In the new Apple macOS 13 “Ventura” has a very useful setting for the Apple backup software Time Machine.

Some users complain about their Macbook or iMac slowing down every time Time Machine makes the hourly backup.Therefore, some people unplug the external drive to stop this backup process, often forgetting to reconnect it, risking an out of date backup when needed.

In macOS 13 “Ventura you can change how often the Time Machine updates the backup to an external drive or network attached storage device (NAS).

Change the Time Machine backup interval:

1. Open System preferences

2. Select Time Machine

3. Click on “Options”

4. Choose: Manually - Hourly - Daily - Weekly

5. If desired, you can exclude the items to be backed up

6. Done

Don’t forget to verify if the backup is still working by clicking on the Time Machine icon in the menu bar to determine when the last backup was made. Browse into the backups to see how and if it’s working so you are prepared if you ever might need it.