The content of /Volumes on macOS is unpredictable and may change over time. It may include:

  • Mounted external media
  • Mounted network shares
  • Mounted disk images
  • Mounted Time Machine backup contents (while a Time Machine backup is in progress)

This content is usually undesirable for inclusion in backups, and for this reason, /Volumes is excluded from the backup selection. 


However, sometimes it may be necessary to include items from /Volumes in the backup, for example if you need to backup the contents of external media or a network share. This can be done in one of two ways:

  • Mount the volume(s) in a different location that is not affected by the exclusion of /Volumes. 
  • Override the exclusion of /Volumes. 

When overriding the exclusion of /Volumes, it is important to ensure that the mount points under /Volumes are stable between backups, and that any unwanted volumes are excluded from the backup selection.


To override the exclusion of /Volumes, follow the steps below:


1. Stop the ESE service by running the following command in a terminal:

sudo launchctl stop com.redstor.backuppro.service


2. Edit /Library/Application Support/Redstor Pro ESE/config/a5backup.properties as follows:

  • For ESE 26.2 and newer, add the line: macos.include.volumes=true
  • For ESE 26.1 and older, add the line: macos.override.system.exclusion.ContentsExcluded=/Volumes


3. Start the ESE service by running the following command in a terminal:
sudo launchctl start com.redstor.backuppro.service


6. Update the backup selection to exclude any unwanted content under /Volumes.