Your Mac updated to macOS 27, and now your Time Machine backups to your AirPort Time Capsule or older NAS have stopped. Maybe the disk has vanished from the backup list, or the “latest backup” date just stopped changing. Don’t panic: your old backups are still there. macOS 27 simply no longer supports Time Machine over AFP, the older network protocol those devices use.
The short answer is to point Time Machine at a destination that uses SMB instead. That can be a drive plugged straight into your Mac, a shared folder on another Mac running macOS 11 or later, or a NAS that officially supports Time Machine over SMB. This guide walks through each option. It also covers how to check that you’re really connected over SMB, and what to do with your old backup history.
Quick Reference: Which Fix Fits Your Setup?
| Your situation | Recommended move | Section |
|---|---|---|
| Time Capsule or AirPort Extreme drive stopped backing up | Switch to an external drive, another Mac, or an SMB NAS | Steps 2–6 |
| You have a spare Mac on your network | Share a folder on it as a Time Machine destination | Step 3 |
| You own (or are buying) a NAS | Confirm SMB Time Machine support with the maker, then connect via smb:// | Steps 4–5 |
| You just want the simplest, most reliable backup | Plug in an external drive | Step 2 |
| You want to keep years of old backup history | Leave the old disk untouched and start a new, separate backup | Step 7 |
Why Time Machine AFP Is Not Supported in macOS 27
AFP (Apple Filing Protocol) was the original way Macs talked to network storage. For years, AirPort Time Capsules, drives attached to AirPort Extreme base stations, and many home NAS boxes used AFP for Time Machine.
According to Apple’s support article Backup disks you can use with Time Machine (checked November 4, 2026), AFP isn’t supported for Time Machine in macOS 27 and later. Any network destination must use SMB (Server Message Block), the file-sharing protocol modern Macs, NAS devices, and PCs all use. AFP-only destinations like a Time Capsule won’t take new backups from a Mac running macOS 27. That’s why backups seem to fail silently: Time Machine can’t use the destination anymore, so nothing new gets written.
Can I still use my AirPort Time Capsule with macOS 27? Not as a Time Machine destination for a Mac running macOS 27, because it relies on AFP. Apple’s page still lists AirPort Time Capsule and AirPort Extreme as a backup disk category, so check the live Apple page for its current compatibility notes. Either way, plan on moving your new backups somewhere else.
What Is Time Machine?
Time Machine is the backup tool built into every Mac at no extra cost. It automatically backs up your files and keeps older versions for as long as space allows, thinning out the oldest backups when the disk fills up. You can then restore a single document or your whole Mac if something goes wrong. You only pay for the storage it backs up to.
In macOS 27, Time Machine supports three types of destination (Apple Mac User Guide):
- A directly connected external drive over USB-C or Thunderbolt. This is the simplest and most reliable option.
- A shared folder on another Mac. Both Macs must run macOS 11 or later.
- A NAS that supports Time Machine over SMB.
Before You Begin
- The Mac you’re backing up runs macOS 27 (check in Apple menu > About This Mac)
- If you’re using another Mac as the destination, it runs macOS 11 or later
- If you’re using a NAS, the manufacturer’s documentation explicitly says it supports Time Machine over SMB
- If you’re going the simple route, you have an external drive or external SSD with enough space for your Mac’s data
- You have the administrator password for each Mac involved
- Both Macs (or your Mac and NAS) are on the same home network
- Do not erase your old Time Capsule or AFP NAS yet. You’ll decide what to do with it in Step 7.
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Mac being backed up | macOS 27 or later |
| Destination Mac | macOS 11 or later |
| NAS | Must document Time Machine support over SMB |
| External drive | Formatted as APFS for local Time Machine backups |
| Cost | Time Machine is free; storage is purchased separately |
Step-by-Step Guide
Step 1: Check Your Current Time Machine Status
On the Mac being backed up, choose Apple menu > System Settings. Then click General > Time Machine.
Look at the destination list. Your old Time Capsule or AFP share may be missing, or its last backup date may be from before you updated to macOS 27. Either way, that confirms it’s time to add a new destination.
Expected result: You can see which destinations Time Machine knows about and when each last backed up.
Step 2 (Option A): Back Up to an External Drive
If you want the least fuss, connect an external hard drive or SSD to your Mac’s USB-C or Thunderbolt port. If your Mac has limited ports, a USB-C hub or Thunderbolt dock works too.
- Go to System Settings > General > Time Machine.
- Click Add Backup Disk. If Time Machine already has a destination, click the add button (+) instead.
- Select your external drive, then follow the prompts.
Apple recommends APFS formatting for local Time Machine backups. If your drive uses a different format, macOS may offer to prepare it for you. That erases the drive, so copy off anything you want to keep first.
Expected result: The drive appears in the destination list, and the first backup starts. The first backup takes the longest because it copies everything.
Tip: If you’re shopping for a drive, pick one with comfortably more space than your Mac’s internal storage. That leaves room for older versions of your files.
Step 3 (Option B): Share a Folder on Another Mac as a Time Machine Destination
Use these steps on the receiving Mac, the one that will store the backups. It must run macOS 11 or later. These steps come from Apple’s instructions for macOS Ventura 13 and later (Apple Support). Labels may differ slightly in newer versions.
- Choose Apple menu > System Settings.
- Click General in the sidebar, then click Sharing.
- Turn on File Sharing. Enter your administrator password if asked.
- Click the info button (ⓘ) next to File Sharing.
- In the File Sharing options, make sure Share files and folders using SMB is turned on, then click Done. This is what provides the SMB service the Mac being backed up needs in macOS 27.
- Under Shared Folders, click the Add button (+). Choose a folder, or an external drive connected to this Mac, to dedicate to backups.
- Control-click the folder or drive you just added and choose Advanced Options.
- Select Share as a Time Machine backup destination, then click OK.
Expected result: The shared folder is now available to other Macs on your network as a Time Machine destination over SMB.
Tip: Use a dedicated external drive on the receiving Mac rather than its internal disk. That way backups don’t fill up that Mac’s own storage.
Step 4 (Option C): Confirm Your NAS Supports Time Machine Over SMB
Before setting up a NAS, check the manufacturer’s support site or manual. Look for a clear statement that it supports Time Machine over SMB. Some NAS devices don’t support Time Machine at all. Others only support it over AFP, which won’t work with macOS 27.
Once you’ve confirmed support, use the NAS’s own admin page to create a shared folder and enable its Time Machine option over SMB. The menus vary by brand, so follow the maker’s instructions. Write down the server name (or IP address) and the share name.
Expected result: You have an SMB share set up for Time Machine, plus a username and password for it.
Step 5: Connect to the Share Using an smb:// Address
This step works for both a shared Mac folder and a NAS. Connecting with an explicit smb:// address makes sure the share mounts over SMB, not AFP. It doesn’t by itself make the share a valid Time Machine destination: a NAS must support Time Machine over SMB, and a shared Mac folder must be marked as a Time Machine backup destination (Step 3).
It also helps when a NAS doesn’t show up automatically. Time Machine usually relies on Bonjour (Apple’s automatic network discovery) to find destinations, and some devices don’t advertise themselves that way.
- In Finder, choose Go > Connect to Server (or press
Cmd + K). - Type the server address in this format:
smb://servername/sharenameReplace servername with your Mac’s or NAS’s name or IP address. Replace sharename with the folder name.
- Click Connect. Enter the username and password for the share when prompted.
Expected result: The share opens in a Finder window and appears in the Finder sidebar under Locations.
How do I know if I’m on SMB or AFP? Both protocols can show a similar-looking network icon in Finder, so you can’t always tell at a glance. The safest approach is to disconnect, then reconnect yourself with an smb:// address as shown above, rather than relying on automatic discovery. If the device only works when you type afp://, it isn’t usable as a Time Machine destination in macOS 27.
Step 6: Add the Network Share in Time Machine
On the Mac being backed up:
- Go to System Settings > General > Time Machine.
- Click Add Backup Disk (or the + button if you already have a destination).
- Select the shared folder or NAS share you connected to in Step 5.
- Enter the share’s username and password if asked, then follow the prompts.
Expected result: The new destination appears in the list, and Time Machine starts a backup. The first network backup can take many hours, especially over Wi-Fi. Leave your Mac awake and plugged in.
Step 7: Decide What to Do With Your Old AFP Backup History
Will I lose my old backups? No. Switching destinations doesn’t delete anything. Your AFP-based backup history stays on the old Time Capsule or NAS. Whether you can still browse it depends on whether that device and its older backup format can still be mounted from your Mac, so don’t treat it as guaranteed. macOS 27 just won’t add new backups to it.
Can I merge old and new backup history? Apple’s documentation describes supported destinations and explains how backup history can carry over when you inherit a backup on a new Mac, but it doesn’t document a way to convert an AFP backup into an SMB backup or merge separate histories.
In practice, expect Time Machine to treat your new destination as a separate backup history. It’s normal for the new backup to start fresh rather than continue where the old one left off.
The safe approach:
- Leave the old device alone. Don’t erase or reset your Time Capsule or AFP share yet.
- Let the new backup finish and run for a while. A few weeks of successful backups is a sensible cushion.
- Keep both until you’re confident you won’t need files from before the switch.
- When you’re ready to retire the old destination, remove it from your Mac’s destination list in System Settings > General > Time Machine. Apple’s Mac User Guide describes a Forget Destination option for this. The exact label may vary, so look for it in the destination’s options.
Warning: Erasing the Time Capsule or AFP share permanently deletes the old backup history. Only do this once you’re certain you no longer need it.
Configuration: Common Settings and Patterns
| Setting | Where to find it | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Time Machine backup disk | System Settings > General > Time Machine | Chooses where backups go. There’s no destination until you add one. |
| Share files and folders using SMB | System Settings > General > Sharing > File Sharing (ⓘ) | Off by default on some systems. Must be enabled before a shared folder can serve as an SMB Time Machine destination. |
| Share as a Time Machine backup destination | System Settings > General > Sharing > File Sharing (ⓘ) > Control-click folder > Advanced Options | Off by default. Lets other Macs back up to that folder. |
| File sharing protocol | Set by how you connect (smb:// in Connect to Server) | macOS 27 needs SMB for network Time Machine. AFP won’t work. |
Moving to a new Mac? When you set up a replacement Mac with an existing Time Machine disk, macOS may offer Inherit Backup to continue the old history, or Create New Backup to start fresh while keeping the old history separate (Apple Support). This is separate from the AFP-to-SMB switch. It won’t convert an AFP backup.
Tips and Troubleshooting
My old Time Capsule doesn’t appear in Time Machine anymore
Why it happens: macOS 27 removed Time Machine support over AFP, which Time Capsules and many older NAS shares use.
Fix: Set up an SMB-based destination using Steps 2–6. Your old backup isn’t deleted.
My NAS doesn’t show up in the destination list
Why it happens: Some NAS devices don’t announce themselves through Bonjour.
Fix: In Finder, choose Go > Connect to Server and enter the smb:// address from your NAS. Then return to System Settings > General > Time Machine and select the mounted share.
Time Machine started a brand-new backup instead of continuing
Why it happens: Time Machine creates a new backup file (called a sparsebundle) when it no longer recognizes the destination as the same one it used before, which can follow changes to the share’s name, server, or login details.
Moving from a Time Capsule to a new SMB destination commonly starts a new sparsebundle, though whether backup history carries over can depend on the destination’s identity and Apple’s own inheritance process (Apple Support).
Fix: This is expected. Keep the old backup intact and treat the new one as a separate history.
My NAS’s Time Machine feature doesn’t work at all on macOS 27
Why it happens: The device may only support Time Machine over AFP, or may not support Time Machine at all.
Fix: Check the manufacturer’s documentation for explicit SMB Time Machine support, and contact their support team if needed. If it isn’t supported, an external drive or a shared Mac folder is the dependable fallback.
The shared Mac folder isn’t available to back up to
Why it happens: File Sharing may be off, SMB sharing may not be enabled in its options, or the Time Machine checkbox wasn’t saved. It also happens if the receiving Mac is asleep or runs a version older than macOS 11.
Fix: Repeat Step 3 on the receiving Mac, confirming Share files and folders using SMB is on, and make sure you clicked OK in Advanced Options. Keep that Mac awake during backup times.
Quick tips:
- Use wired networking for the first backup. A USB-C to Ethernet adapter can make that big initial copy much faster than Wi-Fi.
- Keep a local backup too. Pairing a network backup with an external drive gives you a second copy if your network or NAS has trouble.
- Power the drive properly. Bus-powered drives on an underpowered hub can disconnect mid-backup, so plug backup drives straight into the Mac or into a powered hub.
Wrapping Up
Once your Mac is backing up to an external drive, another Mac, or an SMB NAS, you’re back in business. Your old Time Capsule history stays on that device for as long as you keep it, though browsing it depends on whether the old device can still be mounted. Honestly, if you don’t already own a NAS with documented SMB Time Machine support, a plain external drive is the least frustrating fix. Sharing a folder on a spare Mac comes a close second.
| Step | Action | Applies To |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Check Time Machine status | Mac being backed up |
| 2 | Add an external drive | Mac being backed up |
| 3 | Share a folder as a Time Machine destination | Receiving Mac (macOS 11+) |
| 4 | Confirm SMB Time Machine support | NAS |
| 5 | Connect via smb:// | Mac being backed up |
| 6 | Add the network share in Time Machine | Mac being backed up |
| 7 | Keep or retire old AFP history | Old Time Capsule or NAS |