Time Machine Backups?

[pax-eterna]

I just want to create one backup to restore my MacOS 26 system to my own default startup, if I ever need it. I run separate data hard drives so do not need to back that up.

1.Is it possible using Time Machine to create one backup and then disable time machine?
2. Can I then use that backup once I re-install the OS via system restore and turn Time Machine on?

 

[Fishrrman]

You could use time machine to create a backup of your drive, but it only backs up your "personally-installed" apps, data, settings, account, etc.

The OS... the "system"... now resides in its own protected partition (Sealed System Volume) and I don't believe tm backs that up. It exists in its own world.

But...
I think you'd do better to do this:
1. Get TWO SSDs.
2. Use the first one to create a CLONED backup of your initial setup (use either CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper). Then disconnect it and put it into a drawer for safekeeping.
3. Use the second SSD (and CCC or SD) to maintain a "working backup" of your internal drive. Update it weekly, bi-weekly, or whenever. That will become a much more useful backup to you "in a moment of need".

 

[pax-eterna]

You could use time machine to create a backup of your drive, but it only backs up your "personally-installed" apps, data, settings, account, etc.

The OS... the "system"... now resides in its own protected partition (Sealed System Volume) and I don't believe tm backs that up. It exists in its own world.

But...
I think you'd do better to do this:
1. Get TWO SSDs.
2. Use the first one to create a CLONED backup of your initial setup (use either CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper). Then disconnect it and put it into a drawer for safekeeping.
3. Use the second SSD (and CCC or SD) to maintain a "working backup" of your internal drive. Update it weekly, bi-weekly, or whenever. That will become a much more useful backup to you "in a moment of need".

Thanks - I used to use "cloned" drives often back in the day (on Microsoft systems) but I thought they had really gone out of favour. I did like them as they allowed a total "snapshot" of a system drive.

My thoughts with this was that as the MacOS26 already has a re-install option built in, I only really needed a backup of installed files, but you have given me pause for thought!

I'll check out those apps you mentioned and look at a clone rather than a backup.

 

[Imac Sam]

Thanks - I used to use "cloned" drives often back in the day (on Microsoft systems) but I thought they had really gone out of favour. I did like them as they allowed a total "snapshot" of a system drive.

My thoughts with this was that as the MacOS26 already has a re-install option built in, I only really needed a backup of installed files, but you have given me pause for thought!

I'll check out those apps you mentioned and look at a clone rather than a backup.

Carbon Copy Cloner, is worth it. It has saved me in the past and once you purchase or upgrade it, you can run it on all of your machines without additional costs.

 

[Mike Boreham]

I just want to create one backup to restore my MacOS 26 system to my own default startup, if I ever need it. I run separate data hard drives so do not need to back that up.

1.Is it possible using Time Machine to create one backup and then disable time machine?
2. Can I then use that backup once I re-install the OS via system restore and turn Time Machine on?

Looks like Time Machine settings has this option:

I am a little puzzled because in checking this I found mine was set to "manually" but had been backing up every hour😐

 

[Bigwaff]

1.Is it possible using Time Machine to create one backup and then disable time machine?
2. Can I then use that backup once I re-install the OS via system restore and turn Time Machine on?

To specifically answer your questions -

1. @Mike Boreham answered. Set TM to manual.
2. Yes, you can use the one-time TM backup to restore the backed up files.

When most refer to macOS "clones", they are referring to "bootable clones". These are a thing of the past. Even CCC doesn't create a "bootable clone" anymore.

Bootable backups have been deprecated for several years

While some developers seem surprised by a change in macOS 15.2, we've known for several years that making bootable backups would eventually become impossib...

bombich.com

 

[Imac Sam]

.....Even CCC doesn't create a "bootable clone" anymore....

That is incorrect. I just made one this morning as my backup regiment of my SSD to a spinning HD.

 

[throAU]

I just want to create one backup to restore my MacOS 26 system to my own default startup, if I ever need it. I run separate data hard drives so do not need to back that up.

1.Is it possible using Time Machine to create one backup and then disable time machine?
2. Can I then use that backup once I re-install the OS via system restore and turn Time Machine on?

In theory yes. You can do that.

But... why?

In reality by the time you want to restore that setup you'll want the updated apps (as whatever you had installed will be massively out of date) and the data will also be out of date - just restore that from iCloud or whatever backup you choose to use for data.

 

[svenmany]

That is incorrect. I just made one this morning as my backup regiment of my SSD to a spinning HD.








View attachment 2630109

Here's a pretty recent post discussing some of the subtleties:

https://support.bombich.com/hc/en-us/articles/20686422131479-Creating-legacy-bootable-copies-of-macOS

One quote at the very top:

Copying Apple's system is an Apple-proprietary endeavor; we can only offer "best effort" support for making an external bootable device on macOS.

And another quote that addresses the OP's actual situation of using a backup to restore things:

Please bear in mind that you can restore all of your documents, applications, and system settings from a standard CCC backup without the extra effort involved in establishing and maintaining a bootable device.

And this link has a section which discusses the procedure to use Migration Assistant and a CCC backup to restore the startup disk:

https://support.bombich.com/hc/en-us/articles/20686469175575-How-to-restore-from-your-backup

 

[PotentPeas]

CCC still supports bootable clones. (It was broken for a bit with Sequoia, 15.2 I think?)

You don't need that.

You can do a one-time Time Machine backup. It won't back up the system volume, but that's fine.

To restore, just do a disk wipe and macOS reinstall using the standard process, and then when Migration Assistant pops up, give it your Time Machine backup to restore from.

As long as the version of macOS that you reinstall is the same as or later than the one that you used to make your Time Machine backup, it will restore fine. If you want to be able to restore a specific version of macOS, go through the steps to grab the full installer for that version and prepare bootable USB install media.

 

[Imac Sam]

Here's a pretty recent post discussing some of the subtleties:

https://support.bombich.com/hc/en-us/articles/20686422131479-Creating-legacy-bootable-copies-of-macOS

One quote at the very top:



And another quote that addresses the OP's actual situation of using a backup to restore things:



And this link has a section which discusses the procedure to use Migration Assistant and a CCC backup to restore the startup disk:

https://support.bombich.com/hc/en-us/articles/20686469175575-How-to-restore-from-your-backup

I am currently using Intel Based machines at this time. I have M4 Pro MacBook Pro that I will have to try this on.

 

[bsmith736464]

I just want to create one backup to restore my MacOS 26 system to my own default startup, if I ever need it. I run separate data hard drives so do not need to back that up.

1.Is it possible using Time Machine to create one backup and then disable time machine?
2. Can I then use that backup once I re-install the OS via system restore and turn Time Machine on?

Time Machine is designed for ongoing incremental backups, not a one shot clone. It also does not back up the sealed system volume in modern macOS. If you want a single bootable snapshot of a clean install, use Disk Utility to create an APFS image of your startup disk. Or use a clone tool that makes a bootable copy to an external drive. For ongoing protection, snapshot based backups are more storage efficient than full clones. They use APFS hardlinks so unchanged files take no extra space, but each snapshot is a full browsable copy you can restore from independently.

 

[ignatius345]

Thanks - I used to use "cloned" drives often back in the day (on Microsoft systems) but I thought they had really gone out of favour. I did like them as they allowed a total "snapshot" of a system drive.

This is essentially what Time Machine does: takes a series of snapshots of your drive, only actually backing up the stuff that’s changed from one backup to the next. Carbon Copy Cloner does more or less the same thing. In practice, you can pick which snapshot you want and restore from that.

If you want a single bootable snapshot of a clean install, use Disk Utility to create an APFS image of your startup disk.

“Bootable” backups don’t really exist anymore. Here’s the CCC support page about it.

For ongoing protection, snapshot based backups are more storage efficient than full clones. They use APFS hardlinks so unchanged files take no extra space, but each snapshot is a full browsable copy you can restore from independently.

Couldn’t agree more. If you value your data at all, there’s no real penalty to making ongoing backups, and tons of benefit if something happens to your Mac.

 

[gilby101]

I just want to create one backup to restore my MacOS 26 system to my own default startup, if I ever need it. I run separate data hard drives so do not need to back that up.

1.Is it possible using Time Machine to create one backup and then disable time machine?
2. Can I then use that backup once I re-install the OS via system restore and turn Time Machine on?

As usual this thread has got sidetracked into discussing "clones" and what that means. Along with an alternative (very good) backup product.

To answer your questions, yes and yes.

My comments on your strategy:
A) Be careful if you make macOS major version updates.
B) I hope you also have a normal backup strategy using Time Machine or similar.

 

[bsmith736464]

I just want to create one backup to restore my MacOS 26 system to my own default startup, if I ever need it. I run separate data hard drives so do not need to back that up.

1.Is it possible using Time Machine to create one backup and then disable time machine?
2. Can I then use that backup once I re-install the OS via system restore and turn Time Machine on?

Time Machine can absolutely do this and the workflow you described is the expected path on Apple Silicon anyway: one clean snapshot on the external drive, then Migration Assistant pulls from it after the reinstall. The thing to verify before you start is whether the existing backup is intact. Open Time Machine, pick a folder you know well, and do a test restore right now. TM backups can have silent gaps caused by interrupted cycles or permissions issues, and better to catch that before you wipe. If the test restore pulls the right files, you are in good shape. One extra step worth taking: copy your most irreplaceable files (documents, photos, code repos) to a second location before the reinstall. One backup is still one accidental overwrite away from a bad day. The reinstall itself should be straightforward since Migration Assistant knows how to pull selectively from a TM volume.

 

[jdw13]

Of course, it is good to keep backup of important data in a separate location. But I find CCC (Carbon Copy Cleaner) useful for scheduled backups :

• nightly to disk mounted on my 'work desktop' computer
• nightly to lap-top on my LAN for 'on the go'
• weekly to an old computer for disaster recovery if I loose something on the above

If you can burn a blu-ray, that may be useful for your 'archival snapshot' instead of dedicating an SSD for that.

Yes, I just back-up data these days, both with CCC and Time-Machine. People have discussed work-arounds to get bootable backups but it seems they stop working on subsequent OS updates. At least for me, it is not worth the effort to try to obtain a 'bootable backup' anymore. For data, it never hurts to keep a fairly recent backup 'off site.'

 

[Alpha Centauri]

The OS... the "system"... now resides in its own protected partition (Sealed System Volume) and I don't believe tm backs that up. It exists in its own world.

Indeed. I've had to make use of a Sequia TM restore recently after a logic board replacement. All that was immediately offered exclusively was Tahoe as the OS.

 

[ignatius345]

At least for me, it is not worth the effort to try to obtain a 'bootable backup' anymore. For data, it never hurts to keep a fairly recent backup 'off site.'

I think in all the years that I’ve used Macs (a lot) I’ve booted off a cloned drive maybe once, and that was more for data migration and could also have been accomplished another way.

And yes, as someone who once lost my Mac and all my backups in a burglary, I can attest that the offsite backup is incredibly important. I keep a monthly backup (done via CCC) of all my data in a second location.