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If I have backed up via Time Machine, can I then delete folders on my mac to free up space as they will be kept on an external hard drive?

If I have backed up via Time Machine onto an external hard drive, can I then delete folders/files on my mac to free up space as they will be kept on an external hard drive?

MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 10.12

Posted on Jan 7, 2022 5:12 AM

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Posted on Jan 7, 2022 5:22 AM

...only if you want to lose them eventually. Time Machine will backup your Mac, hourly, daily, and monthly but when the drive is full it will delete the oldest backups to make way for new backups.


Time Machine backups are not archives, they are copies to restore to your Mac in the event of data loss - or to migrate to another Mac. If you want to store your files get another external drive, or keep it on your Mac.


Read Apple's description of Time Machine here.

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Jan 7, 2022 5:22 AM in response to LDLouLou

...only if you want to lose them eventually. Time Machine will backup your Mac, hourly, daily, and monthly but when the drive is full it will delete the oldest backups to make way for new backups.


Time Machine backups are not archives, they are copies to restore to your Mac in the event of data loss - or to migrate to another Mac. If you want to store your files get another external drive, or keep it on your Mac.


Read Apple's description of Time Machine here.

If I have backed up via Time Machine, can I then delete folders on my mac to free up space as they will be kept on an external hard drive?

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