thinking Time Machine needs you to do anything—once it's set up, it's fully automatic
Signs you need professional help
- Time Machine won't recognize your external drive
- You get an error saying the drive can't be used for Time Machine
- You want to restore files but aren't sure how
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Most issues are resolved remotely in 15 minutes. Weekend appointments only — no parts, no in-home visit needed.