Transfer USB Time Machine Backup Drive to a New Mac

Discussion:

(too old to reply)

Colour Sergeant Bourne

2024-05-29 17:30:56 UTC

For several months, I’ve been backing up Mac “A” to an external USB Time
Machine drive.

I’m going to sell Mac A and replace it with Mac B.

Is there a way to use Mac A’s external USB Time Machine drive to now
backup Mac B AND KEEP the existing Mac A backups on the USB drive?

--
There’s no problem so bad that you can’t make it worse.
- Astronaut Chris Hadfield.

Paul Goodman

2024-05-29 17:44:49 UTC

Permalink

Post by Colour Sergeant Bourne
For several months, I’ve been backing up Mac “A” to an external USB Time
Machine drive.
I’m going to sell Mac A and replace it with Mac B.
Is there a way to use Mac A’s external USB Time Machine drive to now
backup Mac B AND KEEP the existing Mac A backups on the USB drive?

Yes you can. When you plug in the USB drive into the new computer, it will
give you the option to keep the backup that is there and create a new one,
assuming there is enough space on the drive.

--
Paul Goodman

Colour Sergeant Bourne

2024-05-29 22:37:55 UTC

Permalink

Post by Paul Goodman

Yes you can. When you plug in the USB drive into the new computer, it will
give you the option to keep the backup that is there and create a new one,
assuming there is enough space on the drive.

Ah, thanks. Your last few words ended up being the key here-- there's
very little space left of the drive. I'll need to start a new one!

--
Because we're here lad. Nobody else. Just us.

Jolly Roger

2024-05-29 21:28:13 UTC

Permalink

Before you start up your new Mac for the first time, connect the backup
drive to it. When the setup assistant asks if you want to transfer your
data, choose the backup drive.

After the new Mac is up and running, go into System Settings > General >
Time Machine and tell it to start backing up to the backup drive. It
will create a new backup on the drive for the new Mac.

After some time goes by, when you feel confident that you no longer need
the old Mac's backup files, you can delete them to recover space on the
drive for newer backups.

--
E-mail sent to this address may be devoured by my ravenous SPAM filter.
I often ignore posts from Google. Use a real news client instead.

JR

Colour Sergeant Bourne

2024-05-29 22:41:19 UTC

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Post by Jolly Roger

Before you start up your new Mac for the first time, connect the backup
drive to it. When the setup assistant asks if you want to transfer your
data, choose the backup drive.
After the new Mac is up and running, go into System Settings > General >
Time Machine and tell it to start backing up to the backup drive. It
will create a new backup on the drive for the new Mac.
After some time goes by, when you feel confident that you no longer need
the old Mac's backup files, you can delete them to recover space on the
drive for newer backups.

Thanks. I want to keep the "A" Mac backups so I wouldn't delete them later.

As I mentioned above to PG, there's not enough space left on the
existing Time Machine drive so I'll need to start a new one...

--
Because we're here lad. Nobody else. Just us.

John

2024-05-29 22:52:49 UTC

Permalink

On Wed, 29 May 2024 18:41:19 -0400, Colour Sergeant Bourne

Post by Colour Sergeant Bourne

Post by Jolly Roger

Before you start up your new Mac for the first time, connect the backup
drive to it. When the setup assistant asks if you want to transfer your
data, choose the backup drive.
After the new Mac is up and running, go into System Settings > General >
Time Machine and tell it to start backing up to the backup drive. It
will create a new backup on the drive for the new Mac.
After some time goes by, when you feel confident that you no longer need
the old Mac's backup files, you can delete them to recover space on the
drive for newer backups.

Thanks. I want to keep the "A" Mac backups so I wouldn't delete them later.
As I mentioned above to PG, there's not enough space left on the
existing Time Machine drive so I'll need to start a new one...

Buy a far larger drive.

Copy the old drive's data to the new, big one.

There should now be space enough.

J.

Jolly Roger

2024-05-30 00:47:38 UTC

Permalink

Post by John
On Wed, 29 May 2024 18:41:19 -0400, Colour Sergeant Bourne

Post by Colour Sergeant Bourne

Post by Jolly Roger

Before you start up your new Mac for the first time, connect the backup
drive to it. When the setup assistant asks if you want to transfer your
data, choose the backup drive.
After the new Mac is up and running, go into System Settings > General >
Time Machine and tell it to start backing up to the backup drive. It
will create a new backup on the drive for the new Mac.
After some time goes by, when you feel confident that you no longer need
the old Mac's backup files, you can delete them to recover space on the
drive for newer backups.

Thanks. I want to keep the "A" Mac backups so I wouldn't delete them later.
As I mentioned above to PG, there's not enough space left on the
existing Time Machine drive so I'll need to start a new one...

Buy a far larger drive.

This is good advice. Generally, Apple recommends your backup drive be
from 2- to 3-times larger than the amount of data you want to back up,
so that multiple versions of every file that changes can be kept over
time, allowing you restore any version of any file back in time to the
very first backup. So, if you have 1 TB of data on you Mac, you'll want a
2-3 TB backup drive.

--
E-mail sent to this address may be devoured by my ravenous SPAM filter.
I often ignore posts from Google. Use a real news client instead.

JR

Jolly Roger

2024-05-30 00:45:47 UTC

Permalink

Post by Colour Sergeant Bourne

Post by Jolly Roger

Before you start up your new Mac for the first time, connect the backup
drive to it. When the setup assistant asks if you want to transfer your
data, choose the backup drive.
After the new Mac is up and running, go into System Settings > General >
Time Machine and tell it to start backing up to the backup drive. It
will create a new backup on the drive for the new Mac.
After some time goes by, when you feel confident that you no longer need
the old Mac's backup files, you can delete them to recover space on the
drive for newer backups.

Thanks. I want to keep the "A" Mac backups so I wouldn't delete them later.
As I mentioned above to PG, there's not enough space left on the
existing Time Machine drive so I'll need to start a new one...

That's fine as well. You can still use the backup drive to transfer all
of your data, and I highly recommend it - especially if you've never
experienced it. The ability to have everything that matters on your new
Mac so you can literally pick up right where you left off on the old one
is somewhat magical.

Since you are going to start backing up the new Mac to a new drive, you
can just store the old backup drive somewhere safe in case you need
something from it in the future.

--
E-mail sent to this address may be devoured by my ravenous SPAM filter.
I often ignore posts from Google. Use a real news client instead.

JR

Alan

2024-05-29 22:24:33 UTC

Permalink

You will have the option of either assuming the old backup so that it
continues as a single backup OR creating a new backup for the new
system, yes.

Colour Sergeant Bourne

2024-05-29 22:43:19 UTC

Permalink

Post by Alan

Post by Colour Sergeant Bourne
For several months, I’ve been backing up Mac “A” to an external USB
Time Machine drive.
I’m going to sell Mac A and replace it with Mac B.
Is there a way to use Mac A’s external USB Time Machine drive to now
backup Mac B AND KEEP the existing Mac A backups on the USB drive?

You will have the option of either assuming the old backup so that it
continues as a single backup OR creating a new backup for the new
system, yes.

Thanks. But it turns out there's not much space left on the existing TM
drive so I'll need to start a new one.

--
Because we're here lad. Nobody else. Just us.