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

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Kimberly Davis

Q: Disk full how to delete backups

I am using a 1 TB external drive to back up my computer using Time Machine. The disk is full now and back up is not happening. There is folder of backups from my previous computer and I'd like to delete those backups o(r that folder) to make room for my current backups, but it doesn't seem to be working (in Time machine, choosing the folder, right clicking on delete all " " backups).

iMac, OS X El Capitan (10.11.5), null

Posted on Jul 26, 2016 3:52 AM

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Q: Disk full how to delete backups

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  • by dialabrain,

    dialabrain dialabrain Jul 26, 2016 4:10 AM in response to Kimberly Davis
    Level 5 (5,845 points)
    Mac App Store
    Jul 26, 2016 4:10 AM in response to Kimberly Davis

    Some info that may help…

    http://pondini.org/TM/12.html

  • by Mrinal2455,

    Mrinal2455 Mrinal2455 Jul 26, 2016 4:16 AM in response to Kimberly Davis
    Level 1 (66 points)
    Safari
    Jul 26, 2016 4:16 AM in response to Kimberly Davis
    1. Connect the Time Machine drive to the Mac if you haven’t done so yet
    2. Pull down the Time machine icon in the menu bar, then choose “Enter Time Machine”
    3. Navigate to the point in time you want to delete (if it’s a very old backup you’re looking to delete, scroll until you find the appropriate place in time)
    4. Right-click on the backup in the Finder window of Time Machine, or click on the little gear icon in the Finder window – both work the same – then choose “Delete All Backups of (Name)”
    5. Enter the admin password when requested to delete the backup
  • by Kimberly Davis,

    Kimberly Davis Kimberly Davis Jul 26, 2016 4:19 AM in response to Mrinal2455
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jul 26, 2016 4:19 AM in response to Mrinal2455

    Thank you but this is what I've been doing and it's not working.

  • by dialabrain,

    dialabrain dialabrain Jul 26, 2016 4:34 AM in response to Kimberly Davis
    Level 5 (5,845 points)
    Mac App Store
    Jul 26, 2016 4:34 AM in response to Kimberly Davis

    Kimberly, if it was me I would just format the drive and start over. Unless you have older versions of data you need to keep that aren't on your Mac.

  • by Mrinal2455,

    Mrinal2455 Mrinal2455 Jul 26, 2016 8:43 AM in response to Kimberly Davis
    Level 1 (66 points)
    Safari
    Jul 26, 2016 8:43 AM in response to Kimberly Davis

    If you're comfortable with using Terminal.app (located in Utilities folder), you can try using Unix sudo rm -r <path>/Backups.backupdb command. Note that <path> is the placeholder for the path to the hard drive where your Time Machine backup is located. Please be careful with the path that you pass to this command by ensuring there is no typo.

    The complete steps are:

    1. Launch Terminal.app
    2. In one of Terminal.app's window, type sudo rm -R followed by a space
    3. Use a Finder window to navigate to the Backups.backupdb folder, then
    4. Drag that folder to the Terminal.app's window of step 2, and press the Return key.
    5. You may be challenged to type the password for the admin account (which is usually the same user account that you logged into OS X).
    6. The default prompt will reappear in the Terminal.app's window when the deletion is done.

    Type man rm for documentation.

  • by Lexiepex,

    Lexiepex Lexiepex Jul 26, 2016 9:00 AM in response to Kimberly Davis
    Level 6 (10,477 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jul 26, 2016 9:00 AM in response to Kimberly Davis

    If you click the main folder Backups, and you find two underneath, choose the one with the backup of the old machine and delete it. Then empty the trash bin on your mac while the backup disk is still connected. Otherwise it will not free up the space.

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Jul 26, 2016 11:53 AM in response to Kimberly Davis
    Level 10 (207,926 points)
    Applications
    Jul 26, 2016 11:53 AM in response to Kimberly Davis

    There is folder of backups from my previous computer and I'd like to delete those backups

    Please drag that folder to the Trash in the Finder. Hold down the option key and try to empty. If you get an error message, post it.

     

    Here are a couple of things you should never do:

     

    1. Erase your only backup volume.
    2. Use the shell (Terminal) to delete files.
  • by Kimberly Davis,

    Kimberly Davis Kimberly Davis Jul 26, 2016 1:55 PM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jul 26, 2016 1:55 PM in response to Linc Davis

    OK the thing is it takes a long time to delete all 1 million plus files (there is a little screen "Deleting xxx items", then I get asked to enter my system password, then I get an error message I think it's -50 but I will try again and post the error. Thx!

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Jul 26, 2016 2:12 PM in response to Kimberly Davis
    Level 10 (207,926 points)
    Applications
    Jul 26, 2016 2:12 PM in response to Kimberly Davis

    Back up all data before proceeding. If you can't use Time Machine, you'll have to back up some other way.

    These instructions must be carried out as an administrator. If you have only one user account, you are the administrator.

    I've tested the instructions only with the Safari web browser. That's what I suggest you use, even if your preferred browser is something else.

    Please triple-click anywhere in the line below on this page to select it:

    /usr/bin/sudo /S*/*/E*/TM*/*/*/bypass /usr/bin/xattr -c -rs /V*/*/.Trashes

    Copy the selected text to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C.

    Launch the built-in Terminal application in any one of the following ways:

    ☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)

    ☞ In the Finder, select Go Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.

    ☞ Open LaunchPad and start typing the name.

    Paste into the Terminal window by pressing the key combination command-V. If you use another browser, you may have to press the return key after pasting.

    You'll be prompted for your login password. Nothing will be displayed when you type it. Type carefully and then press return. If you don’t have a login password, you’ll need to set one before you can run the command.

    You may get a one-time warning to be careful. Confirm. You don't need to post the warning.

    If you see a message that your username "is not in the sudoers file," then you're not logged in as an administrator. Log in as one and start over.

    Wait for a new line ending in a dollar sign ($) to appear below what you entered. You can then quit Terminal.

    Hold down the option key and try again to empty the Trash.