Time Machine
Apple's built-in macOS backup utility for incremental backups to external drives or network storage.
HN commenters like Time Machine for low-effort Mac backups123 and for restoring a whole machine onto a new Mac.45 The most common complaint is that backups can silently corrupt or fail catastrophically, especially to a NAS,6789 so many pair it with a second backup tool.10111213
Why people recommend it
Full restores · 3
Commenters report restoring entire Macs to an identical state, including when migrating to new hardware.
“You have to give Apple credit, they nailed Time Machine.”
“Time Machine saved me.”
Show 1 more
“I use the same setup and was able to restore some files I recently deleted.”
Easy setup · 2
Commenters describe backing up as trivial, with no further steps needed.
“Have a Time Machine. No step two.”
“Time Machine makes it trivial except when it falls on it face and has to start over.”
Long-term reliability · 2
Some report years of trouble-free use, including for non-technical users.
“Time Machine has been rock solid for ten years for my wife”
“You have to give Apple credit, they nailed Time Machine.”
NAS destinations · 3
Some use TrueNAS or Synology as a Time Machine target without problems.
“I use TrueNAS as a Time Machine destination for multiple Macs running Tahoe.”
“I use the same setup and was able to restore some files I recently deleted.”
Show 1 more
“backups then via Time Machine on a Synology NAS”
Layered backups · 3
Commenters use it as the local layer alongside cloud backups such as Backblaze or Arq.
“I use Time Machine and Backblaze”
“I keep a second copy on an external SSD via Time Machine”
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“along with Time Machine to an external SSD”
Caveats and dissent
Silent failure · 3
Users report backups being silently corrupted or wiped, forcing a restart from scratch.
“the entirety of their backups had been silently corrupted”
“It's so fragile you can't rely on it.”
Show 1 more
“Time Machine makes it trivial except when it falls on it face and has to start over.”
NAS fragility · 2
Backing up over a network file system is called fragile and prone to catastrophic failure.
“I strongly recommend against Time Machine to NAS”
“It's so fragile you can't rely on it.”
Not sole backup · 3
Some advise against relying on it alone and suggest SuperDuper!, Carbon Copy Cloner, Arq or Kopia instead.
“I strongly recommend against Time Machine to NAS”
Show 1 more
“It's so fragile you can't rely on it.”
Apple neglect · 2
Commenters describe buggy animations and little ongoing effort from Apple.
“I use Time Machine and I’m surprised at how unpolished, not to say downright buggy, all the animations are.”
“Apple should honestly just deprecate and remove it with the level of effort they put into Time Machine.”
Drive replacement · 1
One commenter notes needing to replace the backup hard drive every few years.
“Time Machine makes it trivial except when it falls on it face and has to start over.”
Often compared with
1 moved from Time Machine to Arq
1 moved from Time Machine to Pika Backup
1 moved from Time Machine to Kopiarsync2 comments mention both
Who recommends it in their own words
Threads where it came up
- TIL: Apple Broke Time Machine Again on Tahoe 5 mentions
- Backups Aren't Simple 2 mentions
- A brief history of Time Machine (2024) 2 mentions
- New 14‑inch MacBook Pro with M6 1 mention
- The Mafia may be keeping fentanyl out of Italy 1 mention
- How do I permanently disable Google Photos pop-up prompt to backup my photos? 1 mention
Data: time-machine.json. Quotes are verbatim; the verdict and theme labels are written by a model from these comments, and every clause links to its sources.
All comments 19
“Have a Time Machine. No step two.”
“the entirety of their backups had been silently corrupted”
“Now I use Time Machine”
“backups then via Time Machine on a Synology NAS”
“along with Time Machine to an external SSD”
“Backup is way too important to trust to Time Machine.”
“Time Machine makes it trivial except when it falls on it face and has to start over.”
“I keep a second copy on an external SSD via Time Machine”
“along with TimeMachine (after I move the Downloads directory with all its excess to an external disk)”
“I use Time Machine and I’m surprised at how unpolished, not to say downright buggy, all the animations are.”
“You have to give Apple credit, they nailed Time Machine.”
“I strongly recommend against Time Machine to NAS”
“Apple should honestly just deprecate and remove it with the level of effort they put into Time Machine.”
“I use TrueNAS as a Time Machine destination for multiple Macs running Tahoe.”
“It's so fragile you can't rely on it.”
“I use the same setup and was able to restore some files I recently deleted.”
“I use Time Machine and Backblaze”
“Time Machine saved me.”
“Time Machine has been rock solid for ten years for my wife”