Time Machine Can't See Old Backups

aaassdsdsadsads wrote:

If I look at the backups before then which Time Machine can no longer see, it looks like this:

https://discussions.apple.com/content/attachment/6e41e385-6d43-46a5-bb0c-ba141e361446

It only has a Macintosh HD — Data folder. It seems to me like something changed in terms of how Time Machine does backups between the working backups and broken backups.

It has indeed!. Starting with macOS High Sierra, and continuing to now, Monterey, Time Machine's backup process has "evolved" considerably ... specifically due to Apple new file system: APFS. Most likely, your notebook's system drive is formatted in APFS. That would mean that macOS Catalina was installed in a volume group within a single APFS container (what used to be called partitions in HFS+.) That group, by default, consists of a sealed, read-only volume, called Macintosh HD, and a read/write access volume, called Macintosh HD - Data.

Time Machine only backs up the latter volume. That's what you are seeing. It first does so on the system drive, and then, creates a second version on the destination drive sans any exclusions you identified. Since the former volume is sealed, it is not backed up. That's currently why disk cloning apps, can no longer create a bootable clone of macOS.

Hello aaassdsdsadsads,

Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.

When you are having issues with a Time Machine backup on your Mac, we would recommend starting with this support article to address most issues with Time Machine: Time Machine troubleshooting on Mac - Apple Support

Best regards.

I agree it can be disconcerting when Time Machine does not find a way to inherit the backups properly.

Keep in mind, when this happens, the likelihood those Time Machine backups will offer a complete restore of your system is reduced.

You may be better off considering those folders simply places you can with the Finder or Superduper copy essential files out of to your Mac without the aid of Time Machine. I have found Time Machine's lack of ability to have its backup folders migrated to a larger hard drive a very weak aspect of the program. Although the Migration/Setup Assistant can help in doing that, when rebuilding an operating system from scratch. Recently I found Superduper does offer the ability to clone those files to other drives, and is the only cloning software that will. Before messing with folder permissions and using the Finder was the only to get those files migrated.

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