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anakrmz918

Q: Is it normal for Time Machine to want to back up 15 gigs after updating to new OS X?

I just updated my Mac to the latest OS X El Capitan 10.11. I am conducting the first backup to my Time Machine since I upgraded but the upgrade is 15 gigs! Is this normal? I don't have very many files on my Mac or iCloud so when I first got the Time Machine the backup only took about 30 minutes so I'm a little confused and worried.

 

Thank you!

MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch,Early 2015), OS X Yosemite (10.10.3)

Posted on Mar 31, 2016 8:44 PM

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Q: Is it normal for Time Machine to want to back up 15 gigs after updating to new OS X?

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  • by LaPastenague,Solvedanswer

    LaPastenague LaPastenague Mar 31, 2016 8:56 PM in response to anakrmz918
    Level 9 (52,310 points)
    Wireless
    Mar 31, 2016 8:56 PM in response to anakrmz918

    15GB sounds spot on..

     

    Remember the entire backup needs to be replaced.

     

    And I would encourage you to backup to a different name or location so you don't smash your existing backup.

     

    I don't have very many files on my Mac or iCloud so when I first got the Time Machine the backup only took about 30 minutes so I'm a little confused and worried.

    TM backs up at about 50-60GB per hour to network drive like Time Capsule.. that means in the first backup your computer stored 25-30GB of files.. and now you are worried about 15GB.

  • by anakrmz918,

    anakrmz918 anakrmz918 Mar 31, 2016 9:06 PM in response to LaPastenague
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Mac OS X
    Mar 31, 2016 9:06 PM in response to LaPastenague

    Thank you. I'm just so new to all of this and since my initial backup was incredibly short something seemed off about this one but like you said, I guess it's expected when you upgrade to a new OS. As far as backing up to another disk, I have no idea which disk to select so I guess it's going to replace my initial back up.

  • by LaPastenague,

    LaPastenague LaPastenague Mar 31, 2016 10:33 PM in response to anakrmz918
    Level 9 (52,310 points)
    Wireless
    Mar 31, 2016 10:33 PM in response to anakrmz918

    Were you backing up to a Time Capsule??

     

    All you need to do is change the computer naming via sharing in preferences.. it then should start a new backup.

     

    If you are backing up to a disk plugged into the computer.. that will write over the existing backup.. no way I can fix that .. except for you to use a different disk.