You can ignore any or all of my suggestions :) Tip #2 - Deleting useless backups Pro Tip: This isn't the end-all, be-all of Time Machine lists, this is just a good starting point. /Incompatible Software (This will be in the root of your computer after an OS upgrade).~/Public ( Optional: Depends on your network usage habits).~/Dropbox - Dropbox is already in the cloud, no reason to back it up.Follow their instructions if you'd like Time Machine to back up them. ~/Documents/Parallels - VMs in the past have been notoriously bad for Time Machine, VMware includes Time Machine functionality.Many games use Steam cloud to back up game saves). Games are subject to frequent updates, and any games can be redownloaded from the steam service. ~/Library/Application Support/Steam/SteamApp - (This will not back up games using the Steam Service.~/Music/iTunes/Mobile Applications - (These can be redownloaded from iTunes or your iPad/iPhone/iPod and are constantly updated).~/Library/Caches - (Cache files are prone to change).Recommended folders to disable (for all users) Its also not a bad idea to leave it unhidden as you may need access to it in the future when cleaning out OS X. Punch in the following terminal command to unhide it. Pro tip: When you see ~/ (the tilda represents your user folder, this is common shorthand for your user folder)īy default Lion and Mountain Lion hide the user Library folder, in all previous versions of OS X, this was accessible by the user. I've created a quick and dirty list of recommended files to block Time Machine. Even a deleted file will occupy space on Time Machine until all the snapshots that contain the deleted file are removed from Time Machine itself. For most people, the downloads folder the equivalent to the wild west, and you're apt to constantly decompress zips, nab massive DMGs and delete files from it. If you're like me, you may have many drives to exclude.īacking up your downloads folder is a data waste. To disable a folder, locate it and drag it onto the “Exclude these items from backups” window. Tip #1 - Disabling backups of space-wasting foldersĬlicking options will reveal a simple interface that allows excluding folders from being backed up.īy default Time Machine backs up EVERYTHING when there are a few folders that should be disabled by default. Remember, The more space Time Machine has free, the longer it can keep back up records It may seem crazy to have a year's worth of backups until you're chasing down a PDF you may have deleted anywhere from yesterday to last May. Time Machine doesn't support backing up to APFS formatted volume (yet) as this is due to change in 10.15 Catalina but Mojave improved the experience of missed backups. Instead, this is for those already using Time Machine. That said, this article isn't to convert the unconverted. Computers are replaceable personal data is not. Time Machine is easily one of the best features of OS X, and if you don't use it, you really really really should.
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