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Using Time Machine on a Mac

Time Machine is a backup utility for Macintosh computers running OS 10.5 or higher. It functions not only to backup files, but to provide a chronological record of file changes. If necessary, you can look “back in time” to recover files that you had previously deleted from your hard drive.

Getting Started

To use Time Machine, you will first need to obtain an external hard drive for your Macintosh. Then connect the drive to the computer (usually via FireWire or USB). The first time you do this, the Time Machine utility will ask if you want to use your external drive to do backups.

Select “Use as a Backup Disk.” Then, the Time Machine preferences panel will appear. Your external drive will have been selected as the default backup drive. All you need to do is move the slider into the “On” position.

Warning:  The first time you turn on Time Machine will take several hours to complete the initial backup. This is because all of your data is being copied. Subsequent backups will take far less time, since Time Machine will only save the changes made since the last backup. For the first backup, though, be prepared for a long wait.

Good Practices

Once you’ve completed the initial backup, you can drag the external hard drive icon into the trash and disconnect the drive. The next time you want to back up your files, simply plug the drive back in. Most of the time, Time Machine will begin an automatic update of files. If this does not happen, find the Time Machine icon (looks like a clock with a counter-clockwise arrow around it) along the top panel and choose “Back Up Now.”

It is highly recommended to make frequent use of Time Machine in your day-to-day computer usage. If the external drive is connected continuously during your workday, it will regularly update its backups without prompting. Furthermore, daily backups will prevent information gaps in the event of an unforeseen computer failure.

File Recovery

In the event that you need to recover a file that has been deleted from your computer, simply go to the top panel icon and select “Enter Time Machine” from the drop-down menu. The screen will now look something like this:

You can move further back in time by using the arrows on the right-hand side. Once you’ve located the time and place of the file in question, select it and click the “Restore” button in the lower-right.

Hardware Upgrades

In the event of a complete computer failure, or when the time comes for you to get a new computer, the Time Machine backup drive can be used to make a complete transfer of files, preferences, and applications onto a new machine.

[Images courtesy Apple, Inc.: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1427.]