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How to Back Up Your Mac with Time Machine

Tap each step to follow along in order.

  1. Connect an external disk

    Connect the external hard drive or SSD you plan to use for Time Machine backups to your Mac.

  2. Open the Time Machine settings menu

    Open "System Settings" from the Apple menu, then go to "General" > "Time Machine."

  3. Add a backup disk

    Click "Add Backup Disk," select the external drive you just connected, and click "Disk Options" to designate it for backups.

  4. Decide on formatting and encryption

    If your Mac asks, agree to erase the disk in the Time Machine format, and optionally set a password to encrypt the backup for extra protection.

  5. Confirm automatic backups are running

    Once set up, your Mac will start backing up automatically on a regular schedule, and you can check progress from the Time Machine icon in the menu bar.

  6. Restore from a specific point in time

    Select "Enter Time Machine" from the menu bar icon to browse through past snapshots and restore the files or folders you need from whichever point you choose.

Peace of mind you set up once and forget about

Time Machine quietly stacks up backups on a connected external disk, so if you accidentally delete a file or your system runs into trouble, you can roll back to an earlier point without much effort.

Encryption is worth the extra step

Turning on encryption when you set up your backup disk means that if the drive is ever lost or stolen, whoever has it can't simply plug it in and browse your files. It only adds one extra step during setup, and Time Machine handles the rest automatically after that.

Frequently Asked Questions

How often does Time Machine back up?

It backs up automatically and regularly whenever the disk is connected, keeping more frequent snapshots of recent activity while gradually thinning out older backups to save space.

Can the backup disk be used with a different Mac later?

You can designate the same disk as another Mac's backup drive, but the existing backup history stays tied to the Mac that originally created it.