Time Machine slow

Question

Time Machine slow

My Time Machine backups are ridiculously slow! (Everything else is working fine.) It takes 2-3 hours for my internal drive (using 350GB), even if I run another backup right after (nothing seemingly changed!). This still takes 30-60 minutes.

I'm trying to figure out what files are causing the delay. Is there a way to see specific file details during the backup process?

I'm tempted by BackupLoupe (https://sites.fastspring.com/somazone/product) for its detailed logging, but £17.10 feels steep for a one-time use. Are there any free alternatives or built-in methods I can try before spending?

In case it helps:

EtreCheckPro report

MacBook Pro 16″

Posted on Jan 3, 2024 7:52 AM

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Answer 1

CT

Level 7

24,239 points

Jan 3, 2024 9:58 AM in response to The_Knowledge_Seeker

I had the same problem upon upgrading to Sonoma. I replaced the mechanical HDD, (formatted with HFS+) I was using for Time Machine with a SSD (formatted with APFS) and performance returned to normal.

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Answer 2

Barney-15E

Level 10

122,222 points

Jan 3, 2024 1:39 PM in response to The_Knowledge_Seeker

You have a ton of system modifications installed. I don’t know if any would cause the problem you are seeing, but you can startup in Safe Mode to disable them. Then see if a backup works normally. I have no idea if it will also disable Time Machine.

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Answer 3

tbirdvet

Level 6

17,108 points

Jan 3, 2024 2:15 PM in response to The_Knowledge_Seeker

What I have for my MBA is an SSD in my own enclosure that I use as the TM backup. It is small and faster than my desktop mechanical drive I use on my iMac. Now if you want a real fast drive then use and NVME M.2 in a TB enclosure but that may be over kill for most users.

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Answer 4

Jan 3, 2024 12:05 PM in response to CT

Yes, I can see why installing an SSD formatted with APFS would speed things up! Only downside is the (probably unnecessary) expense of buying it and paying to have it installed.

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Answer 5

tbirdvet

Level 6

17,108 points

Jan 3, 2024 11:01 AM in response to The_Knowledge_Seeker

I see similar with Sonoma. Just let it run in the background. It will finish sooner or later. The real test is how is it when using to restore a file (slow or normal). Mine is normal.

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Answer 6

Jan 3, 2024 12:07 PM in response to tbirdvet

My issue is that it's on a MacBook Pro which is often moved around from room to room and it's not easy to leave the Time Machine drive hanging off it!

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