Deactivating firewall for Time Machine backup on MacBook Pro

What are the steps to deactivate the firewall so I can engage Time Machine backup. My 13" MacBook Pro is from 2016 and running Monterey Version 12.7.6


MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 12.7

Posted on Dec 15, 2025 4:19 PM

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Posted on Dec 15, 2025 4:28 PM

On macOS Monterey (including 2016 MacBooks), the firewall is under

System Preferences → network→ Firewall → Turn Off Firewall

You usually don’t need to disable the firewall for Time Machine.

If you’re backing up to a network drive, make sure file sharing is enabled and both devices are on the same network.


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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Dec 15, 2025 4:28 PM in response to jrbostonma

On macOS Monterey (including 2016 MacBooks), the firewall is under

System Preferences → network→ Firewall → Turn Off Firewall

You usually don’t need to disable the firewall for Time Machine.

If you’re backing up to a network drive, make sure file sharing is enabled and both devices are on the same network.


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Deactivating firewall for Time Machine backup on MacBook Pro

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