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There are several ways to find out. If you back up over the network, you can use a built-in tool to make sure your backup isn’t bad. This How to Verify Time Machine Backups, but there are other ways to look into your backups and make sure everything is working. Even if you use a networked drive, these tools are still useful, so let’s get started.
Before we move on to checking the status of your backups, there is an important line in the sand to be aware of with Time Machine technology. OS X Yosemite and earlier versions of OS X don’t have as many ways to test Time Machine backups as OS X El Capitan and later versions. We’ll note which versions of the Mac OS the verification method works in. Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s start.
How to Verify Time Machine Backups
Verify Time Machine Backups With Local Storage
- Ensure that your backup drive is plugged into your computer.
- Select the Spotlight Search icon on the Mac’s menu bar.
- Type Terminal into the Spotlight Search field to bring up the Terminal window.
- Select the Terminal app in the search results to open it.
- In the Terminal window that opens, enter the following:
- Press the Return key.
Verify Time Machine Backups by Restoring a File
The simplest method of verifying that your backup files are sound is to do a spot check and restore a test file using Time Machine. This works regardless of whether you’re using a network device or a local device to store your backups.
- Select the Time Machine icon on your Mac’s menu bar.
- Select Enter Time Machine in the drop-down menu.
- Select a previous version of a folder or file and then select Restore in Time Machine. Time Machine copies that folder or file back to its original location, where you can verify that it was backed up properly.
Verify Time Machine Backups to a Network Disk
- Select the Time Machine icon on the Mac menu bar.
- Hold down the Option key.
- Select Verify Backups in the drop-down menu.
FAQ
How do I know if my Time Machine backup is good?
- Network backup: Open Time Machine, hold down the Option key, and select Verify Backups.
- Local backup: Open Terminal, enter tmutil compare –s, and press the Return key.
- File restoration test: Open Time Machine, select Enter Time Machine, choose a file, and click Restore.
Does Mac Time Machine still exist?
Use your Mac’s built-in backup feature, Time Machine, to back up your apps, music, photos, email, and documents automatically. If you lose your files or can’t open them, you can use a Time Machine backup to bring your Mac back to life.
Should you test your backups?
By testing your backups, you can make sure that the data you need to restore is there. Also, testing helps you figure out how to recover data after it has been lost. If a backup test fails, you can do what you need to do to make sure you don’t really lose important data.
Why is my Mac not verifying?
If you try to open an app on your Mac and see the message “macOS cannot verify that this app is free of malware,” it means that the Apple Store hasn’t approved the app and it might not be safe to use. Apple’s authorization can also be a problem for some apps that are not fake.