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Time Machine

From The Apple Wiki
Time Machine
Original author(s)Apple Inc.
Developer(s)Apple Inc.
Initial release26 October 2007 (2007-10-26); 17 years ago
Operating systemMacOS
Available inEnglish
LicenseClosed source

Time Machine is a built-in backup software in macOS, introduced in Mac OS X Leopard (10.5) in 2007. It automatically backs up data from a Mac to an external drive or network-attached storage (NAS) device.

Key Features

  • Automatic backups: Time Machine automatically creates hourly, daily, and weekly backups.
  • Versioning: Multiple versions of files are saved, allowing users to restore previous versions.
  • Data restoration: Easily restore individual files, folders, or entire systems from backups.
  • Encryption: Time Machine supports encrypted backups using FileVault.

Requirements

  • External storage: An external drive or NAS device with enough capacity to store backups.
  • macOS compatibility: Time Machine is compatible with macOS 10.5 (Leopard) or later.

Benefits

  • Data protection: Safeguards against data loss due to hardware failure, software issues, or user error.
  • Version control: Allows users to track changes and restore previous versions of files.
  • Easy restoration: Simplifies the process of restoring data after a system failure or crash.