Upgrade your iMac RAM for 63% less than factory costs and get up to 128GB of memory in select iMac models. Includes a lifetime memory warranty. Buying external hard drives for Apple products. Types of external hard drives for Mac. Easily expand your storage capacity with a handy external drive for Mac that allows you to quickly create a file backup solution or offload batches of files for simple transfer to another computer.
To use Time Machine to make a backup of your Mac, you need one of these types of storage devices:
- External drive connected to an AirPort Extreme Base Station (802.11ac) or AirPort Time Capsule
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External drive connected to your Mac
Time Machine can back up to an external drive connected to a USB, Thunderbolt, or FireWire port on your Mac. If the disk isn't using the correct format, Time Machine will prompt you to erase it.
Network-attached storage (NAS) device that supports Time Machine over SMB
Many third-party NAS devices support Time Machine over SMB. For details, check the documentation for your NAS device.
Mac shared as a Time Machine backup destination
To use another Mac on your network as a Time Machine backup destination, complete these steps on the other Mac:
- Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, then click Sharing.
- From the list of services on the left, select File Sharing.
- From the Shared Folders list on the right, click the add button (+), then choose a folder to use for Time Machine backups.
- Control-click the folder that you added, then choose Advanced Options from the shortcuts menu that appears.
- From the Advanced Options dialog, select “Share as a Time Machine backup destination.”
When setting up Time Machine on your other Mac computers, you should now be able to select the shared folder as a backup disk.
External drive connected to an AirPort Extreme Base Station (802.11ac) or AirPort Time Capsule
Time Machine can back up to an external USB drive connected to an AirPort Extreme Base Station (802.11ac model) or AirPort Time Capsule.
- Connect the drive directly to your Mac, then use Disk Utility to erase it.
- Connect the drive to a USB port on your AirPort base station, then turn it on.
- Open AirPort Utility, then select your base station and click Edit to view its settings.
- Click the Disks tab in the settings window.
- Select your backup disk from the list of partitions, then select “Enable file sharing”:
- If more than one user on your network will back up to this disk with Time Machine, you can use the Secure Shared Disks pop-up menu to make sure that they can view only their own backups, not yours. Choose “With accounts” from the menu, then click the add button (+) to add users.
- Click Update to restart your base station and apply the settings.
AirPort Time Capsule
Time Machine can back up to the built-in hard disk of an AirPort Time Capsule on your network.
Learn more
- Time Machine can't back up to a disk formatted for Windows, or to an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.
Adding extra memory to a 27″ iMac is one of the easiest internal upgrades that you can perform. Therefore, you should try adding memory yourself unless you simply don’t want to mess with your iMac’s internal organs. Of course, your local Macintosh service specialist will be happy to install new RAM modules for you (for a price).
Apple has designed the world’s best all-in-one computer. That even includes making it EZ-Open.
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Unlike earlier “picture frame” iMac models, however, you can’t remove the back completely. In fact, Apple allows the owner of a 27″ iMac to perform only one kind of upgrade, and there’s only one opening you need to worry about. Naturally, an Apple repair technician can get deeper into the machine, but I hope that you never need aid from those folks.
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You’ll void your warranty by tinkering with anything other than your memory slots, so don’t even think about it.
To add memory modules to a late-model 27″ iMac, follow these steps:
- Spread a clean towel on a stable work surface, like your kitchen table. The towel helps protect your screen from scratches.
- Shut down your iMac.
- Unplug all cables from the computer.
- Tilt the computer over, and lay the screen flat (face-down) on top of the towel.
- Press the button directly above the power-cord socket. The memory access door pops open.
- Remove the memory access door.
- Stow the memory access door safely out of reach of kids and cats. Tah-dah! That wasn’t much of a challenge, was it? Take a moment to gaze with rapt fascination at a small portion of the bare innards of your favorite computer.
- Ground thyself!
- Gently pull outward on the two plastic securing levers and then pull them toward the bottom of the access door.
- Remove a module by gripping it by the corners and gently pulling it straight upward. Save the old module in the static-free packaging that held the new module. Your old RAM (which you can now sell on eBay) will be protected from static electricity.
- Position the new module in the socket. Line up the module’s copper connectors toward the socket. Line up the notch in the module aligned with the matching spacer in the socket. This shows the correct orientation for a late-2013 27″ iMac.
- Press gently (but firmly) on both ends of the module until the module clicks into place.
- Repeat Steps 10-12 for each module you’re replacing.
- Push the two securing levers back into their original positions. You should hear a click when they’re seated.
- Replace the memory access door.
- Return your iMac to its natural upright stance, and plug any cables you removed back into the back of the computer.
Congratulations! You’ve done it — and you’re now an iMac memory guru! To verify that all is well with your iMac, boot the computer, click the Apple menu, and choose About This Mac. Your iMac should report the additional memory. If your iMac doesn’t boot, check to make sure that the modules you installed are properly seated in the sockets.