Nothing happens when I click the button. It should spawn a popup window, as shown below in a screenshot from an Apple Support article. Did this button recently die, or become a bug, in a recent macOS update? I'm running Big Sur 11.7.
Thanks!
iMac 27″, macOS 11.7
Hi bentStaple,
Thanks for clarifying that for us.
To help isolate this behavior further, we'd like to determine if the issue also happens in safe mode. This link explains how to use safe mode: How to use safe mode on your Mac
"Safe mode prevents your Mac from loading certain software as it starts up, including login items, system extensions not required by macOS, and fonts not installed by macOS. It also does a basic check of your startup disk, similar to using First Aid in Disk Utility. And it deletes some system caches, including font caches and the kernel cache, which are automatically created again as needed.
Safe mode is particularly useful when you're trying to resolve an issue that doesn't seem to be associated with using any particular app. As always, keeping your software up to date is the first step toward resolving any software issue."
How to use safe mode
Determine whether you're using a Mac with Apple silicon, then follow the appropriate steps:
Apple silicon
1. Shut down your Mac.
2. Turn on your Mac and continue to press and hold the power button until you see the startup options window.
3. Select your startup disk, then press and hold the Shift key while clicking “Continue in Safe Mode.”
4. Log in to your Mac. You might be asked to log in again.
Intel processor
1. Turn on or restart your Mac, then immediately press and hold the Shift key as your Mac starts up.
2. Release the key when you see the login window, then log in to your Mac.
3. You might be asked to log in again. On either the first or second login window, you should see ”Safe Boot” in the upper-right corner of the window.
Thanks!
Hi bentStaple,
Thanks for clarifying that for us.
To help isolate this behavior further, we'd like to determine if the issue also happens in safe mode. This link explains how to use safe mode: How to use safe mode on your Mac
"Safe mode prevents your Mac from loading certain software as it starts up, including login items, system extensions not required by macOS, and fonts not installed by macOS. It also does a basic check of your startup disk, similar to using First Aid in Disk Utility. And it deletes some system caches, including font caches and the kernel cache, which are automatically created again as needed.
Safe mode is particularly useful when you're trying to resolve an issue that doesn't seem to be associated with using any particular app. As always, keeping your software up to date is the first step toward resolving any software issue."
How to use safe mode
Determine whether you're using a Mac with Apple silicon, then follow the appropriate steps:
Apple silicon
1. Shut down your Mac.
2. Turn on your Mac and continue to press and hold the power button until you see the startup options window.
3. Select your startup disk, then press and hold the Shift key while clicking “Continue in Safe Mode.”
4. Log in to your Mac. You might be asked to log in again.
Intel processor
1. Turn on or restart your Mac, then immediately press and hold the Shift key as your Mac starts up.
2. Release the key when you see the login window, then log in to your Mac.
3. You might be asked to log in again. On either the first or second login window, you should see ”Safe Boot” in the upper-right corner of the window.
Thanks!
bentStaple,
Thank you for reaching out to Apple Support Communities.
It is expected for your device to run a little bit slower while in safe mode.
It seems you are running an older macOS version as well. Let's back up your Mac and update:
"Use Software Update
Before following these steps, it's a good idea to back up your Mac.
2.Software Update then checks for new software.
More details can be found here: Update macOS on Mac
Once you update, test to see if the issue persists.
Cheers!
I reached out to Apple and they didn't have an answer. The promised to get back with me, after they checked with some higher-ups, but that was days ago.
I did try going in under the "Guest account", and with the iPad connected the button actually produced a popup window when I clicked on it.
So this feature does indeed work on my iMac, just not with my user login. How to fix that?
Thank you.
Hello bentStaple,
Reach out to Apple Support to investigate this further with you.
Thanks.
Hi bentStaple,
To clarify do you manually backup your iPad to your Mac? That button may be greyed out if there are no backups on the Mac to manage. See more info here:
"Back up with the Finder
"
Let us know, and we'll continue from there.
Cheers!
Hello bentStaple,
It sounds like you've isolated the issue down to being user specific.
In this case, you'll want to reconnect with Apple Support to provide these results: Contact Apple Support
They'll need to take it from here.
Take care.
Yes, I do a weekly backup of my iPad onto my iMac. And the button isn't actually grayed out on my computer, that was just a screenshot that I found online and modified it slightly for this post. I can click the button, but nothing happens. And it does show that my most recent backup was just a few days ago.
Now what?
I went into safe mode and everything was running really slow, including the mouse pointer. I also was unable to get the iPad to appear on the left side of the Finder. Are both of these things considered normal during safe mode? If so, how can I ever test the "Manage Backups" button if the iPad won't show up at all?
Thanks!
I can't upgrade beyond 11.7.4 of Big Sur, as my iMac was made in 2014. But if the button is showing, it should work when clicked, right?
Why "Manage Backups" button in Finder is not working for a connected iPad?
