JMeek

Q: How Can I use my Time Capsule 3TB as an external hard drive?

I just purchased a new MacBook Pro and an AirPort Time Capsule 3TB so that I could extend the storage of my macbook.  I am trying to figure out how to store my iPhoto library on this device as well as my music.  I got the backup setup but I want to access the rest of the 3TB storage as an external hard drive.  The Apple associate said that I could and I am not having luck figuring out how to do this.

Posted on Aug 6, 2016 11:04 AM

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Q: How Can I use my Time Capsule 3TB as an external hard drive?

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  • by Tesserax,

    Tesserax Tesserax Aug 6, 2016 11:24 AM in response to JMeek
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    Aug 6, 2016 11:24 AM in response to JMeek

    Unfortunately the Apple associate is not fully giving you the advantages / disadvantages of what you are trying to accomplish.

     

    Basically, the Time Capsule was designed to work in conjunction with Time Machine. Alternatively, it could be used as a file storage device. Unfortunately, it does not work well to do both simultaneously. That is because, Time Machine will want to use all the available space on the Time Capsule for itself.

     

    In theory, you can just copy/move other files to the Time Capsule, but eventually there will eventually not be a lot of space for them. Alternatively, you could create a disk image on the Time Capsule drive just for file storage, but this is rather messy solution.

     

    Regardless, you would access the Time Capsule's internal drive via the OS X Finder. You can simply copy/move files to the TC's drive from this application.

     

    The other issue is iPhoto/Photos Library. Apple does not recommend storing this on a network drive. It works best when it's located on your Mac's internal drive. You may want to consider using iCloud for storing your photos.

     

    ... but you still have another option for file storage & Time Machine backups at least. You can attach an external USB drive to the USB port on the Time Capsule. Dedicate it for file storage and the internal drive for Time Machine ... or vice-versa.