I am doing an initial back up to a new 5tb HD, my Macintosh HD, according to "get info" has 1.48tb used. I am now 79% complete with 2.47tb used. Why is there a difference of 1tb+ between what i have used up of my Macintosh DH and the Time Machine Backup.
I am on a 2021 iMac M1 with OS 26.3.1
Thank in advance for your help
Michael
iMac (M1, 2021)
That is what happened, I had an Ext HD that was not excluded, so I erased the time machine, reformatted it and then am running a new Time Machine Initial backup.
Thank you
Neuroanatomist and Barney-15E
That is what happened, I had an Ext HD that was not excluded, so I erased the time machine, reformatted it and then am running a new Time Machine Initial backup.
Thank you
Neuroanatomist and Barney-15E
Barney-15E wrote:
Any external drives attached?
A plausible explanation. I thought external drives were generally excluded by default, but maybe not. If that's the issue, the OP can exclude them (if desired) in System Settings > General > Time Machine > Options button and adding the drive(s).
Let the backup complete, then check again.
The way, I understand how Time Machine now works is it makes a snapshot of the drive and copies it to the backup drive. That snapshot is then resolved with the existing snapshots on the backup drive so that actual files that are new or are changed are now referenced.
A snapshot is just file system references, so it doesn’t take up all of the space, but there may be something in the Wayfinder looks at it while it’s in progress that makes it appear like all of the references are actually files taking up storage. Merely I guess at what you see.
I have seen that in the Time Machine menu. The amount being backed up is always much larger than what actually gets backed up at the end.
On Get Info, my drive has 214GB used (200GB for Data) and the Time Machine Drive shows 1.07 TB used.
If I use du on the backup drive, it only shows 144GB used. I don’t think Finder handles snapshots well. Could be neither handles snapshots well
Well the "Initial backup" has been completed here is a snapshot showing the Machintoh HD and Time Machine HD what "Get Info" shows for the two HDs 1.48tb vs 2.86tb respectively.
So my Question is: is the extra 1.4tbs the system files and all the hidden files?
So my Question is: is the extra 1.4tbs the system files and all the hidden files?
The System is about 19GB, maybe a few more, now. Also, Time Machine doesn’t back up the system.
Any external drives attached?
Thank you, will do, assume you are telling me, so to speak, that Time Machine allocated more space than it needs and then give it back at the end of the process.
Michael
I'm suggesting that might be a possibility. To be honest, I've never checked the space used by a backup during the backup process.
Time Machine backup storage discrepancy
