Time capsule how long does it take

You get this benefit automatically after creating a new backup disk in macOS Big Sur or later. If you're backing up to the same backup disk that you were using before upgrading to macOS Big Sur or later, follow these steps:. Some apps store data in unusually large, frequently updated files. Backing up such files can be time consuming. Try these solutions:. The Reduce Clutter feature of your Mac can help identify large files and show when they were last accessed.

Only use your Time Machine backup disk for Time Machine. Some apps, such as antivirus utilities, may keep your backup disk busy by frequently accessing the disk to find or save items. So, if you have other background processes that run with a low priority, they will suddenly start taking more CPU. Clair Software. The app is not free, however. In macOS, it is possible to set the task priority higher or lower.

With nice command, you set the initial priority, with renice you change it for the currently running process. So, now we can change niceness and adjust priority higher or lower.

The acceptable range of values is from to Since we want to increase the priority, we will set the value to the lower the value, the higher is priority. There was an app called ProcessRenicer from eosgarden , which could do it in a visual way without having using the Terminal app. Unfortunately, the app is not being maintained anymore. So, I am not sure if you can make it work on the latest macOS versions. However, if you still on older OS X versions, it might work for you just fine. Both approaches described above have some limitations.

While we were able to eliminate the wait time and make sure that Time Machine is working as hard as possible, this may not be enough. In the simplest form, the backup process is reading data from one disk and writing it on another. So, the speed of the backup depends on the read speed of the primary storage and write speed of the backup drive. The speed of the primary disk on Mac varies widely from one model to another. When I was testing the impact of a FileVault on the disk performance, I tested the disk performance on various Macs I had at home.

The range was from You may say that that the disk in the Mac cannot be replaced. There are multiple storage upgrade options on the market. Two brands are among the best in particular: OWC and Feather. Note: Make sure to read compatibility notes for SSDs.

Feather has a nice chart in the description which tells which of their products is compatible with which Mac. Another way to check the upgradeability of the Mac is crucial. The good thing about upgrading primary storage and improving its read performance is that Time Machine is not the only thing that benefits from the upgrade. Literally, every app runs faster possibly 10x faster now. However, when it comes to the backup process, the biggest bang for the buck is choosing the right external hard drive.

For instance, I tested the difference in performance between backing up on an external hard drive and on a thumb drive. Yes, you can. You can also scan your Mac, as well as the external drive you are trying to use, for malware. Just to be extra sure, you can even try erasing the external drive with Disk Utility although Time Machine erases everything on your drive when preparing the backup, so this step may very well be an overkill.

Since an antivirus can use your external hard drive for routine checkups, it might interfere with the Time Machine backup. This means another solution you can try is excluding the external drive volume from your antivirus scans after you scan the drive for malware though. Another reason for Time Machine issues can be that your macOS is not up to date.

Should there be any updates available, go ahead and install them before attempting to create another Time Machine backup. If you have previously successfully created a Time Machine backup on the external disk you are using, but have issues now, recent software installs might be interfering with the backup. Other apps trying to use your external drive as Time Machine is creating a backup could result in a conflict, so make sure no apps are using the drive.

All in all, you Time Machine should not be preparing the backup for hours, so hopefully one of the above solutions can help you. One option is Get Backup Pro. The app allows you to select individual items you want to backup, sync folders, and schedule backups. You can backup your info both on your Macintosh HD and external drives.

And if you need a sync across your devices, ChronoSync is the solution for you. Set up the folders you need syncing and hit the large arrow icon right in the middle of your sync setup:. Sync between Macs, use InterConneX to sync with iOS devices, back up to external storage units or file servers, do remote backups, and more with this handy app.

These apps are easy to set up and use, so if you find their interfaces more intuitive for your preference, you can give them a shot. Before you get too frustrated with your Apple device stuck on the step of Time Machine preparing backup, follow the below tips to avoid backup issues. Start by sizing up the backup you are about to make. This will also help estimate how much time Time Machine Preparing backup process might take. This is the amount of data your Mac will have to copy to the external drive.