Time capsule backup of external drive

How do I have time capsule back up an external drive? It is in the exclusion list, but I can't select it to remove it from the exclusion list. Is there a way to remove it from the exclusion list?

MacBook Pro 15″, macOS 12.6

Posted on May 4, 2023 1:48 PM

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Posted on May 4, 2023 2:29 PM

If you cannot select the external drive to remove it from the Excluded list, this indicates that the external hard drive is not formatted correctly to work with Time Machine.


The drive needs to be formatted in Mac OS Extended (Journaled).


To see how the external drive is currently formatted, temporarily connect the drive directly to your Mac.

The drive icon will appear on the desktop

Right-Click on the drive

Select Get Info

Check the Format

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Question marked as Best reply

May 4, 2023 2:29 PM in response to CarpeDiem10

If you cannot select the external drive to remove it from the Excluded list, this indicates that the external hard drive is not formatted correctly to work with Time Machine.


The drive needs to be formatted in Mac OS Extended (Journaled).


To see how the external drive is currently formatted, temporarily connect the drive directly to your Mac.

The drive icon will appear on the desktop

Right-Click on the drive

Select Get Info

Check the Format

Time capsule backup of external drive

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