How to Use WD My Cloud with Time Machine (Mac Backup Guide)

Time Machine is Apple’s built-in backup solution, and your WD My Cloud can serve as a network backup destination. This means automatic, hourly backups of your Mac without plugging in any cables. This guide covers setup for all WD My Cloud models, troubleshooting common issues, and best practices for reliable Mac backups.

Time Machine Compatibility by Model

Important: My Cloud Home and Home Duo do NOT support Time Machine. If you have these models and need Time Machine, you’ll need to upgrade to an EX2 Ultra or PR series device.

Part 1: Enable Time Machine on Your WD My Cloud

Before your Mac can use the My Cloud for Time Machine, you need to enable the feature on the NAS.

Step 1: Access the Dashboard

1. Open a web browser on your Mac
2. Enter your My Cloud’s IP address (e.g., http://192.168.1.100)
3. Or type the device name: http://wdmycloudex2ultra
4. Log in with your admin credentials

Step 2: Enable Time Machine Service

For My Cloud OS 5 (EX2 Ultra, PR series):

1. Navigate to Settings (gear icon)
2. Select General
3. Scroll to Mac Backups section
4. Toggle Time Machine to ON
5. Click Save or Apply

For My Cloud OS 3 (Legacy):

1. Go to Settings → General
2. Find Mac Backup (Time Machine)
3. Toggle to ON
4. Save changes

Step 3: Create a Dedicated Time Machine Share (Recommended)

While you can use any share for Time Machine, creating a dedicated share with a quota prevents Time Machine from consuming all your storage.

1. In the dashboard, go to Shares
2. Click Create Share or Add
3. Configure:
   • Name: TimeMachine (or your Mac’s name)
   • Description: Mac backup
   • Quota: Set a limit (see sizing below)
4. Enable Time Machine Backup for this share
5. Set permissions for your user account
6. Click Save

Time Machine Share Sizing Guide

Time Machine keeps hourly backups for 24 hours, daily backups for a month, and weekly backups until the disk is full. Set your quota based on your Mac’s storage:

The recommended quota is 2-4x your Mac’s storage, which allows keeping several months of backup history.

Part 2: Configure Time Machine on Your Mac

Now configure your Mac to use the My Cloud for backups.

macOS Ventura and Later (macOS 13+)

1. Click the Apple menu → System Settings
2. Click General in the sidebar
3. Click Time Machine
4. Click Add Backup Disk or the + button
5. Select your WD My Cloud from the list
6. If prompted, enter your My Cloud username and password
7. Choose whether to Encrypt Backups (recommended)
8. Click Set Up Disk or Use Disk

macOS Monterey and Earlier (macOS 12 and below)

1. Click the Apple menu → System Preferences
2. Click Time Machine
3. Click Select Backup Disk
4. Select your WD My Cloud share from the list
5. Check Encrypt backups (recommended)
6. Click Use Disk
7. Enter your My Cloud credentials when prompted
8. Click Connect

If Your My Cloud Doesn’t Appear

If the NAS isn’t showing in the Time Machine disk list:

1. Open Finder
2. Press Command + K (Connect to Server)
3. Enter: smb://192.168.1.100 (use your My Cloud’s IP)
4. Click Connect
5. Enter credentials and mount the share
6. Return to Time Machine settings — it should now appear

Part 3: First Backup

After configuration, Time Machine starts the first backup automatically. This initial backup takes significantly longer than subsequent backups.

What to Expect

Times vary based on network speed (Gigabit Ethernet is much faster than Wi-Fi), NAS write speed, and how many files you have (more small files = slower).

Speed Up Your First Backup

• Use Ethernet: Wired connection is 3-10x faster than Wi-Fi
• Keep Mac awake: Prevent sleep during backup (System Settings → Energy)
• Close applications: Reduces file changes during backup
• Run overnight: Start the backup before bed
• Exclude large, replaceable files: VMs, app caches (see exclusions below)

Monitoring Backup Progress

• Click the Time Machine icon in the menu bar
• View progress in System Settings → Time Machine
• Open the Console app and filter for “backupd” for detailed logs

Part 4: Configure Time Machine Options

Exclude Folders from Backup

Some files don’t need backup — they waste space and slow down backups:

1. Open Time Machine settings
2. Click Options
3. Click + to add exclusions
4. Select folders to exclude
5. Click Save

Recommended Exclusions:

• Virtual machines — ~/Virtual Machines, ~/Parallels
• Node modules — Any node_modules folders (huge, easily recreated)
• iOS device backups — ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync (if using iCloud)
• Cache folders — ~/Library/Caches
• Downloads folder — If you don’t need to backup downloads
• Trash — Automatically excluded

Enable Menu Bar Icon

Keep the Time Machine icon visible for quick access:

1. Open Time Machine settings
2. Check Show Time Machine in menu bar

From the menu bar icon, you can:

• See backup status and next scheduled backup
• Start a backup manually (Back Up Now)
• Enter Time Machine to browse/restore files
• Skip current backup

Part 5: Restoring Files

Restore Individual Files

1. Click the Time Machine icon in the menu bar
2. Select Browse Time Machine Backups (or Enter Time Machine)
3. Navigate to the folder containing the file you need
4. Use the timeline on the right to go back in time
5. Select the file(s) you want to restore
6. Click Restore

The file restores to its original location. If a file with that name exists, you’ll be asked whether to keep both, replace, or skip.

Restore Entire Mac (Disaster Recovery)

If your Mac’s drive fails or you’re setting up a new Mac:

1. Start your Mac in Recovery Mode:
   • Intel Mac: Hold Command + R during startup
   • Apple Silicon: Hold power button until “Loading startup options” appears, then click Options
2. Connect to your Wi-Fi network
3. Select Restore from Time Machine Backup
4. Click Continue
5. Select your WD My Cloud as the backup source
6. Enter your My Cloud credentials
7. Choose which backup date to restore
8. Select destination drive
9. Wait for restore to complete (several hours)

Migration Assistant from Time Machine

When setting up a new Mac, use Migration Assistant to transfer from your Time Machine backup:

1. During new Mac setup, choose From a Mac, Time Machine backup, or Startup disk
2. Select From a Time Machine Backup
3. Select your WD My Cloud
4. Choose what to transfer (applications, files, settings)
5. Complete the migration

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Problem: “Time Machine couldn’t complete the backup”

Causes and solutions:

• Network disconnection: Ensure stable Wi-Fi or use Ethernet
• NAS went to sleep: Disable sleep on My Cloud or wake before backup
• Share permissions: Verify your user has read/write access to the Time Machine share
• Quota exceeded: Increase the share quota or delete old backups
• Corrupted backup: Start fresh with a new backup (see below)

Problem: Backups Are Extremely Slow

Solutions:

• Use Ethernet: Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) maxes around 400 Mbps real-world; Gigabit Ethernet provides 900+ Mbps
• Check network congestion: Other devices streaming can slow backup
• NAS performance: If the My Cloud is indexing or running other tasks, backup slows
• Exclude large changing files: Virtual machines cause massive incremental backups
• SMB version: Ensure SMB3 is enabled on the NAS (faster than SMB1/2)

Problem: WD My Cloud Not Appearing as Backup Disk

Solutions:

• Verify Time Machine is enabled on the My Cloud dashboard
• Ensure Mac and NAS are on the same network/subnet
• Manually connect via Finder first (Command + K → smb://IP)
• Restart both Mac and My Cloud
• Check firewall settings on your Mac (System Settings → Network → Firewall)

Problem: “The backup disk is not available”

This means the Mac can’t reach the NAS.

Solutions:

• Check My Cloud is powered on and connected to network
• Verify you can access the NAS in Finder
• If IP changed, remove and re-add the backup disk in Time Machine
• Set a static IP for your My Cloud to prevent this

Problem: Backup Verification Fails

Time Machine occasionally verifies backups. If verification fails repeatedly:

1. The backup may be corrupted
2. Try running backup again
3. If it continues failing, start a fresh backup:
   • Remove the disk from Time Machine
   • Delete the old backup from the NAS
   • Add the disk again and start fresh

How to Start Fresh (Reset Time Machine)

1. Open Time Machine settings
2. Select your My Cloud backup disk
3. Click – (minus) to remove it
4. In Finder, connect to your My Cloud
5. Delete the .sparsebundle file (your old backup)
6. Return to Time Machine and add the disk again
7. A new backup will start

Multiple Macs Using One WD My Cloud

You can backup multiple Macs to a single WD My Cloud. Best practice is to create separate shares for each Mac.

Setup for Multiple Macs

1. Create a share for each Mac:
   • TimeMachine-MacBook
   • TimeMachine-iMac
   • TimeMachine-MacMini
2. Set appropriate quotas for each share
3. Enable Time Machine on each share
4. Configure each Mac to use its designated share

This prevents one Mac’s backup from consuming space needed by others.

Frequently Asked Questions

Summary

Time Machine to WD My Cloud provides convenient, automatic Mac backups without plugging in cables. Once configured, it works invisibly in the background, protecting your data every hour.

Related Resources

• WD My Cloud Complete Backup Guide — All backup methods
• WD My Cloud Mac Setup Guide — General Mac configuration
• WD My Cloud Setup Guide — Initial NAS configuration
• WD My Cloud Slow Performance Fixes — Speed optimization
• WD My Cloud EX2 Ultra Review — Time Machine compatible NAS
• WD My Cloud PR2100 Review — Performance NAS option
• Best WD My Cloud 2026 — Buying guide

Last Updated: February 2026