TimeMachine didn't start auntomattically & has no "back up now button"

Question

Level 2

244 points

TimeMachine didn't start auntomattically & has no "back up now button"

Monterey regrets.

Okay, with previous macOS - all I had to do was plug my TimeMachine backup external drive into the thunderbolt 2 port - and TimeMachine started - usually backing up immediately. But, even if TimeMachine did not begin backing-up that very second you still had the option to press the 'back up now' button. But, that button is missing today.

Today, I plug my TimeMachine external hard disk in - and after adding the password to mount the disk - nothing. Nothing at all. I have to go into System Preferences and rummage around a bit to launch the TimeMachine application. THEN, after launching the TimeMachine application I have to sift through a list of disks to choose from - to initiate a backup. And, even AFTER all that I'm still tapping my foot, waiting for the backup to start - staring at this countdown timer.

Where is the 'back up now' button? Why isn't TimeMachine starting on its own without so much coaxing on my part? It used to be very simple - now the process is complicated - seemingly for no good reason.

I just hate it when things go backwards - my fault for upgrading though.

MacBook Pro 15″, macOS 12.0

Posted on Dec 24, 2021 9:27 AM

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Answer 1

Old Toad

Level 10

208,439 points

Dec 24, 2021 11:38 AM in response to silver_mica

So you don't have this menu item in the TM menu, right?

Regarding ejecting the TM drive go to the  menu and Force Quit the Finder (actually Relaunch). Then try to eject the TM drive.

If you don't have the Back Up Now menu items oot into Safe Mode according to How to use safe mode on your Mac and test to see if the problem persists. Reboot normally and test again.

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Answer 2

silver_mica Author

Level 2

244 points

Dec 24, 2021 10:29 AM in response to silver_mica

Actually, that disk had the old backup - I'll assume it incrementally backed up.

Anyway, the new issue is that I can't eject the disk! This is so much like a Microsoft Machine. I'm really disappointed. This is so janky.

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Answer 3

Barney-15E

Level 10

113,578 points

Dec 24, 2021 9:34 AM in response to silver_mica

Where is the 'back up now' button?

It's been so long since that "button" existed, I don't even remember it.

The Backup Now command is in the Time Machine status menu.

Your description of having to wade through disks sounds like it didn't migrate the settings over and you didn't have a backup disk selected.

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Answer 4

silver_mica Author

Level 2

244 points

Dec 24, 2021 9:40 AM in response to Barney-15E

I jumped from Mojave to Monterey.

It's almost like that external disk never had a previous TimeMachine backup (when it does/or should). It's backing up right now and seemingly creating a 100% fresh backup (unconfirmed). It is not incrementally backing up - that is for sure. But, yeah, I created a TimeMachine backup a few days ago using that same external drive and backed up my machine - but, now my Mac has Alzheimer's

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Answer 5

silver_mica Author

Level 2

244 points

Dec 30, 2021 1:03 PM in response to silver_mica

TimeMachine isn't working like it used to work. For many, many years (since 2015) all I had to do was plug the external hard drive in and after adding the password - Time Machine would start.

Sadly, Monterey seemingly deleted this ultra convenient feature. Now, I have to fumble around searching for Time Machine (as described in my original post).

I regret upgrading to Monterey - upgrading just breaks things that already worked completely fine. Now, I feel like I'm using a Microsoft Windows machine where everything is slightly dysfunctional and requiring the user to constantly search forum posts just to achieve basic operation - of utilities that ought to be as easy as flipping a light switch.

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Answer 6

silver_mica Author

Level 2

244 points

Dec 30, 2021 1:06 PM in response to Barney-15E

@Barney-15E - No. Time Machine had finished. But, I just could not eject the external hard drive. I had to force quit - which then gave warnings that it might damage the files on the drive. Yeah, well, if Monterey weren't acting like a Windows operating system then there'd be no issue.

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Answer 7

steve626

Level 6

10,397 points

Dec 30, 2021 1:42 PM in response to silver_mica

Time Machine often spends a few minutes doing some "clean up" after the copying of files is done. If you interrupted that by force ejecting it (it seems that you might have since it said the drive was still busy) then your backup might not be a sound one. Probably best to try restoring a few files from the Time Machine backup just to check that it works!

You went from Mojave to Monterey, which is a major change on several levels with many files changing, and that includes a restructuring of the internal drive (being backed up) where the system is now on a "sealed" volume and the user files are on a separate user-accessible volume. This may result in what appears to be a new complete backup for this first backup with the new architecture. Subsequent backups should be quick and small, just small incremental backups. But that first incremental backup might have been like a fresh new one due to the major changes performed to the internal drive between Mojave and Monterey.

I would check the integrity of your current backup and perform an incremental backup just to verify that it takes very little time as incremental backups should.

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Answer 8

tbirdvet

Level 6

13,893 points

Dec 24, 2021 4:39 PM in response to silver_mica

The back upon button is still there. First go to TM preference pane and be sure the "show TM in menu bar" is checked off. Then click the TM icon in the menu bar and select "back up now".

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