Time Machine can't back up to external drive

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MickLead Author

Level 1

24 points

Time Machine can't back up to external drive

I keep getting the message, "Time Machine couldn't back up to Seagate Backup Plus external drive." How do I fix that?

iMac 27″ 5K, macOS 11.2

Posted on Feb 17, 2021 11:32 AM

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Answer 1

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rkaufmann87

Level 10

141,138 points

Feb 17, 2021 11:36 AM in response to MickLead

You have not provided us much information. Did the Seagate ever work as a Time Machine backup?

If it did work at some point then please do the following troubleshooting:

Reset the NVRAM per NVRAM Reset

Restart in Safe Mode per Safe Mode Reset instructions

If it still does not work, then try another USB cable. If that does not work, run First Aid in Disk Utilities on the TM drive, it may have errors and may need to be replaced.

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Answer 2

MickLead Author

Level 1

24 points

Feb 17, 2021 11:38 AM in response to rkaufmann87

Thank you and yes, it has worked for several years. I'll try these in order and let you know.

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Answer 3

rkaufmann87

Level 10

141,138 points

Feb 17, 2021 12:10 PM in response to MickLead

Okay, if the drive is dead I'd recommend getting one of the ones in the link below, far better quality enclosure than the "Walmart" stuff.

https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/owc-mercury-elite-pro

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Answer 4

MickLead Author

Level 1

24 points

Feb 17, 2021 1:39 PM in response to rkaufmann87

Thank you. That seems to have solved the issue by resetting the NVRAM. It is backing up now.

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Answer 5

rkaufmann87

Level 10

141,138 points

Feb 17, 2021 1:46 PM in response to MickLead

Perfect!

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Time Machine can't back up to external drive

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