first time time machine user here - so confused

[Camarillo Brillo]

I've never used time machine before. I always just clone my drive.

I decided to use time machine on my m1 mini because I'd like to use the time machine backup to set up a new Mac soon.

So, I created a volume called "time machine" on an external SSD and turned on time machine, and it completed the first backup.

Now I am confused...

When I open the volume I created, I do not see any files. Aren't I supposed to see some files here?? Where are the backup files? Are they hidden?

If I uncheck "automatic backups" in time machine settings, does that mean I get to keep the one time machine backup that was created? Or does that erase my time machine backups?

Thank you!

 

[Phil77354]

If Time Machine has functioned correctly, then the drive that you are using for the backup(s) will show all of them, and you will be able to see them either by opening Time Machine itself, or by opening the drive in Finder. The files are not hidden as far as I know, but full access to them is via Time Machine.

If you uncheck the automatic backups then it has no effect on those backups previously completed. They are saved.

 

[arfung]

With your Time Machine drive plugged in, open a finder window and go to some place (e.g. Documents folder) were you have some files. Go up to the Time Machine menu (if you have the menu bar item enabled from the System Settings), and "Enter Time Machine" Time Machine should show you a stack of windows (e.g. older versions of Documents folder) and you should be able to go back and forth in time to find a version of a doc that you want to "restore". See here:

How to set up and start using Time Machine

Learn to start using Time Machine here

www.imore.com

 

[MCap]

You probably have the same problem discussed here: https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...-monterey-my-personal-issue-resolved.2319832/

I have this problem too

 

[Camarillo Brillo]

You probably have the same problem discussed here: https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...-monterey-my-personal-issue-resolved.2319832/

I have this problem too

That doesn't sound like what's happening to me... my time machine backup was pretty fast.

I'm just opening the ssd volume assigned to time machine and I'm seeing no folders or files in there, it is empty. I do see "Enter Time Machine" in the upper right hand corner, and when clicked it shows the time line on the right, but it does not allow me to click back to yesterday when I created the time machine backup.

 

[Phil77354]

At this point my suggestion is that you turn Time Machine back on (check the box to 'Back Up Automatically') and let it proceed normally with routine updates to the initial backup that should have been done previously. If the initial backup file is not present then I assume it will repeat the process. Perhaps it did not terminate fully the first time.

Normally Time Machine is simply left on so that it can run the normal hourly updates to the backups and it will accumulate that sequence of files on your backup disk. I suggest you give this a try and let it run for a day or more and see what results.