Capsule BridgeTime Machine after Time Capsule: your backup options
Published: 2026-10-27 · Capsule Bridge
Short answer: for most people a USB or Thunderbolt external drive is the simplest new Time Machine disk. If you want backups over the network, use a NAS that supports Time Machine over SMB. Keep one more copy of the files that matter in a different place.
Why you need a new Time Machine disk
macOS 27 ends Time Machine backups to Time Capsule. Your Mac still works, but it can no longer back up to the old disk, so you need somewhere new.
The options
| Option | Best for | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| External USB or Thunderbolt drive | One Mac, simple setup | Plug in, choose it in Time Machine settings. Use a drive larger than your Mac's storage. |
| NAS with Time Machine over SMB | Several Macs, backups over Wi-Fi | Common NAS brands offer this. More to set up, but it is the closest to how Time Capsule worked. |
| A Mac shared on your network | You already have a spare Mac | Can act as a backup target over SMB. |
| Cloud backup | An extra copy off site | Good as a second copy. Slow for a full restore. |
A simple rule: 3-2-1
Keep three copies of what matters, on two kinds of storage, with one copy somewhere else. A Time Machine disk is one copy. A cloud copy or a drive kept at another place makes it safe.
What about your old backup?
Do not throw it away. Copy the old backup bundle to the new drive and keep it for recovering old files. See what a sparsebundle is.