- Time Machine Website
- Apple Time Machine Backup File
- Apple Time Machine Backup Slow
- Restore From Time Machine
You can use Time Machine, the built-in backup feature of your Mac, to automatically back up all of your files, including apps, music, photos, email, documents, and system files. When you have a backup, you can restore files from your backup if the original files are ever deleted from your Mac, or the hard disk (or SSD) in your Mac is erased. Time Machine requires that an external drive be formatted like a Mac startup disk: Mac OS Extended (Journaled) with a GUID Partition Table (GPT). If you select a differently formatted drive for use with Time Machine, your Mac automatically prompts you to erase it for Time Machine.
Unfortunately, this is one of many errors that will display when a Time Machine backup file has become corrupted. We see this occurring often with Macs that have been 'upgraded' to the Catalina operating system.
Time Machine is Apple's software to back up your Mac, and it comes with every Mac. All you need is a separate storage device, or a MacOS Server, to back up to. I had a Mac OS X Macbook Pro 2011, and then switched over to a windows 10 laptop. I have an external hard-drive that has a time machine backup. ALL I NEED FROM THIS BACKUP are a couple of Pycharm Python files, THAT IS IT, I don't need much else from my backup.
Hold down the option key on your Mac while you click on the Time Machine 'clock' icon at the top of the screen
Click on Verify Backups
It might take anywhere from 10-60 minutes or more for the process to complete, depending on how much data is stored on your Time Capsule's hard drive. Allow the process to run to completion or until you see another error message.
If you do see an error message, post back the exact text of the message.
Time Machine Website
You can check the progress of the Verify process by holding down the option key and clicking on the Time Machine 'clock' icon.
Leaf 5 1 5 ml. Apr 13, 2020 5:38 PM
You can use the Time Machine menu to check the progress of your backup. When Time Machine backs up your data, the ”Backing Up” indicator appears and increments:
If you see an alert message in the Time Machine menu, or you can't back up at all, see If you can't back up or restore your Mac using Time Machine.
Apple Time Machine Backup File
If your Time Machine backup is working but it takes longer than you expect, check these things:
Your first backup
Apple Time Machine Backup Slow
The first time you back up your Mac with Time Machine, it might take a long time to complete. This is because Time Machine copies most or all of the data on your Mac to your first backup. You can keep using your Mac while Time Machine works in the background to back up your data.
After the first backup is complete, Time Machine works in the background to back up only files that have changed since your last backup. This means your next backup is usually faster.
If you want to pause a backup and finish it later, select Skip This Backup from the Time Machine menu. Time Machine automatically tries backing up again later. If you want to start a backup manually, choose Back Up Now from the menu.
Restore From Time Machine
Backing up large changes
Some backups might take longer than others if you've made changes to a lot of files, or changes to large files since the last time you backed up. You might see ”Preparing” in the Time Machine menu for a longer period of time when this happens. For example:
- When your backup disk isn't available (such as when you're traveling, or your backup disk is disconnected or powered off) Time Machine can't back up your files. If you use your Mac for several days without access to your backup drive, it might take longer the next time the drive is available.
- If you're using virtualization software on your computer, such as Parallels or VMWare, that software might create a large disk image or other file to store data related to other operating systems. Time Machine might try to back up the whole disk image, even if you've only changed a few files on it. For best results, make sure your software is up to date, then check the developer's support site for information on using Time Machine with these apps. If you want Time Machine to skip these files, you can also tell Time Machine to exclude them from your backup.
- If you recently installed new software or upgraded macOS, it might take longer to complete the next backup. After Time Machine finishes backing up your new software, backups should be faster.
- If you canceled or unexpectedly interrupted the previous backup, Time Machine might take longer the next time it backs up your files. This can also happen if you don't shut down your Mac properly, or if you don't eject a drive before disconnecting it.
Network speed
If you're backing up over a Wi-Fi network, make sure your Wi-Fi access point or router is nearby. A Wi-Fi network connection can slow down if your Mac is too far away from your router. You can get a good idea of how strong your wireless network signal is by looking at the Wi-Fi menu. If necessary, check for Wi-Fi issues.
Antivirus software
If you use antivirus software on your Mac, make sure that software is up to date. If it appears to interfere with backing up your computer, you might want to exclude your backup drive from the virus scan. Check the documentation that came with your antivirus utility or contact the maker of the utility for more information.
Check your drives
Your backup might be slower if there's an issue with one of the drives you're backing up, or with the drive where your backup is stored.
If you're using an AirPort Time Capsule, you can make it verify its built-in disk drive:
- Disconnect your AirPort Time Capsule from AC power.
- Wait ten seconds, then reconnect your AirPort Time Capsule to power.
When the built-in drive on your Time Capsule is working, the indicator light on the Time Capsule turns green. If there's an issue, the light flashes amber. Open AirPort Utility and connect to your Time Capsule to learn more about the issue. If you can't resolve the issue, you might need to erase the drive using AirPort Utility, after creating an additional backup using Time Machine and another drive. If you can't erase the drive, your Time Capsule might need service.
For other drives, open Time Machine preferences and turn Time Machine off, then use Disk Utility to verify your startup disk, external backup drives, and any other drives that you're backing up. You can turn Time Machine back on after your drives are verified or repaired successfully.