---
id: mac-storage-basics.how-long-does-time-machine-keep-backups
url: https://storagestudio.us/faq/mac-storage-basics/how-long-does-time-machine-keep-backups
category: "Mac storage basics"
subcategory: "Time Machine basics"
question: "How long does Time Machine keep my backups?"
alt_questions:
  - "time machine retention"
  - "how many backups time machine keeps"
  - "time machine hourly daily weekly"
  - "oldest time machine backup"
  - "time machine history length"
  - "time machine keeps backups until full"
short_answer: "Hourly backups for 24 hours, daily for a month, then weekly for all earlier months until the disk is full, when the oldest are removed."
tags: ["time machine", "backups", "retention"]
related: ["https://storagestudio.us/faq/mac-storage-basics/how-big-should-a-time-machine-drive-be", "https://storagestudio.us/faq/mac-storage-basics/what-does-time-machine-delete-when-the-drive-is-full"]
applies_to: "all"
last_reviewed: 2026-10-01
---

# How long does Time Machine keep my backups?

Time Machine keeps hourly backups for the past 24 hours, daily backups for the past month, and weekly backups for all previous months — until the backup disk fills up. When it's full, it deletes the oldest backups to make room.

So how far back you can go depends mostly on the size of your backup disk compared with how much you back up and change. A bigger disk means a longer history; see [how big a Time Machine drive should be](https://storagestudio.us/faq/mac-storage-basics/how-big-should-a-time-machine-drive-be).