Time Machine only shows me two days of Backup.

[Change Agent]

My MBP (16’ M1) has a hardwired connection to my local network and in that network is a Mac Mini that has an external SSD disk attached to it that is specifically dedicated to Time Machine (the SSD). It has worked fine for years. Recently I needed a backup of a preference file in the OS, and I discovered that TM only shows me the last two days of backups even though it holds months of stuff.

Now it could be that it has to do with a recent system upgrade (OS 12 > OS13) I made on all machines, but I am not sure. However, this is the only significant thing I did lately. And btw after this upgrade, I also got problems with a hub that worked fine for a long time. But that is another issue.

Entering TM you might or might not see the whole timeline. If it shows the whole timeline all the way back- but clicking on any date in the past results in usually (see also below) nothing happening.

I did do a “verify backups” on it and found no problems. I ran First Aid on the backup disk, and all is well according to First Aid. If I open TM and key in “Apple-Shift-C” I sometimes can access the whole history. Even though it switches to a for me strange window (not the window I had open but a complete other one) and so you need to navigate back to where you had been. This works sometimes and sometimes not.

And as an extra bonus, my second MBP has the same problem. And for correctness the Mac Mini does not.

The internet has given me solutions so far. Any idea anybody?

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Since "it has worked for years," is TM disc (near) full?

Perhaps the Mac Mini TM backup has gobbled up all of the space leaving very little for the two MBs? Since MM is always attached while MBs are probably only sometimes attached, eventually MM would eat up all of the available spaced in a share drive with no limits on backups for each Mac.

TM does take note of how many Macs it is backing up and then allocates sufficient space to each. It just uses available space. You have to allocate slots of space when you want multiple Macs to share a drive.

You could partition the TM disc so that you dedicate space to each Mac sharing a single drive. For example, if drive is 18TB, you could split it 3 ways with 6GB of TM space each or any other allocation that may make more better sense like 10 + 4 + 4TB).

Or you could attach 2 other drives so that each Mac has its own physical drive for it's own TM space.

Presuming that MM has eaten up the vast majority of the space, I'd probably just buy one new TM drive for the 2 MBs and partition/split the total space accordingly for each. MM would continue to "own" the existing TM drive and the new drive would take over as TM space for the 2 MBs. Instead of sharing the new space to them, tangibly split it so that each MB has its own allocated space.

That's my first guess- that over time, MM has basically gobbles up all available space and your two MBs are working within the small amount of free space when they get their turn to back up. If that is plausible to you, either remedy just referenced should resolve the problem.

 

[Change Agent]

Since "it has worked for years," is TM disc (near) full?

Perhaps the Mac Mini TM backup has gobbled up all of the space leaving very little for the two MBs? Since MM is always attached while MBs are probably only sometimes attached, eventually MM would eat up all of the available spaced in a share drive with no limits on backups for each Mac.

TM does take note of how many Macs it is backing up and then allocates sufficient space to each. It just uses available space. You have to allocate slots of space when you want multiple Macs to share a drive.

You could partition the TM disc so that you dedicate space to each Mac sharing a single drive. For example, if drive is 18TB, you could split it 3 ways with 6GB of TM space each or any other allocation that may make more better sense like 10 + 4 + 4TB).

Or you could attach 2 other drives so that each Mac has its own physical drive for it's own TM space.

That's my first guess- that over time, MM has basically gobbles up all available space and your two MBs are working within the small amount of free space when they get their turn to back up. If that is plausible to you, either remedy just referenced should resolve the problem.

Thanks. Each computer has his own disk. And no it is not almost full. But good thinking.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Interesting. Next guess is a corrupted backup, though 2 at the same time seems to be quite long odds. What I would do next is direct connect one of the drives to a MB for the day, move some sizable files onto the MB between TM backups and see if the size of the backup grows (it should). Then, you could take it back to the MM connection and further experiment by adding some files to see if it keeps growing there.

Else, I might delete the backup on one of the MB drives and create a fresh backup, then monitor to see if the fresh one will eventually backup beyond 2 days (and beyond 2 days is accessible). If so, corruption seems to be the cause and repeat on the other MB drive.

 

[Change Agent]

Interesting. Next guess is a corrupted backup, though 2 at the same time seems to be quite long odds. What I would do next is direct connect one of the drives to a MB for the day, move some sizable files onto the MB between TM backups and see if the size of the backup grows (it should). Then, you could take it back to the MM connection and further experiment by adding some files to see if it keeps growing there.

Else, I might delete the backup on one of the MB drives and create a fresh backup, then monitor to see if the fresh one will eventually backup beyond 2 days (and beyond 2 days is accessible). If so, corruption seems to be the cause and repeat on the other MB drive.

Thanks, good thinking I try the connecting local. I am abit reluctant to erase as there is stuff that I like to keep, just incase.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Another option: if you have any spare drive, hook it to MM, set it up as TM drive and see how it fares after 2 days. That would be like erasing and starting a brand new backup without erasing the existing drive. If the new one works fine, it will add to the likelihood of the existing being corrupt. If it has the same problem, I start suspecting the MM as intermediary.

 

[Change Agent]

Another option: if you have any spare drive, hook it to MM, set it up as TM drive and see how it fares after 2 days. That would be like erasing and starting a brand new backup without erasing the existing drive. If the new one works fine, it will add to the likelihood of the existing being corrupt. If it has the same problem, I start suspecting the MM as intermediary.

I need to dig around to see if I have a disk somewhere I could do this with.

 

[pastoralbasement]

There is a similar thread with a workaround: Time Machine not working to see back in time

 

[Change Agent]

I have spent about 2+ hours on the phone with level two Apple folk. According to them it is a known bug in OS 13 and OS 14. They are working on it and there probably will be no fix for it in OS13.

It has to do with the TM backup index process. The indexing is slow or not taking place. One thing that helps is to enter TM and let it sit there for a while as it indexes. You have a cuppa in the meantime and relax.

The fastest way I found so far is to enter TM do a "Shift+cmd+C", go back to the date where you think your file is, and now navigate to the file. This seems to work most of the time. Once done so I can now move back and forth in the backups and get the normal response.

 

[Change Agent]

There is a similar thread with a workaround: Time Machine not working to see back in time

Thanks. good tip.

 

[pastoralbasement]

Thank you to "Change Agent" for your post. Personally, I have not had time to work with Apple Support on the issue.

 

[Change Agent]

Thank you to "Change Agent" for your post. Personally, I have not had time to work with Apple Support on the issue.

No worries it is normal for me to post if I find a solution or have a tip. After all we are here to help one and other.

What is maybe also interesting is that in working with the Apple folk is that they did not want to give me a support for OS13 (I am still on 13). Argument was that they (Apple) will not solve it in 13.

So, I put on another partition on my internal SSD and installed 14, on it. The TM problem did not disappear with it. But it could be that it helped the indexing and now on 13 it behaves a tick better.

What we also discovered is that if you are let’s say deep in the system (a folder in a folder in a folder etc.) and enter TM it tends to hang most likely. If you enter TM and go the root of the data and next move back in time and next move to the folder where your file is it tends to not hang. Of course, the "Shift+cmd+C" puts you at the root.

However, in the last call they said they are working on a solution. So, fingers crossed. And my case is still open so I can communicate more with the,

I still have to do the "Shift+cmd+C" most of the time to get in but can than access all the way back.

 

[Change Agent]

It seems the problem might be linked to TM indexing in OS 13 and 14. While we await a comprehensive fix from Apple, a temporary workaround could involve manually triggering the TM indexing process. Try accessing TM, initiating the 'Shift+cmd+C' command, and allowing it time to index thoroughly. Additionally, consider simplifying the navigation by starting from the root before moving back in time.

Another approach could be to create a new TM backup on a spare drive, as suggested by @HobeSoundDarryl . This could help isolate the issue and determine if the existing backups are indeed corrupted. If the new backup works smoothly, it might be worth considering as a short-term solution.

I agree it could be indexing indeed. I tried that too and it seems to make no difference.

Still, I do suspect it is slow in indexing. Thing is I have the same problem on two identical machines with each their own SSD dedicated (same brand and model) to TM.

As to testing on a separate/different disk, I did this, and it behaves the same.

And since it is on two identical machines I suspect it is a software related issue and not hardware.

 

[Change Agent]

I am in touch with Apple (level two) and have a case number but it is very silent on their end.