Time Machine will discard backups on an as needed basis without you needing to intervene. Start with A4 in the 1st linked article the next time you have a problem. It has worked for me several times. If you look through the first link there are sections on how to deal with many Time Machine problems, including stuck in preparing. Once the Server App is installed, it needs to be configured. For use as a Time Machine server the setup is a breeze. To configure the Server app as a Time Machine server, follow these steps: Open the Server App. Using the “Continue” button, follow the initial setup. No need to configure anything at this time. With the Server App now open.
If you made a Time Machine backup of your Mac, Migration Assistant can use that backup to restore your personal files, including apps and everything in your user account.
If you prefer to restore just a few files or earlier versions of those files, learn how to use Time Machine to restore specific files.
Use Migration Assistant
- If you need to reinstall macOS, do that before continuing. For example, if your Mac starts up to a flashing question mark, you need to first reinstall macOS.
- Make sure that your Time Machine backup disk is connected to your Mac and turned on.
- Open Migration Assistant on your Mac. It's in the Utilities folder of your Applications folder.
If your Mac starts up to a setup assistant, which asks for details like your country and network, continue to the next step, because the setup assistant includes a migration assistant. - When asked how you want to transfer your information, select the option to transfer from a Mac, Time Machine backup, or startup disk. Then click Continue.
- Select your Time Machine backup, then click Continue.
- Choose a backup and click Continue.
- Select the information to transfer.
In this example, John Appleseed is a macOS user account. If it has the same name as an account already on your Mac, you're prompted to either rename the old account or replace the one on your Mac. If you rename, the old account will appear as a separate user on your Mac, with a separate home folder and login. If you replace, the old account will delete and then replace the account on your Mac, including everything in its home folder. - Click Continue to start the transfer. Large transfers might need several hours to complete.
If you need help, please contact Apple Support.
Learn more
Guide: Setting up a Time Machine Share on your Unraid Server
Apple’s Time Machine is a built-in backup feature for your Mac that will automatically backup all of your files, apps, music, photos, emails, documents, and system files. When you complete a backup, you can even restore files from your backup if the original files are deleted from your Mac or the hard disk (or SSD) in your Mac is erased or replaced. With Unraid, you can now use Time Machine with the SMB protocol and store your Time Machine backups on your Unraid server!
Note: This guide works with MacOS High Sierra.
Create a Time Machine Backup on your Unraid Server
To create backups with Time Machine and store them on your Unraid server, all you’ll need to do is connect it to your Unraid server and then Time Machine will automatically make:
- Hourly backups for the past 24 hours
- Daily backups for the past month
- Weekly backups for all previous months
- The oldest backups are deleted when your backup disk is full
If you want to control when backups are completed, we suggest you use a tool such as Time Machine Editor so you can customize when backups are made and select a host of other options not available in Time Machine itself.
Unraid and Time Machine Setup
Before you begin, make sure SMB is enabled in the Unraid webgui by going to:
- Settings --> SMB under “Network Services”
- Set “Enable SMB” to “Yes” and click “Apply” (Array must be stopped to change this).
- Also, set “Enhanced macOS interoperability” to Yes as well.
Now:
- In the Unraid webGUI, go to 'Shares' and click 'Add Share”.
- Name the share (Ex: Time Machine).
- Set your minimum free space or leave default. This is the minimum free space available to allow writing to any disk belonging to the share.
- Under “Included disk(s)” select the disk in the array that you’d like to use for your Time Machine share. You can still use this same disk for other shares.
- Keep “Enable Copy-on-write” on “Auto”.
- Under SMB Security Settings.
- Under “Export” select “Yes (Time Machine)”
- Set your “TimeMachine volume size limit”. This limits the reported volume size, preventing Time Machine from using the entire real disk space for backup. Example: setting this value to '1024' would limit the reported disk space to 1GB.
- Set your Security parameters to what you prefer.
- Click Apply/Done.
Next, we need to make the new Time Machine share a Remote Share:In the Unraid Webgui: (note: this section isn’t necessary and should probably be removed entirely)
- Go to “Main” and under “SMB Shares”, click “Add remote SMB/NFS Share”
- Select SMB and find your server by putting in the IP address and clicking Search for Servers:
- Fill in the rest of the information and select the Time Machine share you just created.
- Click Add and then under Main --> SMB Shares click Mount to mount the Time Machine Share.
From here, there are just a few more steps:
- Connect to your Time Machine share by connecting to it through the Finder.
- Next: go to Time Machine Preferences on your Mac and “Select Disk”.
- Your newly mounted Time Machine share should show up. Select this share, enable encryption if desired and click “Use Disk”.
- Now, Time Machine will say it’s trying to connect to your share. Before clicking connect, it’s recommended to eject your mounted share from your desktop and then connect.
- Time Machine immediately begins making periodic backups—automatically and without further action by you.
Note: The first backup may take a long time, depending on how many files you have and the size of your Mac’s harddrive.Thereafter, Time Machine backs up only the files that changed since the previous backup, so future backups should be faster.
Reminder: We suggest you use a 3rd party tool such as Time Machine Editor so you can customize when backups are made and select a host of other options not available in the Time Machine program itself.
Mac os x version compatibility.
What Is The Time Machine App On Mac
That’s it. Now, all of your Time Machine backups will be stored on your Unraid server and if something bad happens to your Mac, you will be able to restore files, settings, and apps from these backups!
What Is The Time Machine App On Mac Catalina
Creating Multiple Time Machine Shares for Different People/Macs
So, say you want to create multiple time machine backups for different people/Macs in the house? You will need to create a separate share for each Time Machine backup and separate users in Unraid. For example, say the Stooges want to backup their Macs. If the username on each of the Macs is larry, curly, and moe, you would create Unraid users larry, curly, and moe. Once the users are set up then you would create the individual Time Machine shares (ex: tm-larry, tm-curly, tm-moe). From there, simply follow the instructions above!
What Is The Time Machine App On Mac Computer
For more info on Time Machine shares, be sure to also check out Space Invader One’s excellent video on Unraid Shares and MacOS!
IPhone Transfer is a third-party app designed for iPhone users who want to move them content between iPhone and Mac more freely. Actually, there is no limition on using this program and you can not only transfer photos, but also for text messages, contacts, music, video and ebooks. Move photos from iphone to computer. You can use the Photos app to import photos from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to your Mac. Connect your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to your Mac with a USB cable. Open the Photos app. The Photos app shows an Import screen with all the photos and videos that are on your connected device. How to Transfer Photos from iPhone to Mac Wirelessly. The easiest way to download pictures from. Using Photos App: Connect your iPhone to your Mac. Plug one end of the iPhone's charging cable. Patiently wait for the Photos App to download all Photos from your iPhone to Mac. Transfer WhatsApp Photos From iPhone to PC Using iCloud Drive. If the Save Photos to camera roll option is disabled in WhatsApp, then you can still transfer the photos to your computer, however the process is a bit longer.