Encryption taking FOREVER! Can it be safely stopped?

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Level 1

4 points

Encryption taking FOREVER! Can it be safely stopped?

This is ridiculous! Apple should warn users encrypting an external Time Machine with data on it will literally take days, maybe weeks. I've been running a 5TB Seagate drive which contains 1.24TB of data currently being encrypted by Time Machine.

There should be a warning by Apple to the user that this will take days and days! I don't know whether I can stop it, migrate the data to my new iMac and encrypt later on. Encryption has been running for more 28hrs straight and the progress bar is less than 10% complete!

The last thing I want to do is corrupt the data on this Time Machine external drive. I regret agreeing to encrypt!

Does anyone have experience with this fiasco of operation?

Posted on Mar 16, 2019 4:05 PM

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Answer 1

den.thed

Level 10

90,706 points

Mar 16, 2019 5:51 PM in response to Cachibache

Unfortunately encrypting always taken a very long time. Even longer if the drive is on your network, instead of one that is connected directly to your Mac.

Personally I've never tried to stop and restart an encryption process, but from what I've read you can.

see > How to Encrypt Your Mac’s Time Machine Backup

Sadly, the last paragraph in section 8 at > Choose a backup disk and set encryption options on Mac - Apple Support

say's...

If you previously used a Time Capsule or networked disk for unencrypted backups and want to turn on encryption now, Time Machine must first erase the unencrypted backup before starting an encrypted backup.

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Answer 2

Cachibache Author

Level 1

4 points

Mar 16, 2019 5:57 PM in response to den.thed

I have the external drive directly connected to the iMac, so that should not be slowing things down.

Wait! What? The encryption operating is not erasing my data, is it?

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Answer 3

den.thed

Level 10

90,706 points

Mar 16, 2019 8:45 PM in response to Cachibache

Good, that is faster and more reliable than on your network.

There's no way to predict the outcome, so I'll have to say wait and see.

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Answer 4

dialabrain

Level 10

135,521 points

Mar 16, 2019 9:59 PM in response to Cachibache

FWIW, It took approximately 19 hours for me to encrypt an external 2TB drive. And no, I didn't lose any data.

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Answer 5

Cachibache Author

Level 1

4 points

Mar 16, 2019 10:26 PM in response to dialabrain

Thank you for that data point. Well, something looks out of place, you had more data and it took a lot less time than what it will take here. It looks like it will take at least a week...

In the hopes of accelerating the encryption process:

I checked the box 'Prevent computer from sleeping automatically when the display is off' and also unchecked the box for 'Put hard disks to sleep when possible'. Enable Power Nap' is also checked.

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Answer 6

dialabrain

Level 10

135,521 points

Mar 16, 2019 10:28 PM in response to Cachibache

You're welcome. The disk wasn't full. I forget how full it was actually. FWIW, you really don't want to stop the encryption. For one thing, it would have to decrypt what it already encrypted.

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Encryption taking FOREVER! Can it be safely stopped?

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