How to fix Time Machine freezing while preparing a backup

Time Machine, Apple’s built-in backup feature, is an extremely handy tool that lets you back up your files and folders on a regular basis. These backups usually take time to complete. However, Time Machine hangs while preparing a backup, when you create a backup for the first time or you have added a bunch of large files to your device.

If Time Machine is taking longer than usual, or the provisioning process seems to be stuck, don’t worry. This guide will help you solve the problem in no time.

How to know if Time Machine is stuck in preparation

Before fixing the problem, it’s important to know that Time Machine is stuck and isn’t just taking a little longer to prepare than usual.

When you start a backup to Time Machine after the initial backup, you will see a “Preparing…”message. Your current files and folders are compared with the files in the most recent backup.

If you’re asking how long it takes to prepare a Time Machine backup, it largely depends on the speed of the connection between the backup drive and your device, the amount of information on your Mac, and the size of your backup.

The preparation time may take some time if you are creating a backup for the first time and there are a lot of files and applications on your device. However, the preparation process should not take more than 5-10 minutes if your Mac has almost nothing stored.

Similarly, if you back up your files regularly, it won’t take long since Time Machine only backs up new or changed data since your last backup. However, preparing the backup may take some time if you don’t do it regularly.

To find out for sure, go to System Preferences → Time Machine. Check if the backup progress bar is moving. If it moves, even in small increments, it still works. However, if you see the progress bar stuck for more than 30 minutes, chances are your backup is stuck.

Reasons why the preparation phase may take longer

There are many reasons why Time Machine might hang while preparing a backup. Here are some of them:

• files are too big
• Outdated or corrupted backup drive
• macOS is not up to date
• a recent software update prevents this
• the backup drive or Mac has malware
• a previous Time Machine backup was aborted
• Mac was not shut down properly
• other applications such as antivirus software try to use the backup drive
• You ejected the backup drive from Mac incorrectly
• You’ve been using your Mac for days without backing up

How to fix Time Machine stuck on “Preparing backup”

If your Time Machine freezes while preparing a backup, here’s what you need to do.

1. Stop backing up the current time machine

The first step is to stop the current Time Machine backup process. To do this, go to the Time Machine window and click the X button next to the progress bar. Wait until the Preparing backup progress bar disappears. Be sure to uncheck “Auto Backup”.

2. Delete the “.inProgress”file.

After stopping the current backup process, you must delete the file. inProgress or a canceled backup process found on your backup drive. Do it:

1. Open Finder → select your Time Machine drive from the sidebar.
2. Select Backups.backupd. Find a file with the extension. inProgress.
3. Select and delete it, then empty the Trash.

You can try switching to list mode if you can’t find the file. The searched file will contain the start date of the Time Machine backup in YYYY-MM-DD-HHMMSS format.

3. Restart your Mac

After following the steps above, restart your Mac before trying to restart Time Machine. Restarting can sometimes help fix crashes and minor issues.

4. Resume your Time Machine backup

Once everything is done, you can try backing up your Mac with Time Machine again. If the problem persists, read the following fixes.

5. Other Troubleshooting Tips to Fix Time Machine Hanging While Preparing Backup

If the process above doesn’t work, here are some troubleshooting tips before restarting Time Machine.

I. Make sure you have a reliable network connection

A poor or missing Wi-Fi connection could be the cause if you are trying to back up over the network. Make sure you have a strong Wi-Fi or internet connection.

II. Update your macOS

An outdated operating system can also cause issues with Time Machine. Be sure to update macOS to the latest version. To see if your macOS is up to date, click Apple menu → About This Mac. Click Software Update. A window will show you if your Mac is up to date. If not, you will find a button that tells you to update.

III. Exclude large files

If you have large files such as photos and videos, this may be the reason why your Time Machine freezes. Try to work around them to see if that solves the problem:

• Go to the Time Machine window → click Options.

• Click +.

• Select the files or folders you want to exclude → click Exclude.
• Click Save.

IV. Prevent Spotlight from indexing Time Machine backup volume

Spotlight can index the Time Machine backup volume and interfere with Tim Machine’s preparation process. You can prevent Spotlight from indexing Time Machine by changing your Spotlight preferences. Here’s how:

• Go to System Preferences → Spotlight.

• Click the Privacy tab.
• Select +.

• Navigate to the Time Machine backup volume and drag it to the window.

This will prevent Spotlight from indexing the Time Machine backup volume.

V. Check your antivirus settings

Your antivirus software can use an external hard drive and scan it for viruses. However, this may interfere with Time Machine backups. You can exclude your Time Machine drive from antivirus scanning.

FAQ

Go to System Preferences → Time Machine. You will see the time of the last and next scheduled backup if Time Machine is turned on automatically. You will also see a progress bar if the backup is still in progress and how much is left before the backup completes.

The Time Machine backup preparation process after the initial backup usually takes about 10 minutes. It may hang if the progress bar hasn’t moved for more than 30 minutes.

On older macOS, Time Machine has an on/off switch. The new version of macOS Time Machine doesn’t have this button, and it’s been replaced with an Automatic Backup option. Just uncheck this box to turn off automatic Time Machine backups.

Open Time Machine → click Sign in to Time Machine. Scroll through your past backups and select the backup you want to delete. Click the gear icon → Delete backup.

Completion…

The fixes above should fix Time Machine hanging while preparing a backup. However, if it still freezes, my next suggestion would be to use a new external hard drive to back up your files.

If the issue persists, you may need to visit your local Genius Bar or contact Apple Support to resolve the issue.