xchloejoyce wrote:
I've got an external hard drive that I want to use to store files but also my time machine backups - I've had previous hard drives that have done both without using partitions and want to do the same with my new one please? Every time I format it to be Mac OS extended journaled it allows me to put the files on there but always asks me to erase it if I want to use it with time machine?
I'm so confused because my previous hard drives are formatted exactly the same without the partitions and they seem to work? Any advice please as pulling my hair out on this one!
Thanks
TimeMachine changed with Big Sur versus earlier versions of MacOS. See below for what you have to do now. If you have a disk HFS+ that you want to start using for Time Machine, Time Machine will reformat it to APFS before starting to use it for Time Machine (see below). Only if you have an existing Time Machine backup series on an HFS+ disk, Big Sur may allow you to keep using it in the old format (see below).
"APFS or APFS Encrypted disks are the preferred format for a Time Machine backup disk. If you select a new backup disk that’s not already formatted as an APFS disk, you get the option to erase and reformat it. If the disk is a Mac OS Extended format disk that contains an existing Time Machine backup, you aren’t asked to erase and reformat the disk.
Note: The entire APFS disk is reserved for Time Machine backups. If you want to store files other than the Time Machine backup on the same physical device, use Disk Utility to create an additional APFS volume on the disk. The two volumes then share the available space."
https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/types-of-disks-you-can-use-with-time-machine-mh15139/mac