Time Machine very slow encrypting after backup

I'm using Time Machine with an external USB 3 HD. I'm doing an incremental backup right now with very small changes since the last backup. I'm new to using Time Machine, but pretty sure that the encryption process is taking WAY too long. I've been eyeballing it and just to go from Encrypting Backup Disk ... 8% complete to 10% complete has taken more than 5 minutes. Perhaps even 10.

Is the encryption process supposed to be a very slow process with Time Machine? The backup is only around 48GB.

MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch,Early 2015), macOS Sierra (10.12.2)

Posted on Jan 3, 2017 9:42 AM

17 replies

mdri982

Level 1

9 points

Aug 28, 2017 8:47 AM in response to Scott F.

Using macos 10.12.6, my first backup using Time Machine to a new USB3 rive took one hour to back up about 80G. I realized I wanted to use encryption and started over. The same backup with encryption took over four hours. I don't recognize any extra CPU time in Activity Monitor related to this.

I don't mind the extra time as long as I can confirm this is expected with some detail from Apple about why encrypted backups take many times longer than uncrypted.

Dec 1, 2017 11:44 AM in response to Scott F.

Hello I got a slightly different question. I am still after my first backup. The first one took ages. I understand it should take 12 to 27 hours according to comments.

Mine mysteriously didnt go through though reaching end. I guess because there was no more power.

So i ve done 2 things to try and boost speed.

Now it is so far 3 gb per hour and there are 323 gb. It is like 4 days!

The other thing to speed this **** is to type in a code. Been going for 20 days tje shole appls **** up which all originated from slow computer. I did shut down from safe mode.

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Time Machine very slow encrypting after backup