Time Machine destination

Hi, My desktop storage is filling up with backup!

How do I remove it from the computer and back it up only on the external hard drive?

Is that possible?

iMac 21.5″, macOS 12.0

Posted on Nov 12, 2021 10:16 PM

Reply
Question marked as ⚠️ Top-ranking reply

Posted on Nov 12, 2021 10:21 PM

Welcome to Apple Support Communities.


Did you configure to use a volume on your internal drive as your Time Machine destination?


Time Machine should only be used to backup to external drives. If this is what you need to setup, I recommend purchasing a SanDisk Professional G-DRIVE - Western Digital or a G-Technology G-DRIVE mobile USB-C Portable Hard Drive - Apple.


Regardless of which drive you choose, it needs to be formatted. Follow these steps:


  1. Go to Disk Utility (Finder > Go > Utilities)
  2. In Disk Utility, select “View” > “Show All Devices”.
  3. Select the top and non-indented drive in the external section of Disk Utility that matches the name of your external drive. 
  4. Click Erase
  5. Name: any name you want
  6. Format: Use Mac OS Extended (Journaled) if you are using macOS Catalina or earlier, or APFS if you are using macOS Big Sur.
  7. Scheme: GUID Partition Map
  8. Click Erase


Finally, setup Time Machine: Back up your Mac with Time Machine - Apple Support.


Cheers,


Jack

4 replies
Sort By: 
Question marked as ⚠️ Top-ranking reply

Nov 12, 2021 10:21 PM in response to 66caseys

Welcome to Apple Support Communities.


Did you configure to use a volume on your internal drive as your Time Machine destination?


Time Machine should only be used to backup to external drives. If this is what you need to setup, I recommend purchasing a SanDisk Professional G-DRIVE - Western Digital or a G-Technology G-DRIVE mobile USB-C Portable Hard Drive - Apple.


Regardless of which drive you choose, it needs to be formatted. Follow these steps:


  1. Go to Disk Utility (Finder > Go > Utilities)
  2. In Disk Utility, select “View” > “Show All Devices”.
  3. Select the top and non-indented drive in the external section of Disk Utility that matches the name of your external drive. 
  4. Click Erase
  5. Name: any name you want
  6. Format: Use Mac OS Extended (Journaled) if you are using macOS Catalina or earlier, or APFS if you are using macOS Big Sur.
  7. Scheme: GUID Partition Map
  8. Click Erase


Finally, setup Time Machine: Back up your Mac with Time Machine - Apple Support.


Cheers,


Jack

Reply

This thread has been closed by the system or the community team. You may vote for any posts you find helpful, or search the Community for additional answers.

Time Machine destination

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.