What should I know before moving Time Machine backups?

Question

Level 1

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What should I know before moving Time Machine backups?

i want to move my time machine backup files from a seagate external HD to a own express 1m2 ssd. Is there anything I need to know

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

iMac 27″ 5K, macOS 13.7

Posted on Feb 26, 2025 8:33 AM

Answer 1

Tesserax

Level 10

162,294 points

Feb 26, 2025 1:25 PM in response to RickVT

If the Time Machine (TM) backups to the Seagate are from an APFS-formatted internal drive on your iMac, then unfortunately, there is no way to easily transfer the TM backups to a new drive. However, some report that is still possible to "clone" the old drive to the new one with some success.

You would be better off, using the Seagate as an archive copy, and starting a new TM backup on the new external SSD. Note: Apple used to support this, but stopped doing so in 2020.

Answer 2

RickVT Author

Level 1

10 points

Feb 26, 2025 2:23 PM in response to Tesserax

Thanks. Tesserax. I dug around the community and support pages and came to the same conclusion. Thanks for dropping support for something eminently sensible, Apple. [eyeroll].

I think I will use the Seagate as an archive. At least until I'm sure the new drive is firing on all cylinders (which I guess is a bad metaphor for something with no moving parts) and/or until I have need of it for a doorstop or paperweight, whichever comes first. It served me well, so I shouldn't complain.

What should I know before moving Time Machine backups?

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