Time Machine continues to work on macOS 27
Time Machine remains a reliable and easy-to-use backup method on macOS Golden Gate, as long as you use external drives or SMB-compatible network storage. However, Time Capsules are no longer included: due to the removal of AFP support, they are no longer suitable as a Time Machine target. For those who switch to an external drive or modern NAS in time, backing up with Time Machine will continue to work in the future.
Time Machine itself is not deprecated in macOS Golden Gate. You can still:
- Create automatic, daily backups to an external drive.
- Go back in time to restore previous versions of files.
- Save backups locally or via the network to a compatible NAS.
Apple focuses on modern standards such as SMB and APFS. For users who already back up to an external SSD or hard drive, nothing will change in practice. You can set up Time Machine via ▸ System Settings ▸ General ▸ Time Machine ▸ Add Backup Disk.
No more Time Capsule support in macOS Golden Gate
The big difference is in the network support. Up to and including macOS Tahoe (macOS 26), Time Machine still worked with the Apple Filing Protocol (AFP), which is used by Time Capsules. In macOS Golden Gate, Apple removes that support completely. This means that;
- Existing Time Capsule backups can no longer be used as an active Time Machine drive on Golden Gate.
- Creating new Time Capsule backups is no longer possible.
- Time Capsules will continue to function as a regular network drive for file storage, but no longer specifically for Time Machine.
Apple previously announced this change in macOS Tahoe, where users were warned that “the next major macOS release” would no longer include Time Capsule support. That promise has been fulfilled with Golden Gate.
End for your Time Capsule?
Are you now using a Time Capsule for your backups? Then it is wise to set up an alternative before upgrading to macOS Golden Gate.
- Connect an external USB drive to your Mac and create a new Time Machine backup on it.
- Choose a modern NAS that supports SMBv2/SMBv3 and offers Time Machine via SMB.
- Keep your old Time Capsule as an extra network drive for less critical files, but don’t rely on Time Machine anymore.
Anyone who is stuck with macOS Tahoe on an Intel Mac can still use the Time Capsule for the time being, but this is not a future-proof solution. Especially with a view to future macOS versions and security updates, switching to a modern backup method is wiser.