APFS First Aid fails, is it possible to recover the file system anyway?

Dmitry Kabanov wrote:

Hi, my Time-Machine-backups drive somehow got a broken file system:

Is it possible to somehow fix it? Thanks!

I have never been able to recover an APFS file system that First Aid was unable to fix. But I have only encountered a First Aid failure maybe ~ 2 times on APFS disks, out of about 75 such drives utilized as portable external bus-powered drives (for a photography business). So not a lot of statistical data there.

The only way to recover this when First Aid cannot is to use another tool. Examples include TechTool Pro, Disk Drill, etc. They are moderately expensive purchase and such drives (5 TB in size) cost about the same, so for something that is backed up or is being used as a backup drive, I would simply replace the drive versus purchase more tools that have a low likelihood of success.

If you don't miss anything from that backup, just create a new on another disk. And after a few weeks erase and re-purpose that old backup disk to something else.

Or, switch using some other backup utility like Carbon Copy Cloner. I have used it since it was new. It has always worked as desired, and the author and company is easy to reach and responsive. Disclaimer: just a happy CCC user.

+1 I second Matti's advices for using CarbonCopyCloner in addition to or instead of TM.

https://bombich.com/

I also recommend using at least two or more external drives for backups.

A daily and weekly CCC backup or a combination of CCC and TM.

Time Machine is harder on external drives than a daily or weekly CCC backup.

Like Matti, I was using CCC a few years before Apple rolled out Time Machine. I also used a combination of CCC and Time Machine for around 7 or 8 years. During that time, Time Machine killed 3 external drives and CCC never killed a single drive in nearly 20 years.

I never required or used the restore a file function of Time Machine. So I went back to using only CCC and have been gradually replacing HDDs with SSDs.

Plus I have found that it is way faster to migrate to a new Mac using a CCC clone on a SSD, than it is using a Time Machine backup on an HDD or SSD.

Dmitry Kabanov wrote:

Yeah, thanks, I use this app for backing up my external drives. TM is used only for the internal laptop drive: somehow I find the interface for restoration quite convenient. Besides, I wanted to use TM just for diversity :-)

It is kinda funny that on the apple forum people recommend a third-party alternative to the built-in relatively critical software 😀

If you what to backups an external drive to another external drive ?

Carbon Copy Clober can to that too

I know as I have done this many a time

In XXX make a New Task

Choose the External drive you what to backup as the Source

Use the Secondary external drive as the Destination Drive

Have Cloned an almost full 2 TB external to a new 4 TB Exteral drive

Presto and faster than one would believe

It is entirely possible and let us hope not 🤞

The External Drive could be in a state of failing or failed

Just to add to the great advise already put forth

For future purposes

To truly protect your non replaceable Data

Have a 3-2-1 Rescue Plan in place and always current

3 Backups using 2 methods and 1 off site incase of natural disaster or un-natural disaster.

Each of the above should be done to a Dedicated Single Purposed External Drive 

Below link is intended to augment what TM Backup does 

In my case, I use CCC on a manual basis first tings in the Morning and last thing before I shut Sown

Though and like TM Backup it can be Scheduled to backup

Been using CCC since about macOS 10.13 High Sierra

https://support.bombich.com/hc/en-us/articles/20686449773847-How-to-schedule-a-backup

https://bombich.com

+1 and Amen to that

Self correction

" In XXX make a New Task " Should read " In Carbon Copy Cloner make a New Task "