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The external HDD hosting Time Machine backup is dropping hints of dying soon. It is APFS encrypted. Is it possible to move the Time Machine backup to another HDD? If so, can someone help with details. How does the encryption password become associated with the "new" HDD, or does the new HDD need to be named the same as the old one. macOS is Monterey 12.4.
MacBook Pro 13″, OS X 10.11
GenefromGtown wrote:
Additional research is required.
encryption of Time Machine —
https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/choose-a-backup-disk-set-encryption-options-mh11421/mac
https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/keep-your-time-machine-backup-disk-secure-mh21241/mac
GenefromGtown wrote:
Additional research is required.
encryption of Time Machine —
https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/choose-a-backup-disk-set-encryption-options-mh11421/mac
https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/keep-your-time-machine-backup-disk-secure-mh21241/mac
You just need to format another external hard drive and start using that for future backups: Erase and reformat a storage device in Disk Utility on Mac – Apple Support (AU)
It doesn't matter what you name it.
GenefromGtown wrote:
I was hoping to maintain the existing cache of backups, rather than just start a new one.
Thanks so much for the amazingly brief and useless reply. I will seek assistance elsewhere.
This HT has be removed and I suspect for good reason... see picas post above.
Transfer Time Machine backups from one backup disk to another
https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT202380 —(removed, last updated November 12, 2020)
see the archive from the 2/26/2021
https://web.archive.org/web/20210226200806/https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT202380
There is no current or updated HT concerning apfs and or encryption.
If you value your user data—
3-2-1 Backup Strategy: three copies of your data, two different methods, and one offsite. More than one device, more than one backup methodology.
Report back your success or failure...
You can always Call Customer Support (800) MY–APPLE (800–692–7753)
or on line Apple Support
picas: Thanks. I was hoping to maintain the existing cache of backups, rather than just start a new one. Asked a different way, is the encryption associated with the Time Machine sparse bundle, or the HDD? I think it is the latter, since I'm prompted for the access code when the HDD is mounted. So the question remains, can I move a Time Machine backup from an encrypted HDD to another HDD? And if so, how?
APFS Time Machine backups cannot be moved to another larger drive as could the older HFS+ formatted drives. Been down this path with every tool and effort imaginable and it cannot be done. The advice to start a fresh backup on a new, larger drive is sound, as that is the only option available.
leroydouglas: Thanks for the info and links. I'm not sure there will be any success or failure to report. Not being able to move Time Machine's repository from one external drive to another seems to limit its usefulness to recover an older version of a file. Or I could be misunderstanding Time Machine as a program versus the Time Machine infrastructure. Additional research is required.
VikingOSX: I do not doubt the truth of your comments. Taken together with the leroydouglas info leads me to conclude that Time Machine backups to a local repository are of limited value, i.e., recover a complete system to last-known-state, and maybe recover an older version of a file if the repository hasn't been replaced. As I mentioned earlier, additional research is required.
Thank you for the links. Security/encryption of local Time Machine repository is important. But the inability to move that repository to another location limits its usefulness. My research will now be directed toward backup strategies, rather than just Time Machine.
HDDs are indeed cheap. That isn't the issue. I have several years of backed up files in the existing Time Machine repository. I would very much like to maintain access to those files. The original idea was to move the repository to a new HDD and let Time Machine continue to add to it. Alas, it appears from all accounts that isn't possible. I will continue to use the existing HDD until it hard fails and then spin up a new one to replace it.
No you can't. And you should probably start using an SDD.
Thanks so much for the amazingly brief and useless reply. I will seek assistance elsewhere.
You're welcome.
Why not just create a whole new one? HDDs are cheap as dirt now days.
If you want speed, not everybody does, an SSD will server you well but generally that's overkill for Time Machine
Can I move an encrypted Time Machine backup to another HDD?
