Unable to inherit time machine backup

Question

Unable to inherit time machine backup

I just got a new MacBook Pro to replace my old one. My company dictates my laptop asset name. I am trying to inherit my old backups and it isn't working. Using saved commands from when I did this three years ago with my last refresh, it looked like I did a 'associatedisk' and then an 'inheritbackup'.

I have tried each of these:

tmutil associatedisk -a "/" "/Volumes/WD-Passport/Backups.backupdb/LT-APL0063084/Latest/Macintosh HD"
tmutil associatedisk -a "/Volumes/Macintosh HD" "/Volumes/WD-Passport/Backups.backupdb/LT-APL0063084/Latest/Macintosh HD"
tmutil associatedisk -a "/Volumes/Macintosh HD/" "/Volumes/WD-Passport/Backups.backupdb/LT-APL0063084/Latest/Macintosh HD/"

All of the above give me:

Usage: tmutil associatedisk [-a] mount_point volume_backup_directory

A local volume mount point and a snapshot volume path are required.

Confirming paths work:

bash-3.2# ls -la "/Volumes/Macintosh HD/" "/Volumes/WD-Passport/Backups.backupdb/LT-APL0063084/Latest/Macintosh HD/"

/Volumes/Macintosh HD/:

total 10

drwxr-xr-x 20 root wheel 640 Jan 1 2020 .

drwxr-xr-x 20 root wheel 640 Jan 1 2020 ..

lrwxr-xr-x 1 root admin 36 Jan 1 2020 .VolumeIcon.icns -> System/Volumes/Data/.VolumeIcon.icns

---------- 1 root admin 0 Jan 1 2020 .file

drwxr-xr-x 2 root wheel 64 Jan 1 2020 .vol

drwxrwxr-x 57 root admin 1824 Sep 20 07:57 Applications

drwxr-xr-x 69 root wheel 2208 Sep 15 19:23 Library

drwxr-xr-x@ 9 root wheel 288 Jan 1 2020 System

drwxr-xr-x 7 root admin 224 Sep 16 11:06 Users

drwxr-xr-x 6 root wheel 192 Sep 20 16:39 Volumes

drwxr-xr-x@ 38 root wheel 1216 Jan 1 2020 bin

drwxr-xr-x 2 root wheel 64 Mar 3 2021 cores

dr-xr-xr-x 3 root wheel 4766 Sep 20 08:19 dev

lrwxr-xr-x@ 1 root wheel 11 Jan 1 2020 etc -> private/etc

lrwxr-xr-x 1 root wheel 25 Sep 20 08:19 home -> /System/Volumes/Data/home

drwxr-xr-x 4 root wheel 128 Sep 15 11:37 opt

drwxr-xr-x 6 root wheel 192 Jan 1 2020 private

drwxr-xr-x@ 65 root wheel 2080 Jan 1 2020 sbin

lrwxr-xr-x@ 1 root wheel 11 Jan 1 2020 tmp -> private/tmp

drwxr-xr-x@ 11 root wheel 352 Jan 1 2020 usr

lrwxr-xr-x@ 1 root wheel 11 Jan 1 2020 var -> private/var

/Volumes/WD-Passport/Backups.backupdb/LT-APL0063084/Latest/Macintosh HD/:

total 40

drwxr-xr-x@ 15 root admin 510 Feb 11 2021 .

drwxr-xr-x@ 10 root wheel 340 Sep 7 20:46 ..

-rw-rw-r--@ 62 root admin 0 Oct 17 2019 .DS_Store

lrwxr-xr-x+ 1 root admin 36 Nov 12 2019 .VolumeIcon.icns -> System/Volumes/Data/.VolumeIcon.icns

-rw-r--r-- 1 root admin 181 Feb 11 2021 .com.apple.backupd.mvlist.plist

----------@ 62 root admin 0 Oct 17 2019 .file

drwxr-xr-x@ 2 root wheel 68 Oct 17 2019 .vol

drwxr-xr-x@ 8 root wheel 272 Oct 23 2019 System

drwxr-xr-x@ 38 root wheel 1292 Feb 2 2021 bin

drwxr-xr-x@ 3 root wheel 102 Nov 12 2019 com.apple.TimeMachine.localsnapshots

lrwxr-xr-x@ 1 root admin 11 Nov 12 2019 etc -> private/etc

drwxr-xr-x@ 63 root wheel 2142 Feb 2 2021 sbin

lrwxr-xr-x@ 1 root admin 11 Nov 12 2019 tmp -> private/tmp

drwxr-xr-x@ 10 root wheel 340 Nov 12 2019 usr

lrwxr-xr-x@ 1 root admin 11 Nov 12 2019 var -> private/var

Any pointers? I really would like to keep my timemachine history.

MacBook Pro 16″, macOS 11.6

Posted on Sep 20, 2021 3:02 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Encryptor5000

Level 5

7,662 points

Oct 7, 2021 6:11 PM in response to JeremyWorkAccount

Thanks for running that.

Given that both of your Macs are running macOS Big Sur 11.6, they both only back up the Data volume (not the System volume, Macintosh HD).

To successfully inherit your backups, try these steps, which attempt to bind the backup history to your Mac's data volume:

Connect your backup drive.
Open System Preferences -> Security and Privacy -> Privacy. Make sure that Terminal has Full Disk Access privileges.
In Terminal, run the following commands in order:

sudo tmutil inherit /Volumes/WD-Passport

sudo tmutil associatedisk -a "/System/Volumes/Data" "/Volumes/WD-Passport/Backups.backupdb/LT-APL0063084/Latest/Macintosh HD - Data"

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Answer 2

Sep 22, 2021 9:12 PM in response to JeremyWorkAccount

Thanks for that info! Considering that you have a Backups.backupd folder, I'm guessing your backup disk is formatted Mac OS Extended (Journaled).

macOS Catalina and macOS Big Sur both brought big changes on how Time Machine works:

In macOS Mojave or earlier, macOS and your data lived in the same volume, and Time Machine only had to back up one volume.

In macOS Catalina, macOS lived in a separate System volume, and your data lived in the Data volume. Time Machine had to back up two volumes: Macintosh HD (the system volume), and Macintosh HD - Data (the data volume). If you didn't erase your backup disk after upgrading the macOS Catalina, the System volume backups probably got put on top of your previous Mojave backups, messing some things up.

In macOS Big Sur, the system and your data are still separate, but Time Machine no longer backs up the System volume. Only your data volume (Macintosh HD - Data) is backed up.

Before I can provide the solution, I need to know what volumes are stored inside the current backups, and which one holds the latest data. Try these steps:

Connect your backup drive.
In Terminal, run this command: cd "/Volumes/WD-Passport/Backups.backupdb/LT-APL0063084/Latest/"
Run this command: ls (lowercase L, not i)
Post the output here.
Check if your latest data is backed up into the folder named "Macintosh HD - Data".

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Answer 3

Oct 11, 2021 10:33 AM in response to JeremyWorkAccount

Sorry, I provided an incomplete path for the first command. Try this instead (and then run the associatedisk command after):

sudo tmutil inheritbackup "/Volumes/WD-Passport/Backups.backupdb/LT-APL0063084"
sudo tmutil associatedisk -a "/System/Volumes/Data" "/Volumes/WD-Passport/Backups.backupdb/LT-APL0063084/Latest/Macintosh HD - Data"

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Answer 4

leroydouglas

Level 10

199,062 points

Sep 21, 2021 6:07 AM in response to JeremyWorkAccount

JeremyWorkAccount wrote:

Unable to inherit time machine backup

Any pointers? I really would like to keep my timemachine history.

Trouble Shooting—

https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/time-machine-troubleshooting-mh15653/mac

If your new Mac inherits your backup history - Apple Support

https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/if-your-new-mac-inherits-your-backup-history-mh35732/mac

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Answer 5

Oct 11, 2021 10:36 AM in response to Encryptor5000

sudo tmutil inheritbackup "/Volumes/WD-Passport/Backups.backupdb/LT-APL0063084/"

Failed to inherit machine store at '(null)', error: Error Domain=TMStructureErrorDomain Code=7 "Structure has wrong type" UserInfo={NSLocalizedDescription=Structure has wrong type}

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Answer 6

Oct 13, 2021 6:12 AM in response to Encryptor5000

Shoot, not working.

tmutil associatedisk -a "/System/Volumes/Data" "/Volumes/WD-Passport/Backups.backupdb/LT-APL0063084/Latest/Macintosh HD - Data"

Usage: tmutil associatedisk [-a] mount_point volume_backup_directory

A local volume mount point and a snapshot volume path are required.

ls -la "/System/Volumes/Data"

total 2

drwxr-xr-x 21 root wheel 672 Sep 15 20:23 .

drwxr-xr-x 14 root wheel 448 Jan 1 2020 ..

d--x--x--x 9 root wheel 288 Oct 7 12:06 .DocumentRevisions-V100

drwxr-xr-x 5 root wheel 160 Sep 15 18:34 .PreviousSystemInformation

drwx------ 4 root wheel 128 May 5 00:40 .Spotlight-V100

drwxr-xr-t 2 root wheel 64 Sep 15 18:35 .TemporaryItems

drwx------ 10410 root wheel 333120 Oct 13 08:10 .fseventsd

drwxrwxr-x 57 root admin 1824 Oct 12 20:23 Applications

drwxr-xr-x 7 _unknown _unknown 224 May 5 00:38 Firmware

drwxr-xr-x 69 root wheel 2208 Sep 15 19:23 Library

drwxr-xr-x@ 3 root wheel 96 Jan 1 2020 System

drwxr-xr-x 7 root admin 224 Sep 16 11:06 Users

drwxr-xr-x 7 root wheel 224 Oct 12 20:57 Volumes

drwxr-xr-x 86 _unknown _unknown 2752 Sep 15 18:29 boot

drwxr-xr-x 2 root wheel 64 Mar 3 2021 cores

dr-xr-xr-x 2 root wheel 1 Oct 7 12:12 home

drwxr-xr-x 2 root wheel 64 Mar 3 2021 mnt

drwxr-xr-x 4 root wheel 128 Sep 15 11:37 opt

drwxr-xr-x 6 root wheel 192 Jan 1 2020 private

drwxr-xr-x 2 root wheel 64 Mar 3 2021 sw

drwxr-xr-x@ 5 root wheel 160 Jan 1 2020 usr

ls -la "/Volumes/WD-Passport/Backups.backupdb/LT-APL0063084/Latest/Macintosh HD - Data"

total 3824

drwxr-xr-x@ 24 root wheel 816 Sep 7 20:46 .

drwxr-xr-x@ 10 root wheel 340 Sep 7 20:46 ..

-rw-rw-r--@ 121 root admin 14340 Oct 15 2019 .DS_Store

-rw-r--r--@ 119 root wheel 1384 Oct 29 2019 .OSInstallerMessages

drwxr-xr-x@ 2 root wheel 68 Jul 21 2018 .PKInstallSandboxManager

drwx------@ 2 root admin 68 Nov 12 2019 .PKInstallSandboxManager-SystemSoftware

drwxr-xr-x@ 5 root wheel 170 Aug 11 18:12 .PreviousSystemInformation

-rw-r--r--@ 117 root wheel 1729246 Nov 12 2019 .TempReceipt.bom

-rw-r--r-- 1 root wheel 200104 Sep 7 20:46 .com.apple.backupd.mvlist.plist

----------@ 140 root admin 0 Aug 17 2018 .file

-rw-r--r--@ 56 root wheel 424 Oct 21 2019 .installer-compatibility

drwxr-xr-x@ 2 root wheel 68 Dec 22 2018 .vol

drwxrwxr-x@ 75 root admin 2550 Sep 7 18:49 Applications

drwxr-xr-x@ 70 root wheel 2380 Aug 11 18:14 Library

drwxr-xr-x@ 3 root wheel 102 Jan 1 2020 System

drwxr-xr-x@ 6 root admin 204 Sep 17 19:51 Users

drwxr-xr-x@ 2 root wheel 68 Sep 3 11:45 Volumes

drwxr-xr-x@ 85 root wheel 2890 Aug 11 18:07 boot

drwxr-xr-x@ 2 root wheel 68 Aug 23 2019 cores

drwxr-xr-x@ 2 root wheel 68 Oct 17 2019 mnt

drwxr-xr-x@ 5 root wheel 170 Aug 16 11:14 opt

drwxr-xr-x@ 6 root wheel 204 Jan 1 2020 private

drwxr-xr-x@ 2 root wheel 68 Oct 17 2019 sw

drwxr-xr-x@ 5 root wheel 170 Jan 1 2020 usr

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Answer 7

Oct 6, 2021 2:39 PM in response to Encryptor5000

Sorry, I got delayed, here is what I found

bash-3.2$ cd "/Volumes/WD-Passport/Backups.backupdb/LT-APL0063084/Latest/"

bash-3.2$ ls

Macintosh HD Macintosh HD - Data Recovery

bash-3.2$ ls -la

total 2752

drwxr-xr-x@ 10 root wheel 340 Sep 7 20:46 .

drwxr-xr-x@ 153 root wheel 5202 Sep 17 13:33 ..

-rw------- 1 root wheel 35882 Sep 7 20:46 .1FE62818-4C0C-4A6B-B51A-EF421B1517BF.clonedb

-rw-r--r-- 1 root wheel 1269011 Sep 7 18:56 .1FE62818-4C0C-4A6B-B51A-EF421B1517BF.eventdb

-rw------- 1 root wheel 57842 Sep 7 20:46 .Backup.log

-rw------- 1 root wheel 539 Sep 7 20:46 .com.apple.TMCheckpoint

-rw-r--r-- 1 root wheel 34143 Sep 7 18:56 .exclusions.plist

drwxr-xr-x@ 15 root admin 510 Feb 11 2021 Macintosh HD

drwxr-xr-x@ 24 root wheel 816 Sep 7 20:46 Macintosh HD - Data

drwxr-xr-x@ 4 root wheel 136 Feb 11 2021 Recovery

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Answer 8

Oct 13, 2021 9:27 AM in response to JeremyWorkAccount

Shoot. I'm not sure why the error in question is still popping up, but I have one last suggestion before reinstalling macOS (without erasing your data):

Try putting a forward slash (/) at the end of each path for the associatedisk command. This might distinguish between pointing at the target folder (no slash) versus pointing at the contents inside the folder (with the slash at the end).

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Answer 9

Sep 20, 2021 3:54 PM in response to JeremyWorkAccount

Hi Jeremy,

Just to confirm, is your new Mac running macOS Big Sur 11.6? What version of macOS was your old Mac running?

These details help me with understanding the backup situation, as Time Machine backups have drastically changed over the last two years.

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Answer 10

Oct 11, 2021 7:51 AM in response to Encryptor5000

That doesn't appear to work.

bash-3.2# sudo tmutil inheritbackup /Volumes/WD-Passport

Usage: tmutil inheritbackup machine_directory

tmutil inheritbackup sparse_bundle

/Volumes/WD-Passport: Invalid target

bash-3.2# sudo tmutil inheritbackup /Volumes/WD-Passport/

Usage: tmutil inheritbackup machine_directory

tmutil inheritbackup sparse_bundle

/Volumes/WD-Passport: Invalid target

bash-3.2# tmutil inherit /Volumes/WD-Passport/

inherit: Unrecognized verb

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Answer 11

Sep 21, 2021 6:02 AM in response to Encryptor5000

Both are running 11.6.

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Answer 12

Oct 12, 2021 7:46 PM in response to JeremyWorkAccount

Thanks for posting the error. In this case, try just running the associatedisk command in step 2.

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Answer 13

Oct 14, 2021 8:34 AM in response to Encryptor5000

I tried playing with the / vs no / and got the same error. :(

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Unable to inherit time machine backup

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