Backup Drive Full?

If you use Time Machine and your backup drive is full, it will usually let you know, and automatically delete the last back up.  But what if it does not, or you don’t want to wait for that to happen? 

1 - Double-click on the icon on your desktop for the Backup.

2 - A window opens showing the contents of the drive.  Note that I have chosen “List View” by clicking on the option in the Toolbar.  If you are not in list view, I use this view on purpose so you can see where the folders are located in relation to each other.

You can easily delete some of the oldest back ups yourself.  Just follow these steps.

3 - Now click on the arrow in front of the  folder called “Backups.backupdb”.

Or open the folder in the way you normally do.

4 - Now click on the arrow in front of that folder to see its contents.  

5 - Click on the oldest back up to highlight it, then hold the Command key down and hit the Delete key.

The arrow will point downward and reveal the contents in the folder.

You should now see another folder listed underneath the Backup folder. Notice that it is indented.  This is to indicate that it is stored inside the folder above it.

The folder’s name will be the name of the computer’s owner, and the type of computer, i.e. iMac, MacBook, etc.  

You should now see all your backups listed in date order.

6 - If you are ready to proceed, type your computer’s password and press OK.

The backup will be moved to the Trash. Be prepared for it to take a few minutes.  Don’t forget to empty the trash to complete the process.