HT201250: Use Time Machine to back up or restore your Mac

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merylh

Q: if i back up to time machine can i delete my files or photos on my mac

if i back up to the external hard drive can i delete files on my mac book pro?

MacBook Pro, OS X El Capitan (10.11.6)

Posted on Jul 25, 2016 3:06 PM

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Q: if i back up to time machine can i delete my files or photos on my mac

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  • by JimmyCMPIT,

    JimmyCMPIT JimmyCMPIT Jul 26, 2016 9:36 AM in response to merylh
    Level 5 (6,926 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jul 26, 2016 9:36 AM in response to merylh

    yes, as long as they don't get overwritten if TM runs out of backup storage.

    If you have an additional HD it's a more practical way of archiving storage. Backup should not be used for archives, it should be used for crisis.

  • by babowa,

    babowa babowa Jul 26, 2016 9:35 AM in response to merylh
    Level 7 (31,893 points)
    iPad
    Jul 26, 2016 9:35 AM in response to merylh

    No. Time machine keeps older backups - up to a point. Because it backs up every hour, it needs a lot of space, so when it gets close to filling up the drive, it will delete the oldest backup to make room for a newer one.

     

    If you want to keep your Photos safe, copy them to another drive (and then back up that one too); then check to make sure they're all there and working and then you can delete them from your machine. You should always have 2 backups of important things to be safe.