no available time machine destinations

discussions.apple.com › thread › 255056109

No Available Time Machine Destinations - Apple Community

August 12, 2023 - Time machine Unable to reach the time machine via Icon. I am also receiving error messages in the system settings "No available time machine destination." My backup drive appears to be working as I can see in the system settings a backup and time.

reddit.com › r/macbookpro › time machine says there are no available destinations

r/macbookpro on Reddit: Time Machine says there are no available destinations

March 5, 2023 -

Hello all,

I have a Toshiba external hard drive of 2TB. I have made a partition of 300GB for making backups. However, when I click on "Add Backup Disk", a window appears and says "No available Time Machine Destinations"

What do I have to do to make my partition be available for Time Machine? I have tried setting up the partition as primary and also logical partition with the same result. Also, I have formatted the partition as journaled.

Thank you in advance and regards

If I had to guess, this could be the problem: “If the disk uses the Master Boot Record (MBR) partition type, some partitions may not be available for use with Time Machine.” https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/types-of-disks-you-can-use-with-time-machine-mh15139/mac I’m not in front of my Mac right now, but I imagine that you can poke around Disk Utility to check which partition scheme the drive is using.

Like u/poopmagic said, your backup drive is likely not formatted correctly. Also, it is NEVER a good idea to keep data on a backup drive, because, where is THAT data backed up?

Stack Exchange

apple.stackexchange.com › questions › 471654 › why-does-time-machine-settings-not-see-a-network-drive

Why does Time Machine settings not see a network drive? - Ask Different

Note: This is not a solution to the problem but provides some insight into what is happening.

I followed the instructions for Quick Apple Raspberry Pi Machine and formatted a hard drive to HFS+ and installed netatalk on a Raspberry Pi 3B clone; everything worked fine.

I went into Time Machine settings and the network drive was recognized and added. Since this was over ethernet, the backup took about 13 hours to complete.

Conclusion:

A recent update to macOS Sonoma has broken the ability for Time Machine to see a network drive; this is probably somewhere within the Samba/SMB protocols implemented by Apple.

4ddig.tenorshare.com › mac recovery solutions › 4 best ways to fix no available time machine destinations

For Posterity, this appears to have been resolved at some point between 14.4.1 and 14.5. But is not in the release notes that I could find. Potentially an unexpected consequence related to another issue.

People also ask

Where has the Time Machine gone?

If Time Machine is missing, it might be due to a disconnected backup drive or a system glitch. Try reconnecting your backup disk or restarting your Mac to resolve the issue.

4ddig.tenorshare.com

4 Best Ways to Fix No Available Time Machine Destinations

How do I get to Time Machine settings?

To access Time Machine settings, go to the Apple menu > System Preferences > Time Machine. From there, you can manage backup options and restore files.

4ddig.tenorshare.com

4ddig.tenorshare.com › mac recovery solutions › 4 best ways to fix no available time machine destinations

4 Best Ways to Fix No Available Time Machine Destinations

Why has Time Machine stopped backing up?

Time Machine may stop backing up if the backup drive is full, disconnected, or there’s a software issue. Ensure your disk has enough space and is properly connected to your Mac.

4ddig.tenorshare.com

4ddig.tenorshare.com › mac recovery solutions › 4 best ways to fix no available time machine destinations

4 Best Ways to Fix No Available Time Machine Destinations

EaseUS

easeus.com › mac file recovery › no available time machine destinations | fixed in proven ways

No Available Time Machine Destinations | Fixed in Proven Ways

1 month ago - If this is the scenario, restarting the Mac is the best solution to fix any glitches causing this problem. Restarting your Mac refreshes the memory, resolves minor glitches, and reboots several background procedures.

Tenorshare 4DDiG

4ddig.tenorshare.com › mac recovery solutions › 4 best ways to fix no available time machine destinations

4 Best Ways to Fix No Available Time Machine Destinations

December 13, 2024 - Insufficient Disk Space: If the backup disk lacks sufficient storage, Time Machine may fail to initiate backups or recognize it as a valid destination. ... Attempting to fix these issues yourself may cause complications or data loss.

discussions.apple.com › thread › 255963656

Time Machine no available destinations - Apple Community

February 9, 2025 - Last week I need to modify the space quota in one of them, so I deleted the volume and made another one with more quota. The problem is that when setting the new disk in Time Machine it shows the message "no available destinations". It doesn't find any of the 4 APFS volumes created.

reddit.com › r/truenas › no available time machine destinations while using truenas scale

r/truenas on Reddit: No Available Time Machine Destinations while using TrueNAS Scale

August 17, 2024 -

Edit: Turns out, I had forgotten to enable "Multi-user Time Machine" under the "Purpose section for the SMB settings. After I enabled that, it works.

Hello all,

I followed this guide - https://www.reddit.com/r/truenas/comments/11gmee8/truenas_scale_22121_time_machine_backup/ to set up a backup for my 2021 M1 MBP running Sonoma 14.5. I can find the server under "Locations" in finder and can connect to it (I connect to it using my Mac's username and password). And I can see the different folders that I have made in the dataset. But, when I select "Add Backup Disk" in system settings, I get the error "No Available Time Machine Destinations"

I found this post - https://www.truenas.com/community/threads/smb-mdns-service-discovery-broken-macos-ventura-can-no-longer-see-truenas.112643/page-2#post-803897 and did what he recommended which was to disable and enable mDNS under Network > global > settings. I also set up a cron task to restart avahi daemon, but no luck. I also restarted the server and the laptop.

Thanks in advance!

UPDATE: Turns out, I had forgotten to enable "Multi-user Time Machine" under the "Purpose section for the SMB settings. After I enabled that, it works.

1 of 1

SNBForums

snbforums.com › wi-fi networking › asus wi-fi › asuswrt-merlin

Time machine support when AFP is removed from macOS? | SNBForums

May 14, 2025 - It may not display this or other websites correctly. You should upgrade or use an alternative browser. ... In the recent macOS Sequoia 15.5 update, Apple has deprecated AFP: 'Apple Filing Protocol (AFP) client is deprecated and will be removed in a future version of macOS.' Currently Time Machine support works only over AFP as Time Machine does not see SMB shares.

Find elsewhere

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JustAnswer

justanswer.com › mac-computers › b2fl1-no-destination-select-when-trying-restore.html

I have no destination to select when trying to restore my macbook pro from an external hard drive I backed up with time

When no destination appears during a Time Machine restore, ensure the internal drive is properly formatted (APFS or Mac OS Extended). Use Disk Utility to verify and repair the drive.

The Eclectic Light Company

eclecticlight.co › 2022 › 11 › 09 › disk-utility-and-time-machine-in-ventura

Disk Utility and Time Machine in Ventura – The Eclectic Light Company

November 9, 2022 - Time Machine’s controls aren’t perhaps as obvious as they could be: two commands that you might not know how to access are to back up with a consistency scan, and browse other backup disks. These are available in Time Machine’s menu (enabled in Control Centre) with the Shift or Option key held down, respectively. I’m grateful to kapitainsky for pointing out one bug in the Time Machine app: if you use the Restore To… command, you won’t be prompted to select a destination to be used to restore the file, and it will be restored to its original location only.

discussions.apple.com › thread › 255306498

No available TimeMachine destinations on … - Apple Community

TM will see the new share and let me select it to be used and will start connecting to it, then it will abort saying "The backup disk image could not be created". Leaving some .sparsebundle files as garbage. All permissions and other settings on the DSM are exactly the same as the previous Share Folder as well as a couple other TM-enabled volumes (for other Macs). So it seems Ventura means the end for using Time Machine with an DSM Synology NAS.

discussions.apple.com › thread › 255997320

How do I fix 'No available Time Machine d… - Apple Community

March 6, 2025 - I haven't used it for a while. I accidentally deleted an important file and want to restore it, but now I can't even open the app. When you open this window, it shows "Add backup disc." It shows "No available Time Machine destinations." And there is only one option—close.

discussions.apple.com › thread › 255567823

Why does Time Machine settings not see a … - Apple Community

If the router runs a file server that supports the “Time Machine over SMB” specification it might work, but it is still not supported by Apple. The network drive format is irrelevant. A network backup is stored in a Sparse Bundle disk image which is formatted appropriately for a Time Machine backup. All that being said, try mounting your Time Machine share in Finder, then try adding it as the Time Machine destination disk.

Apple Support

support.apple.com › guide › mac-help › if-time-machine-cant-find-your-backup-disk-mh15141 › mac

If Time Machine on your Mac can’t find your backup disk - Apple Support

Open Time Machine settings and reselect your backup disk. If you erased your backup disk and began having trouble, reselecting it may fix the problem. If you’re using a Time Capsule as your backup disk, use AirPort Utility to make sure it’s set up properly and connected to your network.

EaseUS

easeus.com › mac backup and recovery › time machine can't find backup disk - top 5 ways to fix it!

[5 Quick Fixes] Time Machine Can't Find Backup Disk - EaseUS

1 month ago - The following are some common ways to help you solve this issue. Let's come to the details. Way 1. Try Basic Troubleshooting Tips · Way 2. Restart Your Mac · Way 3. Reselect Time Machine Preferred Backup Disk

Stack Exchange

apple.stackexchange.com › questions › 474129 › need-to-set-up-time-machine-for-2-mbp-to-a-windows-server-need-help

macos - Need to set up Time Machine for 2 MBP to a Windows server - need help - Ask Different

This is from an Apple Support article:

If your network server or NAS device supports Time Machine Bonjour notifications, you can set up Time Machine backups even if you are not connected to the server. If your server does not support Time Machine Bonjour notifications, you may still be able to set it up as a Time Machine destination by connecting to the server using SMB and then selecting the mounted network disk. After you set up the network disk in Time Machine settings, Time Machine automatically reconnects when it’s time to back up or restore your data. If your backup disk is on a network, the network server can use SMB file sharing. (Your Mac must be connected to the SMB server when you set up Time Machine.) After you select the network disk in Time Machine settings, Time Machine automatically connects to the disk when it’s time to back up or restore your data.

https://support.apple.com/en-mn/guide/mac-help/mh15139/mac#:~:text=If%20your%20backup%20disk%20is,up%20or%20restore%20your%20data.

Windows does not advertise shares over Bonjour, so they won't automatically appear in the list of possible backup destinations in Time Machine settings. If, after manually mounting the share in the Finder, it still doesn't appear, try the steps in this article:

https://www.imore.com/how-use-time-machine-backup-your-mac-windows-shared-folder

support-en.wd.com › app › answers › detailweb › a_id › 32004 › ~ › steps-to-resolve-time-machine-backup-disk-not-available,-finder-connection

So you’ve already created an SMB file share from what I can tell. The missing piece is using your Mac to create a sparsebundle disk image using Disk Utility and placing it on your SMB share. Once you mount that you should be able to select it as your backup destination.

I followed the directions here to get it working - https://www.imore.com/how-use-time-machine-backup-your-mac-windows-shared-folder

WD Support

Steps to Resolve Time Machine Backup Disk Not Available ...

September 18, 2025 - Fix Time Machine backup errors on My Cloud by switching from AFP to SMB and reconnecting the backup disk.*END · Backup disk not available or Finder Connection Error while accessing a My Cloud OS 5 or My Cloud Home. APFS is no longer supported.

Isobel Lynx

isobellynx.com › home › articles › magitech as a service › when time machine can’t find destination of a newly installed internal hard drive

When Time Machine can’t find Destination of a newly installed internal hard drive

September 6, 2022 - Now you may click Restore from Time Machine backup. You’ll get Select Restore Source screen – Select your external hard drive. You’ll get Select Backup screen. On top, from the dropdown you may have to choose which mac you’re bringing back to life (applicable if the external hard drive was used to backup more than one mac). Choose the latest backup (or earlier if you wish). You’ll get Select Destination ...

Stellar Info

stellarinfo.com › home › no time machine backup found: learn to recover lost data on mac

How to resolve No Time Machine Backups Were Found Issue?

May 13, 2025 - This will ensure the mounted disk drive is fully accessible to the Mac. Here’s what to do – · Open System Settings on your Mac. Navigate to General > Time Machine. If the Time Machine backup drive is visible, select it and click ‘–’ ...

Stack Exchange

apple.stackexchange.com › questions › 462337 › external-drive-with-time-machine-not-visible

backup - External drive with Time Machine not visible - Ask Different

I'm afraid what you want is not achievable.

Firstly, the reason the Backup002 drive cannot be seen by Time Machine is that it must be formatted APFS to be used. HFS+ drives could be used on older macOS but not since big Sur.
Strictly speaking, t will allow to to continue to use an HFS+ disk if a Time Machine backup is already on it. It will not allow you to start a new one. - https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/mac-help/mh15139/mac

Secondly, you cannot set two different backup strategies for two Time Machine backups. This would mean Time Machine will simply make the same backup to each partition in turn, separated by an hour.