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Airport time capsule - how to erase old back ups to make room for new

Dear Community. My airport time capsule is full for back ups and so will not back up anymore. I thought it automatically erased old back ups to make space. I note from previous threads that this might not happen in practise because old back ups are only incrementally deleted. I also noted that one option is to manually erase the data on the airport time capsule - but someone also recommended not to. I definitely don't need my old back ups so am happy to delete. However when i open airport time capsule in preferences or in finder I am unsure what to actually delete as I cannot see e.g the size of the back up or a clear name that says back up on X date etc. For e.g is it the 'sparse bundle' I should delete? Could anyone give me a few pointers. Much appreciated.


Posted on Nov 29, 2021 2:20 AM

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3 replies

Nov 29, 2021 9:06 AM in response to rachaelandpaul

If you no longer have a need to retain any of the old backups, the simplest way to erase your Time Capsule (TC), would be as follows:

  1. Using the AirPort Utility, select your TC.
  2. Then select Edit.
  3. Select the Disks tab.
  4. With the TC's internal drive showing in the Partitions window, select Erase Disk...
  5. You can then choose the level of erasure, but the default choice should be sufficient in most cases.

Airport time capsule - how to erase old back ups to make room for new

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