Is Time Machine Stuck in the Preparation Process?
You’ll see aPreparing Backup Progress Barthat indicates how far along Time Machine’s preparation process is.
If the progress bar is moving forward even slowly and incrementally, Time Machine is working.
Be patient and don’t interrupt the process.
To stop Time Machine’s current backup preparation process, click theXnext to the progress bar.
You’ll see that Time Machine is stopping the preparation process.
When the preparation process has stopped, ensure thatBack Up Automaticallyis unchecked.
Next, you’ll need to delete the canceled backup process’s .inprogress file.
Open your Time Machine backup volume and selectBackups.backupd.
Find the file that ends with .inprogress.
Right-hit the file and delete it, and then empty the Trash.
Two common issues include large files holding up the process and Spotlight Search indexing the backup volume.
Bypass Large Files
Large photo or video files may be hanging up Time Machine.
Try excluding them from the backup and see if this solves the problem.
In the Time Machine dialog box, selectOptions.
Select theplus (+)sign.
Navigate to the files or folders you want to exclude and selectExclude.
Repeat to exclude more files or folders.
Here’s how:
Go to the Apple menu and selectSystem Preferences.
Spotlight will no longer index the Time Machine backup volume.
Try running your Time Machine backup again and see if this solves the problem.
Sometimes a simple restart can solve glitches.
Try restarting your Mac and see if this solves Time Machine’s issues.
Check your connection connection.
Check your Wi-Fi or internet connection and ensure it’s working properly.
Check your antivirus parameters.
Your antivirus solution may be interfering with Time Machine’s backup attempt.
In your antivirus controls, exclude the Time Machine backup volume.
An outdated macOS version may be causing issues with Time Machine.
Update macOS to the latest version and see if this solves the issue.
What Can Corrupt a Time Machine Backup?
The deep scan process dramatically extends the time it takes to prepare Time Machine to perform a backup.
How Does Time Machine Work?
Time Machine compares this file-change log against its inventory and creates incremental backups.
These incremental backups usually don’t take much time while ensuring a complete backup of your files.
Choose the file you want to recover and clickRestore.
Todelete Time Machine backups, select theTime Machineicon from your Menu Bar > selectEnter Time Machine.
Scroll through your backups until you find the one you want to delete.
SelectMore(three dots) and clickDelete Backup.
To turn off Time Machine, go toSystem Preferences>Time Machine.
Optionally, uncheckShow Time Machine in menu bar.
