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# How to Fix Time Machine Backup Stuck on Preparing Backup
- URL: https://macfixly.com/fix-preparing-backup-stuck-time-machine/
- Published: 2026-10-07T20:48:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-07T20:48:00.000Z
- Description: Discover effective steps to fix Time Machine backup stuck on preparing backup and get your Mac backups running smoothly again.
- Author: Macuser
- Tags: Mac Troubleshooting, Time Machine, Backup Issues, Mac Tips

You start your Mac’s Time Machine backup as usual, but the process gets stuck on "preparing backup"—and hours pass without progress. This pause can be frustrating, especially when you rely on Time Machine for protecting important files.

This article explains how to fix preparing backup stuck in Time Machine by walking you through practical checks and fixes. You’ll learn how to verify your backup drive’s connection, clear temporary glitches by restarting, remove incomplete backups, reset preferences, and manage files that commonly cause delays. These steps focus on resolving the specific preparation hang rather than general backup troubleshooting.

## Key takeaways

- Ensure your backup drive is properly connected and healthy before troubleshooting.
- Restart Time Machine and your Mac to clear temporary software glitches.
- [Delete incomplete or corrupted backup files](https://macfixly.com/p/32e0d889-5b01-4f10-930c-022895524ebb/) that can block progress.
- Reset Time Machine preferences to rebuild a fresh backup configuration.
- Identify and manage large or problematic files that slow down backup preparation.

## Before You Start: What You Need

Before you dive into fixing the Time Machine backup stuck on preparing, gather a few essential tools and ensure you have the right permissions. First, you must be logged into your Mac with an account that has administrative privileges. This access is necessary because some troubleshooting steps require changing system settings or deleting files that only an admin can manage.

Next, make sure your external backup drive is properly connected and recognized by your Mac. You can verify this by opening Finder and checking if the drive appears in the sidebar or by launching Disk Utility to see if the drive is listed and mounted. If your Mac does not detect the drive, proceed only after resolving this connection issue.

Familiarity with macOS System Preferences and Disk Utility is also important. You should be comfortable navigating these apps as you will use them to manage Time Machine settings and check the health of your backup disk. Lastly, set aside enough time and patience because some steps, like verifying or deleting backups, can take several minutes or longer to complete.

1. Confirm you are logged into an admin account: Open System Preferences > Users & Groups and check your user type. You should see “Admin” below your username.
2. Connect your external backup drive to your Mac and wait for it to mount. Verify it appears in Finder’s sidebar or in Disk Utility under the External section.
3. Open System Preferences > Time Machine and ensure your backup disk is selected and shows as available.
4. Launch Disk Utility from Applications > Utilities. Locate your backup drive and confirm it is mounted and shows no immediate errors.
5. Allocate uninterrupted time (at least 30 minutes) to perform the upcoming troubleshooting steps without rushing.

## Check Your Backup Drive’s Connection and Health

First, make sure your backup drive is firmly connected to your Mac and powered on. If you are using a USB or Thunderbolt drive, check that the cable is securely plugged in and the drive’s indicator light is on. For Wi-Fi-based backups, confirm your Mac is connected to the same network as the backup device, and that the network signal is strong to avoid interruptions.

Next, use Disk Utility to verify and repair your backup drive. Open Disk Utility from Applications > Utilities, then select your backup drive from the sidebar. Click the “First Aid” button and run the diagnostic. A successful check will show messages like “The volume appears to be OK,” while errors might prompt you to repair the disk.

For example, before repair, you might see “The volume could not be verified completely,” indicating file system inconsistencies. After running First Aid, the message should confirm the disk was repaired or appears healthy. This process often fixes hidden issues causing Time Machine to stall during preparation.

Connection type affects backup speed and stability. Thunderbolt connections generally offer the fastest and most stable backups, followed by USB 3.0\. Wi-Fi backups can be slower and more prone to disconnections, which may cause Time Machine to hang during preparation. If possible, switch to a wired connection to improve reliability.

## Restart Time Machine and Your Mac to Clear Temporary Glitches

Sometimes, Time Machine gets stuck during the "preparing backup" phase due to temporary software issues. Restarting the backup process and your Mac can often clear these glitches and allow the backup to proceed smoothly.

![Restart Time Machine and Your Mac to Clear Temporary Glitches – how to fix preparing backup stuck in Time Machine](https://macfixly.com/content/images/2026/10/fix-preparing-backup-stuck-time-machine-2.webp)

1. Open System Preferences and select **Time Machine**. Click the **Cancel Backup** button if a backup is currently running. You should see the status change to "Backup cancelled" or the progress bar disappear.
2. Turn Time Machine off by unchecking **Back Up Automatically**. Wait for a few seconds to ensure it stops fully.
3. Turn Time Machine back on by re-checking **Back Up Automatically**. The status should read "Preparing backup" again, indicating the process has restarted.
4. Next, restart your Mac by clicking the Apple menu and choosing **Restart**. This refreshes system services that Time Machine depends on.
5. After your Mac boots up, open System Preferences > Time Machine. The status should display "Waiting to complete first backup" or show normal backup progress, confirming the restart helped clear the issue.

If the status remains stuck after these steps, the problem may be due to deeper system issues or corrupted backup files, which you can address in the following sections.

## Delete Incomplete or Corrupted Backup Files

Sometimes Time Machine gets stuck because it encounters incomplete or corrupted backup files on your backup drive. These problematic files can block the backup process during the preparation phase. To fix this, you need to locate these files and safely remove them without affecting your other backups.

Incomplete backups typically appear as backup bundles with names like *com.apple.TimeMachine.MachineID.inProgress* or have a date stamp matching the last failed backup attempt. These files are usually found inside the **Backups.backupdb** folder on your Time Machine disk. Deleting these files frees up Time Machine to start fresh, but be cautious not to delete the entire backup folder or older, complete backups.

1. Open Finder and navigate to your Time Machine backup drive.
2. Go to the **Backups.backupdb** folder.
3. Look for any files or folders ending with *.inProgress* or with unusually recent timestamps that correspond to the time your backup got stuck.
4. Move these files to the Trash; if asked, enter your administrator password.
5. Empty the Trash to permanently remove the files.
6. After deleting, launch Time Machine and check if the backup progresses past the preparation stage.

By carefully targeting only incomplete or corrupted files, you minimize the risk of losing valid backup data. If you’re unsure about a file, it’s safer to leave it until further troubleshooting.

## Reset Time Machine Preferences and Rebuild the Backup

When Time Machine preferences become corrupted, the backup process can stall during preparation. Resetting these settings helps clear any conflicting configurations and allows you to start fresh. This procedure involves turning off Time Machine, removing the backup disk, deleting preference files, then adding the disk back and initiating a new backup.

1. Open **System Preferences** and click on **Time Machine**. Turn off Time Machine by toggling the switch or unchecking *Back Up Automatically*. You should see the backup status change to "Time Machine Off".
2. In the Time Machine pane, click **Select Disk…** then choose your backup disk and click **Remove Disk**. The disk will no longer appear as your backup destination.
3. Quit System Preferences and open **Finder**. Press `Command+Shift+G` and enter `~/Library/Preferences/`. Locate the file named `com.apple.TimeMachine.plist`.
4. Move `com.apple.TimeMachine.plist` to the Trash. This deletes your Time Machine preferences and clears any corrupted settings. When done correctly, Time Machine settings will reset to default the next time you open the pane.
5. Reopen **System Preferences**, go to **Time Machine**, and click **Select Disk…** to add your backup drive again. Select it and confirm to use it for backups.
6. Turn Time Machine back on by toggling *Back Up Automatically* or clicking the switch. Time Machine will start a new backup cycle, which often completes the preparation phase more quickly than before.

After resetting, you should notice that the backup preparation phase no longer hangs or takes an unusually long time. This approach resolves issues caused by corrupted preferences that disrupt the normal backup workflow.

## Manage Large or Problematic Files That Delay Backup Preparation

Large files or folders with frequent changes can cause Time Machine to spend a long time preparing backups. To identify these, you can use Finder's "All My Files" view sorted by size or third-party apps like GrandPerspective or DaisyDisk, which visually map your disk usage. Pinpointing these files helps you decide which to exclude to speed up the backup process.

Once you identify large or frequently changing files, exclude them by opening System Preferences > Time Machine > Options. Click the plus button (+) to add folders or files you want to omit. This action reduces the data Time Machine processes, significantly shortening preparation times.

For example, excluding a folder of large video projects totaling over 50 GB reduced backup preparation from more than an hour to under 10 minutes on some Macs. Organizing files by moving rarely changed large files to external drives or cloud storage can also improve backup speed and reliability.

## Troubleshoot Common Failure Points

If your Time Machine backup remains stuck on preparing despite following earlier steps, it’s time to dig deeper into common failure points. First, check for macOS software updates by opening System Preferences, selecting Software Update, and installing any available updates. Updates often include bug fixes that address Time Machine issues.

![Troubleshoot Common Failure Points – how to fix preparing backup stuck in Time Machine](https://macfixly.com/content/images/2026/10/fix-preparing-backup-stuck-time-machine-3.webp)

Next, use the Console app to examine system logs for backup errors. Open Console, filter messages by “backupd” or “Time Machine,” and look for repeated error messages such as “Error: backup failed” or “Backup volume not found.” These log entries can pinpoint specific problems preventing the backup from progressing.

If you use a network backup drive, consider encryption and network stability as potential causes. Network interruptions or encryption conflicts can stall Time Machine. Test your connection by temporarily switching to a wired connection or disabling encryption to see if the backup proceeds.

If these steps don’t resolve the issue, contacting Apple Support or a professional technician is advisable. Persistent errors in logs or hardware-related concerns may require expert diagnosis beyond routine troubleshooting.

## Frequently asked questions

### Why does Time Machine get stuck on preparing backup?

Time Machine can get stuck on preparing backup due to several reasons such as a slow or unstable connection to the backup drive, corrupted backup files, or large files that take longer to process. Sometimes, temporary system glitches or issues with Time Machine’s preference files also cause delays during this phase. Checking the health of your backup drive and clearing incomplete backups often resolves this problem.

### How long should the preparing backup phase take?

The preparing backup phase usually takes just a few minutes, but it can extend significantly if there are many changes to back up or if large files are involved. If this phase lasts longer than 30 minutes consistently, it often indicates an issue like a corrupted backup or disk errors that need addressing. Restarting your Mac and verifying the backup disk can help reduce this time.

### Can I continue using my Mac while Time Machine is stuck?

Yes, you can continue using your Mac while Time Machine is stuck on preparing backup, but you might experience slower performance because Time Machine uses system resources during this phase. If you need your Mac to run smoothly, pausing or stopping the backup temporarily is advisable until you fix the underlying issue causing the hang.

### Will deleting incomplete backups cause data loss?

Deleting incomplete backups generally does not cause data loss because these backups are incomplete and often unusable. However, it’s important to ensure you have a recent successful backup before deleting any files. Removing corrupted or partial backups helps Time Machine start fresh and can resolve persistent backup issues.

## What This Advice Does Not Cover

This article focuses on resolving the 'preparing backup' hang during Time Machine operations and improving backup reliability through system checks and maintenance steps. It does not cover data recovery if your backups are lost or corrupted beyond repair. If you suspect serious data loss or corruption, or if your backup drive has physical damage, you should consult professional data recovery services or Apple Support for specialized assistance.

As the single most helpful next step, try resetting Time Machine by turning it off in System Preferences, deleting the *com.apple.TimeMachine.plist* preference file from your Library/Preferences folder, and then turning Time Machine back on. This often clears hidden configuration issues and prompts your Mac to build a fresh backup catalog, helping to resolve the 'preparing backup' hang effectively.

**See also:** [How to Use Two Backup Drives in Time Machine for Reliable Mac Backup](https://macfixly.com/p/c4d93e11-dad4-47e4-888f-669da7d14e51/) · [How to Change Backup Frequency in Time Machine: Step-by-Step Guide](https://macfixly.com/p/1804bccd-446f-49c3-801e-5d152d83f5af/) · [How to Exclude Folders from Backup in Time Machine: Step-by-Step Guide](https://macfixly.com/p/2b0d00df-0cd3-419e-a97f-f2f9dc7adb02/) · [How to Restore an Entire Mac Using Time Machine: Step-by-Step Guide](https://macfixly.com/p/d5c72e95-8adb-46b8-a403-cb918cdf3c04/)