Keep your Time Machine backup disk for Mac secure (2024)

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Copyright

Keep your Time Machine backup disk for Mac secure (1)

The procedures for keeping your backups secure depend on whether you back up to a Time Capsule or other disk that’s on a network, or to a disk connected directly to your Mac.

Encrypt your backup disk

The best way to keep your backups secure is to encrypt your backup disk. When you switch a Time Capsule or network backup disk from unencrypted to encrypted, your existing backups are erased and new encrypted backup sets are created. When you switch locally connected disks (such as an external disk) to encrypted backups, your data is preserved and encrypted.

If you want to change from unencrypted to encrypted backups, you must remove your backup disk and then set it up again. Follow these steps:

On your Mac, choose Apple menu>System Settings > General, then click Time Machine .
Open Time Machine settings for me
Select your backup disk, click Remove , then click Forget Destination.
Set up the disk again as an encrypted backup disk.
For instructions, see Choose a backup disk and set encryption options.

Safeguard a Time Capsule or other network disk

If you back up to a disk that’s used by multiple people, such as a Time Capsule or another network disk, be aware that under some conditions other users could have access to your backups.

Only an administrator or other trusted user should have the password for a network disk used for Time Machine backups. Anyone who knows the password can access any data backed up to the disk, regardless of which user owns the data. If the backup is encrypted, it’s safe from users and network administrators that know the network disk password, but don’t know the backup encryption password.
Don’t back up sensitive data to a network disk if you don’t trust the network administrators who control the disk. Instead, select a backup disk that’s under your own control, such as an external disk connected to your Mac.
For security when backing up to a Time Capsule, an administrator can create individual accounts on the Time Capsule. Each account has its own network volume and password. If you back up to your own account volume on a Time Capsule, other users can’t access your backups unless they know your password.
Note: A Time Capsule set up with individual accounts contains a shared volume. Be sure you select your own volume as your backup disk, using the account name and instructions given to you by the administrator. The shared volume is intended only for information that all users can access.

Safeguard a disk connected directly to your Mac

If you back up to an external disk and don’t use disk encryption, any person who gains possession of that disk can read any data backed up to that disk. Be sure to physically safeguard your backup disk so untrusted users don’t have access to it, and store it in a secure location.

See alsoWays to back up or protect your filesConnect a new backup disk to your Mac

FAQs

Should I encrypt my Time Machine backup disk? ›

The best way to keep your backups secure is to encrypt your backup disk. When you switch a Time Capsule or network backup disk from unencrypted to encrypted, your existing backups are erased and new encrypted backup sets are created.

Read On ›

How do I password protect my Time Machine drive? ›

Go to System Preferences > Time Machine > Select Backup Disk. Select your drive, check Encrypt backups, and select Use Disk.

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What does "encrypt backup disk" mean? ›

Encrypting backups adds an additional layer of security by converting sensitive information into an unreadable format. Even if threat actors manage to intercept the data while in transit, they will not be able to access or read it without the decryption key.

Is Time Machine a safe backup? ›

Time Machine is not a virus and poses absolutely no threat. You can use it to copy your files and disks and encrypt your backups with the help of Time Machine to keep your privacy safe and secure.

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Should I encrypt backups or not? ›

To ensure recoverability after a disruption, data backup encryption is vital. The key to data integrity is reliability and trust at all times. Backups are a vital part of data and application recoverability and must always be secure. Encryption is essential to data protection, and backups are no exception.

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Does encrypting a disk slow it down? ›

Software encryption has some drawbacks. Because the processor is working to encrypt and decrypt the data, it can slow down system performance. There are also ways to recover data that has been encrypted. This is good if you lose the encryption key, but bad if someone else is able to decrypt the data.

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How do I password protect a backup drive? ›

How to Set up Your Password

Connect your external hard drive via USB. ...
Open File Explorer, find your chosen drive, and right-click to click 'Turn on BitLocker'.
A new window will pop up with a range of options for you to choose from. ...
Enter the password you want to encrypt your drive with.

More items...

Sep 22, 2023

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How do I check if my Time Machine backup is encrypted? ›

1 Answer. For an external USB attached APFS volume you can right-click on the external disk in the Finder, in the "faze's-MBP" location (or however your machine is named) that gives a list of all volumes. If it's encrypted, you will see an option to decrypt, and vice-versa.

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Should I enable disk encryption? ›

Disk encryption only matters if someone gets a physical hold of your computer. For instance of it gets stolen. The risk encryption then makes sure they cannot access your private files. For a laptop that is often brought outside of the home it would be a priority for me.

Does encryption slow down Mac? ›

So, does FileVault hinder performance and slow down your Mac? Well, it's a yes-and-no answer. In newer Macs, most definitely, it does not. You're not even likely to know it's working away in the background, and the encryption process is speedy.

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Is it safe to encrypt drive? ›

If a laptop is ever lost, stolen, or decommissioned inappropriately, the odds are that the data will remain safe even then, because encrypted drives are extremely difficult to access without knowing the decryption key.

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What is the downside of Time Machine? ›

The largest drawback is that you cannot recover a Time Machine backup created from a version of the macOS newer than the one you are currently running. This can be a big deal if you ever decide that you wish to rollback to a previous version.

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How do I password protect my Time Machine backup? ›

How to Encrypt Your Time Machine Backups on a Mac

Choose “Select Backup Disk” and select the drive you want to use for Time Machine back-ups.
If it's not already enabled, click the “Encrypt backups” box. Click “Use Disk.”
° Enter and verify your password. ° Click “Encrypt Drive.” ° Click Use Disk.

Aug 31, 2021

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What is the best format for Time Machine backup disk? ›

APFS or APFS Encrypted disks are the preferred format for a Time Machine backup disk. If you select a new backup disk that's not already formatted as an APFS disk, you get the option to erase and reformat it.

Should backup media be encrypted? ›

Encryption can protect your backup data from unauthorized access, modification, or deletion. You should encrypt your backup data before storing them on any backup media or device.