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

Learn about Use Time Machine to back up or restore your Mac
cbl_oak

Q: My 1TB HDD used for Time Machine backups is full. I have installed another 4TB HDD and now wish to move the large backup file from the 1TB to the 4TB HDD an then wipe the 1TB dive clean to be used for photos and videos. Any suggestion on how to do accompi

I am running OS X Yosemite version 10.10.3 on a MAC.  The 1TB HDD used for Time Machine backup is full. I have installed another 4TB HDD on it. I would now like to move the large backup file from the 1TB HDD to the 4TB HDD and then wipe the 1TB HDD drive clean, to use it for photos & videos. Can you suggest how to best accomplish it?

iMac, Mac OS X (10.6.8)

Posted on Jun 15, 2015 12:28 PM

Close

Q: My 1TB HDD used for Time Machine backups is full. I have installed another 4TB HDD and now wish to move the large backup file from ... more

  • All replies
  • Helpful answers

  • by AnKBe,

    AnKBe AnKBe Jun 16, 2015 5:40 AM in response to cbl_oak
    Level 1 (115 points)
    Jun 16, 2015 5:40 AM in response to cbl_oak

    wouldn't it be easier to just take a clean backup of current on new external hdd? Do you need the history? Time machine aill use both u til the new one is complete.

  • by cbl_oak,

    cbl_oak cbl_oak Jun 16, 2015 11:13 AM in response to AnKBe
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 16, 2015 11:13 AM in response to AnKBe

    AbKBe

     

    Thanks for this suggestion, but if I proceed this way, when will I know that I can wipe the 1TB HDD dive clean for phot, video etc use?

  • by cdhw,

    cdhw cdhw Jun 16, 2015 11:25 AM in response to cbl_oak
    Level 4 (2,653 points)
    Servers Enterprise
    Jun 16, 2015 11:25 AM in response to cbl_oak

    After giving it a day or two (1TB of data is a lot to copy...) use 'Open Time Machine Preferences' from the Time Machine Menu. Check that the message under your new disk says something like '3TB of 4TB available, encrypted Backups: Yesterday - Today. This will indicate that there is a complete TM snapshot on your new disk.

     

    Whether that means you can wipe your 1TB drive depends on your attitude to risk and the relative value of your historical copies vs a $50 disk.

     

    C.

  • by Shadowisper,

    Shadowisper Shadowisper Jun 16, 2015 12:00 PM in response to cdhw
    Level 1 (107 points)
    Jun 16, 2015 12:00 PM in response to cdhw

    Really all you need to do is open the airport utility and then select edit and change the file preference to the same. Then on time machine you can backup one to another. The on Finder go on shared and wipe clean the data on your first Time Capsule.

     

    Hope this helped you out!

     

    -J