BACK UP with Time Machine CHOICES
I selected my external HD - clicked Automatic back ump and backup started-- but WHAT is being backup up-- everything or just documents or OS too-- WHAT ? Shouldn't I have options on what to backup? Is it necessary to back up Everything - or just documents?
Up until Big Sur, Time Machine backs up everything on your Mac by default, including the operating system. With Big Sur, everything is backed up except the operating system.
Apple's thinking with Time Machine assumes the following worst case scenario:
Your Mac's hard drive fails and you need to get a new hard drive installed on the Mac. In effect, you have a "new" Mac. If you have a Time Machine backup, you can transfer everything on a recent backup or the latest back up using Migration Assistant over to the newly repaired Mac and your "new" Mac will look just like your "old" Mac.
If you want to Exclude items from being backed up.......
Open System Preferences.......the gear icon on the dock
Open Time Machine
Click on Options
Here you will see a list of items that are Excluded from backups. If you want to add additional items to be Excluded from Time Machine backups, click on the + (plus) button at the bottom of the list and use the Finder interface to navigate and Choose the file(s) that you want to Exclude. When you do this, the file(s) will now appear on the list of Excluded items.
Frankly, the less that you Exclude, the easier things will be, but it's your call.
Up until Big Sur, Time Machine backs up everything on your Mac by default, including the operating system. With Big Sur, everything is backed up except the operating system.
Apple's thinking with Time Machine assumes the following worst case scenario:
Your Mac's hard drive fails and you need to get a new hard drive installed on the Mac. In effect, you have a "new" Mac. If you have a Time Machine backup, you can transfer everything on a recent backup or the latest back up using Migration Assistant over to the newly repaired Mac and your "new" Mac will look just like your "old" Mac.
If you want to Exclude items from being backed up.......
Open System Preferences.......the gear icon on the dock
Open Time Machine
Click on Options
Here you will see a list of items that are Excluded from backups. If you want to add additional items to be Excluded from Time Machine backups, click on the + (plus) button at the bottom of the list and use the Finder interface to navigate and Choose the file(s) that you want to Exclude. When you do this, the file(s) will now appear on the list of Excluded items.
Frankly, the less that you Exclude, the easier things will be, but it's your call.
Correct, once the first backup is done, Time Machine only backs up any changes that have occurred on your Mac since the last backup.
After a day, all the hourly back ups are automatically consolidated into a single daily backup
After a month, all the daily backups are automatically consolidated into weekly backups
Clear answer , helpful
I assume / hope that each backup only does what was added or edited from the last backup
BACK UP with Time Machine CHOICES
