HT201250: Use Time Machine to back up or restore your Mac

Learn about Use Time Machine to back up or restore your Mac
22frets
Level 1 (0 points)

Q: How can you free up space on your MacBook Pro using Time Machine and still have access to those files? Can it be used as an external hard drive?

How can you free up space on your MacBook Pro using Time Machine and use it as an external hard drive? Can this be done ?

MacBook Pro (13-inch Mid 2010), OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.5)

Posted on Oct 1, 2013 9:18 AM

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Q: How can you free up space on your MacBook Pro using Time Machine and still have access to those files? Can it be used as an extern ... more

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  • by Niel,

    Niel Niel Oct 1, 2013 9:25 AM in response to 22frets
    Level 10 (314,528 points)
    Mac OS X
    Oct 1, 2013 9:25 AM in response to 22frets

    That shouldn't be done; all the copies of anything you want to keep shouldn't be on a single drive, as it may fail. Get a second external drive and set Time Machine to back it up as well.

     

    (90318)

  • by Joe Bailey,

    Joe Bailey Joe Bailey Oct 1, 2013 9:30 AM in response to 22frets
    Level 6 (12,217 points)
    Oct 1, 2013 9:30 AM in response to 22frets

    You cannot use the files in the Time Machine backup and while it is possible to partition or otherwise use free space on the Time Machine drive as external storage Apple does not recommmend it. Your best solutions are either replace the existing hard drive in your MacBook Pro with a larger capacity drive or add a bus powered external HD. A 1TB USB 2 or 3 drive runs just a bit over $100 and the internal drive about $20 less. In either case remember the Time Machine drive should have two to three times the space of the drive(s) it is backing up.