Time machine backup taking too much space

Hello,

Here is the thing, I only have used 285gb of 500gb on my internal hard drive. I got myself a new 500Gb external hd as a time machine.

However, when I go to the time machine' options it says: Total included: 503.1gb

How can a backup be bigger than my internal hd???

Thanks

 

I just tried to exclude my Filevault user file, and now it says exactly the good size:
total included: 285gb

But in this user file there is all my stuff (pictures,movies, music, documents...)

Are all those documents copied in another file in the computer? Should I save the filevault user file ??

Thanks

 

Time Machine will expand to fill up the entire disk. Only then will it start deleting backups. If you want to control the size of Time Machine repartition the drive to give Time Machine its own space (this process will erase the disk).

It's quite possible for Time Machine to be larger than your internal drive as not only does Time Machine keep track of files currently on your computer, but past files (and past versions of those files) that may have since been deleted/changed. Let's say I filled up my 200 GB hard drive Time Machine performs a backup. Wanting to free up space, let's say I delete/change/move off the disk 20 GB of data. A week later I fill my hard drive once more and Time Machine performs another backup. My time Machine backup will now be 220 GB

 

Hello,

I know time machine will expand to fill up the whole disc. but in the case I presented, this is the first backup!!

If I exclude the Filevault user file the time machine backup is taking exactly the same space as the one taken in my internal hd.
But in this case, will I have my documents, pictures ... backed up? I believe they are in the filevault file, but since without it it says the whole size of my hd, is this filevault only a copy or whatever?

I hope it's not too difficult to understand :s

 

So youre saying that you moved the back up to your new external hdd and the size is greater than your internal.

I got an external for time machine, but I didnt have that much space on my internal when I did it.

 

TM has some problems with filevault.
There are work arounds and this post gives you a good guide and explaination on the whole thing
a

 

Hello
Actually what I meant is that:


How can I have 517.5GB to back up if I only have 302.87GB used on my hard drive ???

Thanks

 

That's because when it backs up, it will compile every backup you've ever changed. For the initial backup, Time Machine copies the entire contents of the computer to your backup drive. It copies every file exactly (without compression), skipping caches and other files that aren’t required to restore your Mac to its original state. Following the initial backup, Time Machine makes only incremental backups — copying just the files that have changed since the previous backup. Time Machine creates links to any unchanged files, so when you travel back in time you see the entire contents of your Mac on a given day.

Hope that helps!

 

This can explain the space it takes on my external hard drive after several backup, not the space asked for the backup at first.
am I clear? :s

 

you are saying the weight of your past shouldn't have weight as much?

how sad

about time machine though... i have no clue, sorry

 

Nice one