Deleting OLD backup files from time machine on a 20 TB external drive

I have a 20 TB external HD and backup files created in 2018. How do I get rid of these old files? Many are so old that they are essentially useless. I am currently using operating system 13.6.1, Ventura. Many of these backup files were created for earlier operating systems and almost all the 2018 applications have evolved to the point they are no longer viable to restore. I have backups that were created for Leopard MAC OS 10.5. It would seem prudent that there should be a way to delete old system backup files especially as external drives have gotten so large: 20MB and beyond. Many large external drives were never set up with partitions to store system backups. I have plenty of external storage space still available, so this issue isn't about regaining storage space but about managing clutter and getting rid of backups that are so outdated that they are no longer viable to restore or that it would be imprudent to restore them. Restoring Leopard OS 10.5 files in a world using Ventura OS 13.6 Ventura, or Sonoma OS 14, would, I think, asking for trouble. And yet those files reside in my Time Machine backup for posterity.

iMac Pro (2017)

Posted on Nov 26, 2023 10:31 AM

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3 replies

Nov 26, 2023 10:42 AM in response to alan-43

How do I get rid of these old files?


Nothing but misery, pain and suffering if you are thinking of trying to erase individual Time Machine backups from the past.


Erase the 20 TB hard drive and start over again with a new backup of each Mac and move forward. All you really need is a current backup of your Mac, in case the hard drive fails. 99.99% of users never need to go back in Time and pick up a file from the past.


When was the last time that you needed to do this?


If there are files that you want to keep on the 20 TB drive, you will have to temporarily copy them to another drive, erase the 20 TB drive, then copy them back over to the 20 TB drive.

Nov 26, 2023 11:37 AM in response to Bob Timmons

To answer your question, three days ago, it became necessary to restore a previous release of an application because of a glitch in the newly released application version that prevented it from executing. It's not the first time I have had to go this route.


I could make a copy of the 20 TB drive to another drive, which would take time. Then, partition my 20 TB to accommodate a Time Machine backup, and reload my 12TB of data and photos to the NON-Time Machine partition, and start backing up my current apps and operating system to the Time Machine portion.


Again, taking a great deal of time.


While this solution is a viable option, it's not one I eagerly look forward to doing.


I'd like to see Apple write a line, or five, of code that would allow the user the option to delete time machine backups older than a specific date XX/XX/XXXX as part of its' system housekeeping. I like this option.


Another choice/option would be to buy a 2 TB external drive and configure TIME MACHINE to back up to that drive instead of the 20 TB Raid 1 I'm currently using and delete the Time Machine Backups currently on my 20TB external drive.


Doing some research, I just found a 108TB Thunderbolt 3 Lacie drive. It's pricey, but it's a lifetime of storage for, dare I say, all external drive individual users.


I just thought there was a less time-consuming, user-friendly way to eliminate time machine backups that had lost their value.

Deleting OLD backup files from time machine on a 20 TB external drive

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