I have two alternating time machine backups for my old mac, and have just bought a new mac. I know how transfer accounts to set up the new mac using one of the time machine backups. However, how do I link the other time machine backup to the new mac so that both time machine histories are available for the new mac? Thanks.
iMac Line (2012 and Later)
After you have transferred (migrated) your files from the old Mac to the new one via one of your Time Machine drives, when you proceed to add one or both of those backup drives to the Time Machine on your new computer, it will ask you if you wish to inherit the old backups. You can respond "yes," in which case you can continue to use one or both of those old backup drives with the new computer (but then no longer on the old computer).
You can also choose to completely erase one (or both) of those backup drives and have it start "fresh" with the new computer as a new initially empty backup. This is sometimes done when the backup drive is close to full.
After you have transferred (migrated) your files from the old Mac to the new one via one of your Time Machine drives, when you proceed to add one or both of those backup drives to the Time Machine on your new computer, it will ask you if you wish to inherit the old backups. You can respond "yes," in which case you can continue to use one or both of those old backup drives with the new computer (but then no longer on the old computer).
You can also choose to completely erase one (or both) of those backup drives and have it start "fresh" with the new computer as a new initially empty backup. This is sometimes done when the backup drive is close to full.
Hello ExcellentElephant,
That's a great question! Being able to view, or restore to an older Time Machine backup is extremely important. To clarify upon the issue are these backups on two separate external devices? If you connect the secondary device are you able to view the backups using the steps outlined in the following article for adding a device manually?
Back up your Mac with Time Machine
Have a great day!
Hi Chris,
Thanks, yes they are on two separate external devices, and both of them contain valid backups. I'm aware how to add an external drive manually, and I know how to transfer my account to a new computer using one of the backups.
What I'm not sure about is if, once I've transferred my account to the new computer using the first time machine backup, what happens if I add the 2nd external hard-drive/backup to the new computer via Timemachine. Will it detect that it already has a time machine backup for that account (albeit from a different computer) and continue using that backup (switching it to the new computer) so I don't lose anything, or will it start a new backup from scratch effectively losing all the previous backup data?
I have alternating backups to two external drives.
You are over thinking this. When you turn on the Mac for the first time you will be prompted to restore data from another Mac or Time Machine backup. Select Time Machine backup and one of the drives with your backups. Both drives are in essence the same backup so it doesn't matter which one you choose. Choose a date and let it run. It will take a while so read a book, watch a movie, mow the lawn, etc. After completion, open the Time Machine interface. Add the drive that does not appear. Your old backups will still be on both drives. It will then start backing up to the drives alternately. Again have patience and let the backup(s) complete.
Have a nice day.
Does the new Mac have a different OS?
How do i transfer two time machine backups to a new mac?
