M1 + Monterey Wont Backup. "Waiting to complete first backup"

In response to WhyNoSound, thank you thank you thank you.

RESOLVED.

The solution for me was to read through https://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/434587/why-is-time-machine-stuck-on-waiting-to-complete-first-backup-after-upgrading

Point #1: this is not a conflict issue re: antivirus, don't waste your time getting rid of any of that stuff

Point #2: the solution is simple, so chin up!

Point #3: this is not just a Monterey issue, it is also a Big Sur issue

The culprit for me was the failure to complete a backup due to a conflict with a Metadata folder that itself contained two folders within dealing with 1) Spotlight plist and another folder containing 2) certain Contacts V-Cards. Your system may be allergic to other folders. To find out:

The remedy was to enter terminal, run (begins here at log):

log show --info --style compact --predicate '(subsystem == "com.apple.TimeMachine") && (eventMessage like[cd] "Failed * acquire device lock assertion*")' --last 48h

Make sure the time span covers your failed attempts to backup (24h was not enough for me).

My conflict was only with ~/Library/Metadata.

Then I went to SystPrefs/TM clicked on the option box at lower right, clicked on "+" to add the directory location that was in conflict, [you will have to select the particular directory, some are not listed but are greyed out, so use the command "Command+Shift+." (command plus shift plus full stop) to reveal all] then click on Save. Now my excluded backup directory listed under SystPrefs/TM/options box reads "folder blue image" ~/Library/Metadata

This stops the TM backup going to the directory that causes the conflict, bypassing it, and backing up your remaining data directories in full. Try running a backup.

If it works, I would dare to suggest that now is the time to go to Disk Utility and erase your Time Machine backup drive, give it a new name, and format as APFS, GUID, and start again with your first backup.

NOW Restart your computer.

Then go to SystPrefs/TM, and check that your directories are still excluded (click on the Options, and check the list), and that your TM external drive has its new name after you just erased it, that you have the full TB or GB available to you (erasure brings peace of mind there's nothing on your drive that will conflict with your future TM backups). Do NOT check the "Back up automatically" option yet. If it is checked uncheck it.

Make your first backup, on your newly formatted drive, fingers crossed, and when you are successful, then go back to SystPrefs/TM and check the "Back Up Automatically" box as on.

NOTE: I advise this unchecked box because it is best if your first backup is not interrupted by a backup automated by your Mac OS at a time of its own choosing. Also, I would advise going to SystPrefs/Energy Saver [for mac mini, or Battery for laptops] and set "Turn display off after...NEVER", then go to SystPrefs/Desktop & Screen Saver and stop your screen saver from starting, for Big Sur uncheck the "Show screen saver after" box. Just to stop all conflicts of the system interfering with your first backup. After your first backup, turn these back on again to your preferred time intervals. This may not be necessary, but for me it worked.

Good luck, if you have questions, keep asking.

To DonH229

Ditch the Etrecheck.

According to your Time Machine Log, you have conflicts with two items, both related to Find My Widget. To be specific:

~Library/Containers/com.apple.findmy.FindMyWidgetPeople

~Library/Containers/com.apple.findmy.FindMyWidgetIntentsPeople

That's pretty good, it's only two items!! It may look a huge problem...but I dont think so. Let's see if we can solve YOUR issues specifically.

So here we go.

1) go to SystPrefs/TimeMachine

2) uncheck the "Back up automatically" button at left under the TM logo

3) click on the bottom right, "Options" button, this brings up a box where the top line states "Exclude these items from backups:"

4) click on the "+" button at lower left, you are now adding your first exclusion, FindMyWidgetItems, clicking on "+" brings up a finder window specifically for adding an exclusion. Select your home drive, click on it to select, (mine reads: Macintosh HD), to the right is a short list, but you want to expand it, and you want to be able to click/select hidden files. For this, make these hidden things appear BLACK rather than grey, and therefore SELECTABLE, by having your cursor on this window somewhere (to ensure that it is active) and entering the keyboard command Command+shift+. (command plus shift plus full stop). Now you get a much bigger list to the right. Select Users. Then Select your computer data (meaning "~" )(ie., not Guest, and not Shared). Then Select Library. Then select Containers--and keep navigating to the offending folder. Click on it to select it as an exclusion. NOTE: A lot of what you see is in a pasty grey, meaning you cannot select to exclude, you must turn the folders BLACK and therefore SELECTABLE, you must have entered Command+Shift+. to achieve this.

5) Select the folder, then click on the box at the bottom right that is highlighted, that says "Exclude"

6) Do the above again for your second exclusion. FindMyWidgetIntentsPeople

7) your exclusion list should now have 2 x FindMyWidget...

8) Run a backup after disabling a) "Back up automatically" on SystPrefs/TimeMachine, uncheck box, b) Energy or Battery (set Display sleep to NEVER) in SystPrefs, and c) Desktop/Screen Saver (turn off screen Saver) in SystPrefs

9) Turn OFF your machine

10) Turn ON your machine

11) check the backup--did it backup? is the icon at the top of the screen still saying "Waiting for First Backup"? Does Syst/Pref list your backup disk with the right TB/GB?

12) if things have changed for you, positively, then open DISK UTILITY

13) Reformat your backup drive (I know you'll need beer by this point) as APFS, GUID, and give it a new name like "Finally" or "ImAwesome"

14) Force a backup, go to the icon at the top of your screen and say "Back Up Now"

15) After x-minutes (mine took 28 minutes), check SystPref/TM for details of confirmed backup

16) In SystPref/TM check the box "Back Up Automatically", SystPref/Energy(orBattery) engage, SystPref/Displays & Screen Savers --enter your time for the Screen Saver

I really really hope this works because the relief that you'll feel just cannot be described.

If you still have problemos, I am probably not the person to talk to. But do the above before removing any ANY software.

Re: your 3.0 hub, 3.0 drive--the speed of the backup relates to the Lowest Common Denominator--if you have a 2.0 USB-A cable, everything that is 3.0 will back-speed (if that's a word) to 2.0. If your computer is old, but you have newer external drives and external gear, then, guess what? You will be limited by your computer, not your drives, ports or cables. Let's talk days doing a backup. I'm sure you know this already, and I tend to rabbit on trying to cover all edges, but I'm really hoping the above works for you.

Thank you for this solution. I also have a new M1Pro MBPro with Monterey and ran into this identical issue. Booting in safe mode, then initiating a Time Machine backup solved the problem for me. After creating the first backup in Safe Mode, which completed fully and showed a backup folder in the TM drive, I then rebooted normally and backups now occur normally and successfully and automatically. It deleted the ghost (no visible folders but space was being used) previous backups during the cleaning up stage during the first backup in safe mode.

Boot into safe mode and then perform backup from there.

This time it was a success and finally i have completed visible backup on external drive.

That tells us there may be 3rd party software that is interfering with Time Machine. Download and run Etrecheck.  Copy and paste the results into your reply. Etrecheck is a diagnostic tool that was developed by one of the most respected users here in the ASC and recommended by Apple Support  to provide a snapshot of the system and help identify the more obvious culprits that can adversely affect a Mac's performance.

IMPORTANT:

Before running Etrecheck assign Full Disk Access to Etrecheck in the Etrecheck's Privacy preference pane so that it can get additional information from the Console and log files for the report:

Also click and read the About info to further permit full disk access.

Copy the report

and use the Additional Text button to include the report in your reply.

Then we can evaluate the report and your setup.

EarthLawQC wrote:

Having assigned full disk access in Security/Privacy (Syst Prefs) I ran Etrecheck with no crashes anywhere or major issues. I do not run Sophos but I do run AVG.

You have AVG antivirus running in the background, plus Disk Drill protection ( a kext), plus StellarDataRecovery (another kext) and a slew of other things. Problem is, AVG plus the kexts for Disk Drill and StellarDataRecovery could have conflicts between one another. Every time you try to write to disk (external or internal) these background programs will all jump in to check what you are doing and "protect you." These kexts are kernel extensions and can fundamentally change your Mac's operation.

I would completely remove all three and see if anything has been resolved. I would never reinstall AVG or any other antivirus on a Mac, but you could consider installing ONE (not TWO) of those other file recovery tools to see if everything still works if removing all three resolved the issues.

I found the only solution that worked for me...I sincerely hope my backups are still complete enough, but...everything else failed.

I had to manually exclude several library folders from backup...they kept failing. Here's a link to the solution:

https://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/434587/why-is-time-machine-stuck-on-waiting-to-complete-first-backup-after-upgrading

Basically, it involved using the terminal to find the errored folders, and excluding them:

From that website:

"This issue may occur if there are directories that are failing to back up due to "Failed to proactively acquire device lock assertion", or "Failed to acquire device lock assertion" 2 errors.

To review the Time Machine logs for these errors use the following steps:

1. Open the Terminal app

2. Runthefollowingcommand:

          log show --info --style compact --predicate '(subsystem ==
         "com.apple.TimeMachine") && (eventMessage like[cd] "Failed * acquire device lock
         assertion*")' --last 24h

Next, to resolve these backup failures, take note of all directories that have encountered these failures and add them to the list of backup exclusions in Time Machine. Examples might be:

~/Library/Containers/com.apple.findmy.FindMyWidgetIntentsItems

~/Library/Containers/com.apple.findmy.FindMyWidgetItems

~/Library/Containers/com.apple.findmy.FindMyWidgetIntentsPeople ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.findmy.FindMyWidgetPeople

~/Library/Metadata

You can exclude affected diretories by navigating to System Preferences → Time Machine → Options, then click the + sign button and navigate to and select each directory that you need to exclude.

I'm experiencing this same issue, and I wanted to add some info here for the rest of you to understand why your hard drive is filling up, but Finder isn't showing any files.

When a backup fails like this, many of your files have indeed been transferred to your drive; they are simply buried in a package file with the file extension ".inProgress".

You can free up the space on your external drive by either deleting the .inProgress file, or two-finger clicking that file, selecting "Show Package Contents", and then deleting any folders you find inside it. You will, of course, have to empty the trash can with your hard drive still attached to permanently erase the files and actually free up space on your drive.

The .inProgress file can be found at:

(External Hard Drive) > Backups.backupdb > (Name of Computer)

Update: The only way I could solve this was by erasing my hard drive and reinstalling Monterey. Since my Time Machine wasn't working, I had to manually copy all my files to another hard drive before I began the process. After setting up my new user profile (with iCloud), the first thing I did was set up time machine... it worked. Then I reinstalled all my software and files from the other external drive. This took a lot of time. I hope that Apple can fix the bug so that others don't have to re-setup their computer to get Time Machine to work.

I updated to Monterey 12.2.1, and it seems to have fixed Time Machine for me. I just plugged in my external 2TB Sandisk SSD and it took about two hours to finish backing up, and it shows the latest backup as 8:54pm today, and oldest as November 8, 2021. I did nothing special like booting in safe mode or excluding certain files. It just worked like it did in the good old times (at least for me) before 12.1. It's been automatically backing up hourly.

I had the same issue with my new MacBook Pro 14" M1 Max, running OS Monterey 12.0.1. I reformatted my 8TB Seagate Hub drive to MacOs Extended (Journaled) and started Time Machine.

It began backing up my internal hard drive (approx. 700GB full) and Samsung T7 external drive (about 1.8TB full). Time Machine would run for hours, then show "Waiting to complete first backup," then start backing up files again. It never got any further than "three hours remaining," and there was only a little over 2TB free space on the 8TB Hub drive! After running for over three days and watching the backup disk fill up, I reformatted the drive (now APFS (Case Sensitive) and started over in Safe Boot mode.

After about 13 hours, Time Machine finished the first backup successfully, with 5.91TB free space left on the backup drive. Before booting into safe mode, I had also changed Sophos Antivirus scan preferences to exclude the Time Machine drive. That didn't help any with completing the first backup, though.

With my previous MacBook Pro mid 2012 15" Uniibody, Sophos Antivirus was always running and there weren't any issues. So my guess is that something was conflicting with the Time Machine backup, but I don't know why it was taking up so much space on the backup drive.

I'm also in the same position with future Time Machine backups over whether I should only run them manually in "Safe Boot" mode, or take the chance that Time Machine will operate correctly in auto mode now that the first backup is complete.

Considering the advanced features and significant price of the new M1 laptops, I was anticipating a more seamless experience with Time Machine. I will next run another backup with Carbon Copy Cloner, as I don't feel so confident with the integrity of the Time Machine backup.

That worked for me! After trying everything else in the thread!

My one file found in the log was not showing in Finder, so had to use the tmutil option mentioned in https://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/434587/why-is-time-machine-stuck-on-waiting-to-complete-first-backup-after-upgrading -- my file was something like ~/Library/Containers/DA29194F-5ED4-4447-A69D-6FA8A95009C4/Data/Documents/30c6d58f33fc82a9b8016a... (and 20 or so more characters) but once I excluded that, and start with an erased/renamed drive, it finally succeeded. Thanks!

Your latest Etrecheck still shows antivirus active

System Extensions:

[Running] com.sophos.endpoint.scanextension - version 10.2.2 (Sophos - 2021-11-24)

Application: /Applications/Sophos/Sophos Scan.app - version 10.2.2

Description: Scanning Services

[Running] networkextension - version 10.2.2 (Sophos - 2021-11-24)

Application: /Applications/Sophos/Sophos Network Extension.app - version 10.2.2

Thanks for the suggestions. As for "disk4," although the volume names are masked, this must have been the offsite Carbon Copy Cloner backup that I ran a few days ago. This was the CCC backup that didn't complete properly with the drive being ejected improperly for some reason. Then it wasn't recognized on the MBP 14", but was recognized when I connected it to my old MBP 2012. After running First Aid on the drive and then connecting it to the other hub on the MBP 14", CCC finished the backup.

It no longer shows up in the Etrecheck log because I removed the drive and took it offsite. I can run some other tests on it sometime later when I bring it back to update the drive.

Now for today's update on the Time Machine backup:

The 5TB Seagate Backups Plus drive was plugged directly into the laptop's USB C port using an Apple USB C to USB A adapter. It's not possible to plug in the drive with only one cable, as the MBP 14" only has three USB C ports, and all of my hard drives except a Samsung T7 SSD are USB A. But this is the best connection possible, and this is also how it was connected during the last Time Machine backup that ended up perpetually "Waiting to complete first backup."

Sophos is now completely uninstalled, and no longer shows up in the Etrecheck report. After running for about six hours, Time Machine backed up approximately 2.3TB of data from the internal and two external drives and has since been "Waiting to complete first backup." I also ran the Time Machine failure log from Terminal and have attached the results.

And after reading a number of posts on MacRumors about this issue, I've come to the conclusion that it's something that Apple needs to fix with the OS, and the problem isn't caused by antivirus programs or using hubs. A few people have been in touch with senior technical support at Apple, and they are both aware of the problem and have been able to replicate it, but a fix is not yet scheduled for OS release 12.1.

Suggestions to resolve the issue included:

1) Excluding certain folders from the Time Machine backup, as mentioned in this thread,

2) Running First Aid on the OS drive immediately before running the initial Time Machine backup,

3) Make sure TM is off and no disk is selected. Unplug any external HD/SSD.

Turn off FindMy in iCloud System Prefs

Delete all the com.apple.FindMy files in ~/Library/Containers

Empty Trash

Connect your TM HD/SSD. Format your TM disk in Disk Utility and then reboot

Select your newly formatted TM disk in Time Machine prefs and it should count down from 120, initiating a first run backup. Everything permitting you might have a working Backup in due course.

Once it does complete, turn on FindMy in iCloud System Prefs.

(Courtesy of MacRumors user Randomgeeza)

But some also reported that after upgrading to Monterey 12.1, their Time Machine backup stopped working again. My solution at this point is to stop wasting time with Time Machine (and its new moniker "Time Wasted Machine"), and switch to Carbon Copy Cloner. Then if Apple fixes the issue in a future OS update, consider updating the backup drive to Time Machine.

The strange part here is that my primary Time Machine backup seems to be running ok after I ran the initial backup from Safe Mode. The secondary offsite Time Machine backup is stuck on "Waiting to complete first backup" even with backup being run in Safe Mode, the drive being directly connected to the laptop and after Sophos was uninstalled.

At this point, I've spent too much time being a Monterey "beta tester" after public release. Like many others, I also feel that this OS was released prematurely and that Apple might be better off slowing down its OS upgrade schedule and investing more effort on quality control. It's a bad image for maker of "the world's most powerful laptops" to have bugs such as this, and brings back memories of dealing with Windows issues before I switched over to MacOS for better reliability.

Thanks to all for the help and suggestions though, I know that we're all just trying to get through this the best we can!

I had the same issue in M1 MacBook Pro Monterey 12.1. I created a new admin user and ran the backup again from the new user login. It seems to have successfully completed itself. Not sure if works for everyone.

Finally have TM working (I hope?) for me!!

I have IMAC (24 M1) delivered with 12.01.

Never able to get a backup (Time Capsule)

(Turned off Back Up Automatically)

My Mac Book Air 'Big Sur' still doing good backups (Time Capsule)

Here is my deal:

I upgraded to 12.1. (Still no backups)!

For upgrade Apple required use of the COMPUTER OWNER Userid!

Didn't think much about it for I have 3 userids and only use one as my main working id.

(Never used Computer Owner id for anything that I recall)

Last night 'for kicks' I logged in with the owner's id and submitted TM backup. Actually worked and did cleanup

which seemed to have recovered some of the dead used space! Backed up today with my working id.

Looks good! TM seems to recognize recovery times back to first backup.