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Backup frequency in Time Machine

How do I adjust the frequency of the automatic back ups in Time Machine on my Mac Book Pro. They are occurring hourly and I would prefer daily backups instead if possible so that they don't take up so much room on my Synology that it backs up to.



Earlier Mac models

Posted on Mar 14, 2023 10:12 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Mar 15, 2023 8:59 AM

After the initial full backup, Time Machine saves ONLY incremental changes. This will not add greatly to the amount stored on your NAS, unless you are creating huge NEW files hourly.


Time machine uses internal File Linking so that its can quickly re-create the state of your Mac at any given date&time. It does NOT store previously-stored files again, it links to the copy already in the backup set.


There are third-party Utilities that can be used to adjust the backup frequency, but honestly, ¿why bother?

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Mar 15, 2023 8:59 AM in response to K2Yapple

After the initial full backup, Time Machine saves ONLY incremental changes. This will not add greatly to the amount stored on your NAS, unless you are creating huge NEW files hourly.


Time machine uses internal File Linking so that its can quickly re-create the state of your Mac at any given date&time. It does NOT store previously-stored files again, it links to the copy already in the backup set.


There are third-party Utilities that can be used to adjust the backup frequency, but honestly, ¿why bother?

Backup frequency in Time Machine

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