Use Time Machine, the built-in backup feature of your Mac, to automatically back up your personal data, including apps, music, photos, email, and documents. Having a backup allows you to recover files that were deleted, or that were lost because the hard disk (or SSD) in your Mac needed to be erased or replaced. Sep 10, 2021 What's new in The Time Machine Mechanic. Version 1.19: This new version includes a specific fix for Monterey, in which T2M2 wasn’t able to estimate free space on the backup storage. It also has a couple of minor improvements which should help those using Big Sur and Monterey. Try our new feature and write a detailed review about The Time. Jul 20, 2020 How to restore Mac from Time Machine. Restoring a Mac from a Time Machine backup is straightforward, but not always the best option. Having done it, we can attest it can take days for your Mac to get back up and running when restoring from a backup. Consider whether or not you have time to devote to that process. The Migration Assistant application (located in a Mac's /Applications/Utilities folder) will allow your transfer information from your data from the Time Machine backup to the hard drive of another Mac. See this article - Move your data to a new Mac - Apple Support. In particular the section titled Migrate from a Time Machine backup or external. Connect Hard Drive to Your Windows PC/Laptop. The first step to access Time Machine backup files on Windows is connecting your Mac formatted hard drive to your Windows machine using the USB cable. You might need to use adapters in case your hard drives come with a Thunderbolt cable, which is very rear.
TimeMachineEditor is a software for macOS that starts backups in Time Machine at particular times. You can choose an interval or create other types of scheduling (see the screenshots below).
This is useful if you don’t need to backup every hour and don’t want the performance penalty. For example you might be frequently creating or modifying files which would cause long-running backup operations throughout the day.
Download
TimeMachineEditor 5.1.9 (2021, May 9) - macOS 10.9 or newer
If you are a Homebrew user: brew install --cask timemachineeditor
Note to Catalina and Big Sur users
In macOS Catalina and Big Sur, a security dialog might prevent you from installing the application claiming that Apple cannot check it for malicious software. Apple (the trillion dollar company) is forcing developers to pay $99/year in order to get rid of this dialog and deliver free software to our users, this I do not agree with. All developers contribute to the platform and buy a fair amount of Apple devices which should be plenty enough money back into Apple's pockets to provide free signing certificates and notarization.
You can still install: control-click the installer package, then choose Open from the shortcut menu, then click Open. Alternatively you can install version 5.0.8 (which was graciously notarized by Apple at the time) and update from within the application (main application menu > Check for Updates). If you're a Homebrew user you can also install the app without a problem (via cask).
How does it work?
TimeMachineEditor starts backups in Time Machine when it is most appropriate, the whole backup process is still handled by Time Machine. TimeMachineEditor does not make changes to your system, it simply runs as an alternative scheduler to start your backups. Therefore it is safe and easy to use.
Command Line Tool
The tmectl(1) command line tool allows to print and modify settings, enable/disable the scheduler and uninstall the application. Just fire up the command without any argument to see its usage.
FAQ
Should I disable automatic backups in System Preferences > Time Machine?
Yes. Doing this disables the default one-hour scheduler which is what you want since you will now be using TimeMachineEditor to schedule the backups.
Do I need to keep the application running or launch it at login time?
No. You just need to use the application when you want to change the settings.
Will it back up while the machine is sleeping?
TimeMachineEditor supports Power Nap which you can enable in System Preferences > Energy Saver. If you are using a laptop computer, make sure you are on the “Power Adapter” tab, as this feature only works when connected to AC power. If you have an Apple Silicon machine, Power Nap is always enabled.
How does TimeMachineEditor preserve/discard backups?
TimeMachineEditor does not change that, it is handled by Time Machine. Time Machine will coalesce and discard backups as described in System Preferences > Time Machine.
What are local snapshots?
Local snapshots are APFS snapshots. They are very fast to make, stored on the local disk and provide additional restoration points. Since they are local they do not protect against a disk crash but can be useful if the machine goes away from the backup disk for awhile. The lifetime of snapshots is not well defined but they usually live no longer than 24 hours.
You can't totally disable snapshots. New snapshots are created every time a regular backup is made (snapshots are used as the data sources for the backups). That's how Time Machine works.
How do I uninstall TimeMachineEditor?
Just select the “Uninstall...” command located under the application main menu. Alternatively the tmectl(1) command line tool can be used with the “uninstall” argument.
Donations
TimeMachineEditor is totally free to use. Donations contribute to the web hosting and developer account fees.
Time Machine For Mac Download
You can donate via paypal.
Apple Time Machine Download
Contact
You can contact me by email at timemachineeditor@tclementdev.com.