Time Machine, the automated backup utility built into Mac OS X, is set to run every hour by default. Is this too often for you? Find out how you can change the backup interval, plus how to initiate backups only when you trigger them manually.
For most people, hourly backups with Time Machine are just right for keeping their Mac’s precious files safe from disaster. But, as with all things related to technology, everyone has their own personal preferences and needs. That means automatically backing up every hour is overkill for some folks and simply not often enough for others. Terminal to the rescue! A quick command lets you to set a custom interval of your choice.
Set Time Machine’s backup interval
Since the preference file Time Machine uses to schedule automatic backups handles time in seconds, the default 1 hour interval is represented by 3600. That is, 60 seconds x 60 minutes. When you enter your own value to replace 3600, make sure it is in seconds. There’s really no limit to how high you can make this number – 7200 for 2 hours or 14400 for 4 hours are good ones. For the sake of saving system resources and avoiding conflicts, I wouldn’t go any lower than 1800 for 30 minutes. With that said, let’s figure out how to do this.
Open Terminal (Applications > Utilities) and copy & paste the following command (all one line). Replace 3600 with your chosen time interval in seconds.
sudo defaults write /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.backupd-auto StartInterval -int 3600
Press Enter/Return to run the command. A password prompt will appear in Terminal. Type your administrator password, but be aware that the cursor will not move. It is registering your keystrokes, though, so don’t be alarmed. Press Enter again and you’re all set. While I don’t know if this is necessary, restarting your Mac would be a good idea at this point to make sure the changes go into effect.
UPDATE – 4/7/12: This method no longer works in OS X 10.7 Lion. However, there’s a free program called TimeMachineEditor that does the same thing and works with Lion.
Only backup with Time Machine manually
For those of you who like Time Machine’s simplicity and ease of use but don’t like the idea of automated backups, you can enjoy the best of both worlds. Simply go to Time Machine in System Preferences and move the big switch to Off. This disables all scheduled backups and only needs to be done once.
Now go to the Desktop or Finder and right-click on your Time Machine backup drive. Select “Back Up Now” from the menu and a manual backup will start. Follow this two-step procedure every time you want to do a backup.
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February 12th, 2011, 9:24 AM
Hi everyone. I’ve been working TM since December, and finally decided to do only manual backups. Here’s why. Being an adamant backup person anyway, I’ve tried the auto backup, but still prefer to backup at will. I’ve found that hitting the “Back Up Now” button works best for me. Being a writer and designer, I don’t want to wait for the hour to pass, so I backup as soon as I finish a task or plan to walk away from the computer, and the backup happens in seconds. As well, I don’t like the collection of months of backups, so i keep only 2 months of work on my external drive at a time. I also have folders that are no longer on my HD, but are resting comfortably on my external. I have a 750 GB drive that will never fill up now from scheduled backups. Truth is, I won’t remember what I backed up sooo long ago anyway! I’m a “keep it current” type person, and searching thru so many files isn’t for me. I love Time Machine, and am most comfortable with my old methods of backing up. They work, I remember to always back up, and all is well with my beautiful new Mac. I suggest to all to quit fiddling with the intricate language of Time Machine and just keep it simple. It’s a fabulous backup system. Enjoy it!