What exactly does Time Machine back up?

May seem a basic question. I've always assumed my home folder which, at the moment, weighs 120 Gb, give or take a kb. So why does TM report that it cannot complete backup to a 180 Gb external drive as it now needs 220 Gb, despite having done so for a number of years without a hitch?

Time Machine backs up your entire system (except for some things like system work files, most caches, trash, etc.), unless you specifically exclude things.
It sounds like your TM drive is too small -- it usually needs 2-3 times the space of the data it's backing up, to keep a reasonable "depth" of old backups.
It may also be trying to do a new, full backup. Some possible reasons for that are listed in #D3 of the Time Machine - Troubleshooting *User Tip,* also at the top of this forum.
If in doubt, see #A1 there. Download the TM Buddy widget and copy and post the messages here. That may clarify the situation.

Similar Messages

  • Does Time Machine back up my Bookmarks, Favourites, my tool bar etc  and that sort of thing ?

    I'm backing up my Macbook Pro on Time Machine prior to installing Snow Leopard.  Does Time Machine back up things like my internet bookmarks, as well as my Toolbar ones?  If not, what should I do?

    It backs up everything. If you were to use it with Migration Assistant after a clean install, it should bring everything back. If you have an external drive though, a clone of the existing drive before a major upgrade is always a good idea. That way you could easily go back to exactly what you have now if you had a problem. Carbon Copy Cloner is the best solution for that.

  • Does time machine back up my photostream?

    Does Time Machine back up my Photostream - I'm referring
    to my unshared stream - the last 1,000 pics.
    What versions of Mac OS and iPhoto are required to effect
    this if indeed possible>
    Thanks,
    Tom

    no
    If you have iPhoto set to automatically import your PhotoStream then after they are imported into an event TM will back them up - it does not backup your PhotoStream itself
    LN

  • Does Time Machine backs up also the format of the volume?

    Since many softwares cannot be installed on case-sensitive volume, so I erased the whole volume and install OS X Mountain Lion with format of OS Extended(Journaled). Then I use Time Machine backing up to the new system.
    But now when I'm trying to install Adobe softwares, here's what I see.
    still, It hints that this is a case-senstive volume.
    Then I go to check the Disk Utility:
    Very weired! It shows as "Mac OS Extended(Journaled) in the Drop-down list, but "case-senstive, journaled) in the discription in bottom.
    Anyone has some clues of this??
    Thanks.

    As well as doing backups and other things, you can use Disk Utility to create RAID volume sets. 
    Returning to the image you posted, RAID is selected at (1) and so it thinks you are about to create a RAID volume.  The format for the new volume would be as shown at (2).  On the other hand, the volume at (3) is selected and it is that volume's format which is shown at (4). 
    I don't think you wanted to create a RAID set; maybe Disk Utility got a click you didn't intend for it.  RAID is explained a bit in the Disk Utility help.
    I have found a lot of good information about Time Machine at this site: 
      http://pondini.org/OSX/Home.html
    To go back to your original question: 
    > Does Time Machine backs up also the format of the volume?
    My guess would be "No"; but see pondini.org for a definitive answer.

  • How far back does Time Machine back up?

    How far back does Time Machine back up? Thanks.

    Thanks Kappy and Tech Guy. I'll try and digest that info--it may take awhile!
    Just for info, I am using a Lacie d2 500 GB, presently it has used 263 of the 500.
    It is presently backed up until January 2010 which must be the date I hooked into Time Machine. I have a 1TB iOmega which I am thinking of using for the back up drive but feel the Lacie may be the better of the two so may leave it on.
    Thanks again. Cheers.

  • Does time machine back up second drives

    I have a second drive installed in my MacBook Pro for document storage, etc.  I replaced my optical drive with a second drive.  Does Time Machine back up the second drive as well?

    Open the Time Machine pane of System Preferences and verify that the drive isn't excluded. Drives in some formats, such as FAT32, can't be backed up by Time Machine.
    (74490)

  • Does time machine back up purchased iTunes items?

    I just started to use a Mac and time machine. Does Time Machine back up even purchased items, or do I need to burn those to disk?
    Thanks,
    Dan

    My Time Machine backs them up, and when i bought my new iMac, I just migrated everything from the Time Machine backup and all was there.

  • Does Time Machine back up other users?

    My wife and I share the same computer. We each have our own user accounts. Does Time Machine back up both accounts? It appears that the amount of disk space used on the computer is about equal to the amount on the external hard drive that I use for backup. So I am assuming that both users are backed up in case of a crash. I hope this is the case! Sorry that this is slightly off topic.
    Lou

    Yes Time Machine backs up your entire hard drive.

  • Does Time Machine back up iPhoto pix?

    Does Time Machine back up the contents of iPhoto? If so, how do I access it?
    Thanks.

    1. Yes, unless it was told not to; if the library is on an external drive, that drive needs to have been removed from the exclusion list.
    2. Restore the library, and then open it in iPhoto.
    (120661)

  • Does time machine back up my applications

    does time machine back up my applications and passwords?

    Time Machine makes a backup of everything stored on the OS X partition, so the applications and passwords will be backed up unless you have them in another partition. If you want more information about Time Machine, see > http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1427

  • I have just started using Time Machine. I was thinking about deleting old E-Mails on my Mac to clean. Does Time Machine back up the E-Mails , if so how can I find them in Time Machine ??

    I have just started using Time Machine. I was thinking about deleting old E-Mails on my Mac to clean. Does Time Machine back up the E-Mails , if so how can I find them in Time Machine ??

    If you back up your mac before deleting your emails, Time Machine should back up your e-mails.
    I never tried this so i'm not sure to find them in Time Machine. To browse in your backups simply click the Time Machine icon in your dock. In the right bar, you can select an backup. Than you can browse in finder, in your backkup.
    EDIT: Just browsed and CT above was right. This topic might help you:
    https://discussions.apple.com/message/20154303#20154303

  • HT3275 does time machine back up email?

    Does time machine back up all the emails in your apple mail?

    Yes, assuming of course, that you have not specifically excluded Mail from backups.

  • HT201250 Does Time Machine back up e-mails from Mail?

    Does Time Machine back up e-mails from Mail?

    Make Mail the foremost application and then enter Time Machine.

  • Does time machine back up the data in the PC part of my intel MacBook?

    I'm backing up my MacBook to an external hadr drive using Time Machine in the apple part of my partioned MacBook.
    Does time machine back up the data in the PC part of my intel MacBook at the same time or do I have to do a separate backup for it? Does it have to be on a different external hard drive?

    Franklin Osgood wrote:
    I'm backing up my MacBook to an external hadr drive using Time Machine in the apple part of my partioned MacBook.
    Does time machine back up the data in the PC part of my intel MacBook at the same time or do I have to do a separate backup for it? Does it have to be on a different external hard drive?
    TM only backs up the BSD portion of your HD.
    If you partition your external HD you can have a FAT32 or NTFS partition for Winders and another for HFS+.
    Naturally if you choose to repartition the drive, you should backup everything on it or you may lose it.

  • When using Time Machine to back up to external drive, does Time Machine back up content in your Trash folder?

    When using Time Machine to back up to external drive, does Time Machine back up content in your Trash folder?

    Go to System Preferences (under the Apple menu) > Time Machine and click the Options button. Click the "+" button in the lower left. In the resulting dialog, check the Show invisible items checkbox. Go to your home folder and look for Trash. Click the Exclude button in the lower right.

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