How to Back Up Your Mac With Time Machine

Time Machine is Apple's free built-in backup tool — plug in an external drive and your Mac backs up automatically every hour.

In this guide (4 steps):

1.Get an external hard drive
2.Plug in the drive and set up Time Machine
3.Let the first backup complete
4.Restore a file you accidentally deleted

Get an external hard drive

~31s

Time Machine requires an external hard drive (a portable drive you plug in via USB). Look for one with at least 1 TB (terabyte) of capacity — they typically cost $50-$80 at Target, Best Buy, Walmart, or Amazon. Brands like Seagate, Western Digital (WD), and Samsung make reliable options. The drive should be at least 2x the size of your Mac's internal storage for the best backup coverage.

Quick Tip

Look for "portable hard drive" or "external hard drive" when shopping. You want a drive that connects via USB-A or USB-C depending on which ports your Mac has.

Plug in the drive and set up Time Machine

~24s

Plug the external drive into your Mac's USB port. macOS may ask if you want to use this drive for Time Machine backups — click "Use as Backup Disk." If it doesn't ask, go to the Apple menuSystem SettingsTime Machine → click "Add Backup Disk" and select your drive. Time Machine will prepare the drive (no formatting needed) and start the first backup automatically.

Let the first backup complete

~31s

The first Time Machine backup copies your entire Mac — this can take 1-5 hours depending on how much data you have. Your Mac is fully usable during the backup. A Time Machine icon in the menu bar (top right of screen) spins while a backup is in progress. After the first backup, Time Machine backs up only what has changed each hour — these incremental backups take just a few minutes.

Quick Tip

Plug your external drive into your Mac regularly (once a week is good). Time Machine backs up automatically whenever the drive is connected.

Restore a file you accidentally deleted

~23s

If you accidentally delete a file or need an older version of a document: click the Time Machine icon in the menu bar and click "Browse Time Machine Backups." Your desktop turns into a timeline. Navigate back in time using the arrows on the right. Find the file you need, select it, and click "Restore." The file is copied back to its original location on your Mac.

You Did It!

You've completed: How to Back Up Your Mac With Time Machine

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Time Machine is Apple's built-in backup feature that automatically saves copies of everything on your Mac every hour. If your Mac is ever lost, stolen, or if you accidentally delete a file, you can restore everything from a Time Machine backup. All you need is an external hard drive.

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