How do you erase Time Machine Backups?

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How do you erase Time Machine Backups?

I thought I could use a 1TB External drive to back up my 320GB startup disk, and use the rest of the empty 680GB for storage. However, Time Machine started taking up 600GB of spaceon the External drive! I was like "What the heck!?" So I put unwanted Time Machine Backups in the trash and emptied it. Nothing, they're stuck there now.

I'm planning on wiping the disk clean and starting over, but for future reference is there a proper way to delete Time Machine Backups? Surely there must be; (I mean, who would have known Time Machine would take up MORE SPACE than the drive it's backing up in the first place?!?) Thanks! 🙂

Mac OS X (10.6.6)

Posted on Feb 11, 2012 12:58 PM

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Answer 1

Kappy

Level 10

361,741 points

Feb 11, 2012 1:01 PM in response to Randinator3000

A Time Machine backup drive needs to be at least twice the capacity of the drive it backs up. This fact is quite well known. It takes up more space because Time Machine saves all changes rather than overwriting them. If you want the latter type of backup then use something other than Time Machine.

Use Disk Utility to erase the drive.

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