TimeMachineEditor
TimeMachineEditor is a software for macOS that lets you change the default one-hour backup interval of Time Machine. You can change the interval or create other types of scheduling (see the screenshots below).
This is useful if you don’t need to backup every hour and don’t want the performance penalty. For example you might be frequently creating or modifying files which would cause long-running backup operations throughout the day.
Download
TimeMachineEditor 5.1.5 (2020, August 25) — macOS 10.9 or newer
This version includes improvements to the local snapshots and logs viewers.
Note to Catalina and Big Sur users
In macOS Catalina and Big Sur, a security dialog might prevent you from installing the application claiming that Apple cannot check it for malicious software. Apple (the trillion dollar company) is forcing developers to pay $99/year to ship free software, this I do not agree with. All developers contribute to the platform and buy a fair amount of Apple devices which should be plenty enough money back into Apple’s pockets to provide free signing certificates and notarization.
You can still install: control-click the installer package, then choose Open from the shortcut menu, then click Open. Alternatively you can install version 5.0.8 and update from within the application (main application menu > Check for Updates).
How does it work?
TimeMachineEditor triggers Time Machine backups when it is most appropriate, the whole backup process is still handled by Time Machine. TimeMachineEditor is not a “hack”, it does not modify system files.
Command Line Tool
The tmectl(1) command line tool allows to print and modify settings, enable/disable the scheduler and uninstall the application. Just fire up the command without any argument to see its usage.
Should I disable automatic backups in System Preferences > Time Machine?
Yes. Doing this disables the default one-hour scheduler which is what you want since you will now be using TimeMachineEditor to schedule the backups.
Do I need to keep the application running or launch it at login time?
No. You just need to use the application when you want to change the settings.
Will it back up while the machine is sleeping?
TimeMachineEditor supports Power Nap which you can enable in System Preferences > Energy Saver. If you are using a laptop computer, make sure you are on the “Power Adapter” tab, as this feature only works when connected to AC power.
How does TimeMachineEditor preserve/discard backups?
TimeMachineEditor does not change that, it is handled by Time Machine. Time Machine will coalesce and discard backups as described in System Preferences > Time Machine.
What are local snapshots?
Local snapshots are APFS snapshots. They are very fast to make, stored on the local disk and provide additional restoration points. Since they are local they do not protect against a disk crash but can be useful if the machine goes away from the backup disk for awhile. The lifetime of snapshots is not well defined but they usually live no longer than 24 hours.
You can’t totally disable snapshots. New snapshots are created every time a regular backup is made (snapshots are used as the data sources for the backups). That’s how Time Machine works.
How do I uninstall TimeMachineEditor?
Just select the “Uninstall. ” command located under the application main menu. Alternatively the tmectl(1) command line tool can be used with the “uninstall” argument.
Donations
TimeMachineEditor is totally free to use. Donations contribute to the web hosting and developer account fees.
for Mac » href=»https://timemachineeditor.en.softonic.com/mac»>TimeMachineEditor for Mac
In English
- 3.5 User Rating
Softonic review
Change the backup interval in Time Machine
TimeMachineEditor lets you adjust the interval at which your Mac’s Time Machine makes backups.
The default setup of your Time Machine is to make backups every hour, which is good for safety reasons, but may not necessarily suit you. Thanks to TimeMachineEditor, you can set your own interval, setting something like 12 or even more than 24 hours, if you don’t want to have Time Machine working too often.
TimeMachineEditor can also let you set a precise time at which you want to carry out backups. Choose whether you want to be monthly, weekly or daily. You can type in a precise hour and choose the day of the week. TimeMachineEditor is easy to use and great if you want to control your own backups. However don’t expect anything more from it. In all, it’s a good complement on your Mac if you use Time Machine.
TimeMachineEditor is a specific application to tewak when your Time Machine performs backups.
Fix minor interface issue Japanese localization
Changes
Fix minor interface issue Japanese localization
Author’s review
TimeMachineEditor is a software for Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard that lets you change the default one-hour backup interval of Time Machine. You can change the interval or decide to make a backup once a day, once a week or once a month.
This is usefull if you don’t need to backup every hour and don’t want the performance penalty. This is also especially usefull if you manipulate lots of data within one hour as you would spend the whole day backing up.
TimeMachineEditor merely updates a system configuration file to change the Time Machine scheduling. If you want to revert the change back to the original setting, you just need to apply a new schedule with an interval of one hour.
Once you have changed the scheduling, you can still use the Time Machine preference pane from “System Preferences” as you did before. However the preference pane won’t reflect your new scheduling, in particular the next backup date won’t be correct.
Schedule precisely or by intervals
Limited to one function
It’s extremely likely that this software program is clean.
What does this mean?
We have scanned the file and URLs associated with this software program in more than 50 of the world’s leading antivirus services; no possible threat has been detected.
This software program is potentially malicious or may contain unwanted bundled software.
Why is the software program still available?
Based on our scan system, we have determined that these flags are possibly false positives.
What is a false positive?
It means a benign program is wrongfully flagged as malicious due to an overly broad detection signature or algorithm used in an antivirus program.
It’s highly probable this software program is malicious or contains unwanted bundled software.
Why is this software program no longer available in our Catalog?
Based on our scan system, we have determined that these flags are likely to be real positives.
We’d like to highlight that from time to time, we may miss a potentially malicious software program. To continue promising you a malware-free catalog of programs and apps, our team has integrated a Report Software feature in every catalog page that loops your feedback back to us.
Flag any particular issues you may encounter and Softonic will address those concerns as soon as possible.
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TimeMachineEditor 5.1.5 for Mac
User reviews about TimeMachineEditor
Hate it, hate it, hate it.
I installed an older version and then apparently deleted it in the incorrect way. Now I can’t get m y normal Time Manager default settings back. Installing and uninstalling the current Time Machine Editor program won’t fix the plists. And I have no idea how to fix them in the terminal. More
reviewed on February 22, 2012
Does what it should, and does it great..
TimeMachineEditor sets out with one goal, to give the user a way to change the very spar se default settings of the Time Machine. It does it with a simple, easy-to-understand user interface. It’s very easy to find what you wan’t and there are no unnecessary buttons. During my 1 year of usage with this app, it hasn’t failed me once, and although it’s a pretty basic program, that’s still a great feat. The website is informative, and tells you what you want to know, and nothing else, in big clear letters. Can’t really find any flaws about this. Since the Softonic review a few new features has been added, such as an hourly feature and two new languages (Swedish and German).
Pros:
Simple interface, easy to use
The few aesthetics, such as the icon, look great
Informative website
Very stable
Doesn’t need to run all the time -> doesn’t drain processing power
Three languages, great for such a small app More