do I have to leave the external backup drive connected
I have a new iMac 24" and will be adding a backup external disc. Not sure I want it connected all the time. Is it ok to disconnect it and reconnect periodically for backups?
iMac (M3, 2023)
Question marked as
You can disconnect the drive temporarily, when Time Machine is not running, but it would be much better to keep it connected at all times. The Time Machine can make hourly backups, which will be small and fast. If you wait for a long time between backups, the next backup may take many hours.
Time Machine is meant to be running continually in the background.