Mac OS X ’s Time Machine substitute feature can be a life - saver — in your calculate life history , at least — by mechanically bet on up multiple versions of important data on your Mac and providing an easy room to obtain and restore filing cabinet from those backups . But two veritable — and relate — complaints we get a line from reader are that their Time Machine ( orTime Capsule ) hard drive has occupy up and they ca n’t figure out why , and that they do n’t understand why each Time Machine fill-in takes so long .
Back in April , I reviewed Back - In - Time , a $ 29 utility that apply you more control over look at and restoring data file in Time Machine backups . But if your independent goal is discover out what ’s dominating your Time Machine backing , Soma - Zone ’s $ 2BackupLoupeis probably all you require .
When you launch BackupLoupe , you see a list of your Time Machine backup volumes ( including Time Capsules ) . For each volume , you see a list of the information processing system being back up to that disk ; for each computer , you see the date and fourth dimension of every backup that survive on the Time Machine disk , as well as the total amount of backed - up datum for each . ( If you ’ve got an old Time Machine disk that is n’t mechanically recognized , you’re able to total it in BackupLoupe ’s preferences . )
select a backing and BackupLoupe supply , to the right , a hierarchal , column - purview showing of just the data file backed up by Time Machine at that case , let in the size of each file and folder . In this respect , BackupLoupe is like WhatSize for Time Machine backup . There ’s even Quick Look living , so you get a utilitarian prevue of a file by simply pressing the space bar .
( When you tick on a fill-in , it takes a few seconds for BackupLoupe to read the backup and square off which file were re-create . If you ’d rather not look each sentence , you could rather narrate BackupLoupe to scan all computer backup at once — a process that can take a while , depending on how many reliever you have — and save the results . you could also configure the program to automatically run down new backups each time you found it . )
Using BackupLoupe ’s web web browser , you’re able to determine if there are large point being backed up that you do n’t give care about ; of so , you’re able to edit those backups from within Time Machine . ( For lesson , auser on VersionTracker.com discoveredthat Time Machine was backing up a 1.5 GB TechTool emergency - recover file every time he booted his Mac . as luck would have it , I did n’t discover any such culprits on my own Mac . ) you’re able to also drag the original items from the Finder into the Do Not Back Up list in Time Machine penchant to keep them from being backed up in the hereafter .
Unfortunately , there ’s no way of life to delete backups from within BackupLoupe , nor can you drag or reveal an item directly from BackupLoupe ’s web internet browser ; you have to manually shop to the point in the Finder . Even a Reveal In Finder bid would be helpful here . On the other hand , BackupLoupe lets you boot out peculiar detail from future Time Machine fill-in by selecting items in the web internet browser and then tap the Add ( + ) button in the Excluded Paths drawer .
you’re able to also apply BackupLoupe to see whatisn’tbeing back up . For example , for reasons I ca n’t excuse , my 1.3 GB Microsoft Entourage database , which switch perpetually throughout the day , is being backed up only occasionally by Time Machine . Something for me to depend into .
In addition to the nonaged issue I remark above , BackupLoupe does n’t automatically refresh to show backups that have occurred since the program was launch ; you must quit and relaunch it for it to make out new backups . I also had one particular patronage that BackupLoupe could n’t scan ; select it caused the program to interlock up . Relaunching BackupLoupe and rescanning all backups ready the issue .
Still , BackupLoupe is a useful tool , and the developer has been bestow young features cursorily — the first version was release in late May , and the platform has already check several significant update .
