How to Connect an External Hard Drive to Mac Time Machine

External hard drives can store any information that you don't want to keep on your computer, but they can also be used to back up your computer's hard drive in case it crashes. Mac's Time Machine feature can automatically back up all your information onto your external hard drive. Setting up the Time Machine is an important step in safeguarding all your computer's information.

Things You'll Need

• Mac computer with Time Machine
• External hard drive

Instructions

1. Connect your external hard drive to your computer. If this is the first hard drive you connect to your computer, it will open a prompt that asks if you want to use it to back up with Time Machine. Click "Use as Backup Disk," and the hard drive will be automatically saved. If you have connected other hard drives, or if the prompt doesn't open for any reason, continue on to step two.

2. Click on the time machine icon on the menu bar. It has the hands of a clock, inside an arrow rotating counterclockwise. This will open a drop-down menu.

3. Select "Open Time Machine Preferences..." This will open a new window.

4. Turn Time Machine on with the switch on the left side of the window, this will open a new prompt. Choose your hard drive from the menu, then click "Use For Backup." The system will begin backing up automatically.

5. Click "options" to change when and how frequently the system will back up itself.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep your hard drive connected as much as possible to ensure that it backs up regularly.

• Make sure the system is not backing up before you remove the hard drive. It can damage the information.

References

• Mac support