Time Machine & New iMac
I just bought a new iMac. How do I transfer my external HD with Time Machine backup to the new iMac? Do I have to lose all the backups that are currently on it?
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I just bought a new iMac. How do I transfer my external HD with Time Machine backup to the new iMac? Do I have to lose all the backups that are currently on it?
Hello danpink,
Thank you for posting. I see you have a question about Time Machine, and I'm happy to help.
If I understand correctly, you want to set up a new Mac with a Time Machine backup from a previous Mac, and it sounds like you want to preserve your old backups and continuing using the same external drive on the new Mac; is that right?
The best way to set up the new Mac would be with the steps in this link: How to move your content to a new Mac
Regarding the backup history, it would depend on whether you're going to continue using the old Mac. Here's some helpful information from the resource titled If your new Mac inherits your backup history:
"You can move the backup history from one Mac to another, but after the new Mac “inherits” the backup history, you can’t use the backup history on the original Mac.
You’re asked to specify whether you want a new Mac to inherit a backup if you do any of the following:
If you’re replacing an old Mac and want the new Mac to use the backups from the old one, click Inherit Backup.
If you plan to continue to use your old Mac, click Create New Backup to preserve the backup history and start separate backups for the new Mac."
I hope this helps! Take care.
Hello danpink,
Thank you for posting. I see you have a question about Time Machine, and I'm happy to help.
If I understand correctly, you want to set up a new Mac with a Time Machine backup from a previous Mac, and it sounds like you want to preserve your old backups and continuing using the same external drive on the new Mac; is that right?
The best way to set up the new Mac would be with the steps in this link: How to move your content to a new Mac
Regarding the backup history, it would depend on whether you're going to continue using the old Mac. Here's some helpful information from the resource titled If your new Mac inherits your backup history:
"You can move the backup history from one Mac to another, but after the new Mac “inherits” the backup history, you can’t use the backup history on the original Mac.
You’re asked to specify whether you want a new Mac to inherit a backup if you do any of the following:
If you’re replacing an old Mac and want the new Mac to use the backups from the old one, click Inherit Backup.
If you plan to continue to use your old Mac, click Create New Backup to preserve the backup history and start separate backups for the new Mac."
I hope this helps! Take care.
This solved my problem easily. I searched using various possible keywords and just couldn’t find the right one. Many thanks!
Hello danpink,
We appreciate the reply. That's awesome news. Enjoy the new Mac!
Time Machine & New iMac