Backup volumes on desktop different colour. Why?

[Miqs]

I have 2 backup volumes linked to my iMac. Usually they are both coloured yellow on my desktop but I have noticed one now has changed to green. What does this mean?

 

[Fishrrman]

So... you can tell them apart...?

 

[Samuelsan2001]

As Above it’s probably part of an update that allows easy recognition

 

[mj_]

Because Time Machine volumes have a separate icon. The green one is your currently active Time Machine volume, the orange one is a regular external volume with no particular significance to macOS.

 

[Miqs]

Thanks.

 

[fivenotrump]

This is inconsistent: external TM volumes do not always show the green TM icon.

 

[mj_]

They do as soon as the system identifies them as currently active Time Machine volume. In other words: they're orange when first plugged in but change to green once they've been properly identified, which usually takes a few minutes.

 

[fivenotrump]

They do as soon as the system identifies them as currently active Time Machine volume. In other words: they're orange when first plugged in but change to green once they've been properly identified, which usually takes a few minutes.

Not always. I have a Time Capsule always connected and an external disk that I connect weekly. The latter always had the generic orange icon until I manually copied the green one.