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Can't see a USB external disk backup from Time Machine

Hello,


I have configurated Time Machine to backup a USB external disk where I have all important data. TM has effectively made the backup of all files but I cannot see it from TM. I can see the files when I enter the TM disck from the icon located on the desktop but not from TM screen inside the app.


The Time Machine disk is the first up left (A USB 2TB My Passport disk) and the disk I want to backup is CARLOS DATA 2TB (Another similar device), immediately below.


Do you have any suggestion? Many thanks in advance.


Posted on Aug 20, 2022 1:02 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Aug 21, 2022 10:40 AM

Back up your Mac with Time Machine - Apple Support (CA)


Start by plugging-in both external hard drives to your computer. Both the source and destination drive will show up on the operating system. Choose the files you wish to back up from the source drive. Start copying the files to the destination hard drive.

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7 replies

Aug 21, 2022 10:04 AM in response to PRP_53

Hi P., many thanks for your interest.

No, I did no partition. I have two 2TB external drives connected to the Mac via an Anker hub. One of these drives is the designated TM disk. The other, CARLOS 2TB, is the one use to save all my files. I only want to back up CARLOS 2TB in the TM disk since no file is saved in the Mac hard drive.

On the desktop, I have some aliases to access different folders in CARLOS 2TB. But it happens that if I disconnect CARLOS 2TB, I cannot see the backupped files in the TM disk from the app: TM interface only manages to show me the aliases on the desktop (Please look at the attached screenshots below). Apparently, TM has correctly copied all the files in the TM disk because I can see them in the directory (entering from the desktop) but when I try to look to them from the TM interface, they are not visible.


Aug 21, 2022 10:16 AM in response to carlosgdada6

" On the desktop, I have some aliases to access different folders in CARLOS 2TB. But it happens that if I disconnect CARLOS 2TB, "


That would perfectly normal as the Alias is pointing to a file on a Drive that is disconnected


" I cannot see the backupped files in the TM disk from the app: TM interface only manages to show me the aliases on the desktop ( "


You would need to create a New Time Machine Task to backup the Carlos 2TB Drive separate from the Normal Time Machine Backup for the Internal Drive

Can't see a USB external disk backup from Time Machine

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