external hard drive for macbook pro time machine

How to Delete Old Time Machine Backups on Your External Hard Drive for MacBook Pro

Are you running out of storage space on your external hard drive and need to delete some old Time Machine backups? Deleting old backups is a straightforward process that can be done using either Finder or directly from the Time Machine window. In this article, we'll guide you through both methods step by step.

Method 1: Erasing Time Machine Backups Using Finder

To erase Time Machine backups using Finder, follow these steps:

* Connect your external hard drive to your MacBook Pro using a lightning cable.

* Wait for a few seconds until your Mac recognizes the external drive.

* Open a new window by clicking the New Finder Window option.

* Locate the external drive in the Devices section of Finder and double-click on it.

* You will be prompted to provide your administrator password to continue. Enter your password and click OK.

* In the Time Machine folder, select the backups you want to delete by checking the boxes next to them.

* Click the gear icon and then select the Delete Backup option from the drop-down menu.

* Confirm that you want to delete the selected backups. After confirmation, the backup/s will be permanently deleted from your drive.

Method 2: Erasing Time Machine Backups Directly from the Drive

To delete old Time Machine backups directly from the drive, follow these steps:

* Connect your external hard drive to your MacBook Pro using a lightning cable.

* Open Time Machine on your Mac. You can do this by locating the Time Machine icon in the menu bar and clicking on it.

* Once Time Machine opens, sort the backups according to your desired date.

* Locate the backup you want to delete and click on it.

* Click the gear icon next to the backup's name and select Delete Backup from the drop-down menu.

* Confirm that you want to delete the selected backup. After confirmation, the backup will be permanently deleted from your drive.

Remember to always back up your important files regularly to ensure that they are safe in case something goes wrong with your MacBook Pro or external hard drive. It's also a good idea to periodically clean up old Time Machine backups to free up storage space on your drive.

External hard drive for macbook pro time machine