Stellar Logo
  • For Individuals
    Back to main menu

    For Individual

    • Windows Data Recovery

      Recovers lost or deleted Office documents, emails, presentations & multimedia files.

      • Free
      • Standard
      • Professional
      • Premium
    • Mac Data Recovery

      Recovers deleted files, photos, videos etc. on Mac.

      • Free
      • Standard
      • Professional
      • Premium
    • Photo Recovery

      Recover photos, videos, & audio files from all cameras and storage on Windows or Mac.

      • Standard
      • Professional
      • Premium
    • iPhone Data Recovery

      Recover deleted photos, videos, contacts, messages etc. directly from iPhone & iPad.

      • Recover
      • Erase
      • Toolkit
    • Video Repair

      Repair multiple corrupt videos in one go. Supports MP4, MOV & other formats.

      • Standard
      • Premium
    • Photo Repair

      Repair multiple corrupt photos in one go. Supports JPEG & other formats.

      • Standard
      • Professional
      • Premium
  • For Business
    Back to main menu

    For Business

    • Email Repair
      • Exchange Repair Repair corrupt EDB file & export mailboxes to Live Exchange or Office 365
      • Outlook PST Repair Repair corrupt PST & recover all mailbox items including deleted emails & contacts
      • OLM Repair Repair Outlook for Mac (OLM) 2011 & 2016 backup files & recover all mailbox items
      • Exchange Toolkit Repair EDB & Exchange backup file to restore mailboxes, convert OST to PST, & convert EDB to PST
      • Active Directory Repair Repair corrupt Active Directory database (Ntds.dit file) & extract all objects in original form
    • Email Converter
      • EDB to PST Convert online & offline EDB file & extract all mailbox items including Public Folders in PST
      • OST to PST Convert inaccessible OST file & extract all mailbox items including deleted emails in PST
      • NSF to PSTConvert IBM Notes NSF file & export all mailbox items including emails & attachments to PST
      • MBOX to PSTConvert MBOX file of Thunderbird, Entourage & other clients, & export mailbox data to PST
      • OLM to PST Convert Outlook for Mac Data File (OLM) & export all mailbox data to PST in original form
      • GroupWise to PST Convert GroupWise mail & export all mailbox items - emails, attachments, etc. - to PST
      • EML to PSTConvert Windows Live Mail (EML) file & export mailbox data - emails, attachments, etc. - to PST
      • Office 365 to PSTConnect to Office 365 account & export mailbox data to PST and various other formats
      • Migrator for Office 365Quickly migrate Outlook data files(OST/PST) directly to Office 365 or Live Exchange
    • File Repair
      • SQL Repair Repair corrupt .mdf & .ndf files and recover all database components in original form
      • Access RepairRepair corrupt .ACCDB and .MDB files & recover all records & objects in a new database
      • QuickBooks RepairRepair corrupt QuickBooks® data file & recover all file components in original form
      • MySQL RepairRepair MyISAM & InnoDB tables and recover all objects - keys, views, tables, triggers, etc.
      • Excel RepairRepair corrupt Excel (.XLS & .XLSX) files and recover tables, charts, chart sheet, etc.
      • BKF RepairRepair corrupt backup (BKF, ZIP, VHDX and .FD) files and restore complete data
      • Database ConverterInterconvert MS SQL, MySQL, SQLite, and SQL Anywhere database files
      • PowerPoint RepairRepair corrupt PPT files and restore tables, header, footer, & charts, etc. like new
      • File Repair ToolkitRepair corrupt Excel, PowerPoint, Word & PDF files & restore data to original form
    • Data Recovery & Erasure
      • Data RecoveryRecover lost or deleted data from HDD, SSD, external USB drive, RAID & more.
      • Tape Data RecoveryRetrives data from all types and capacities of tape drives including LTO 1, LTO 2, LTO 3, & others.
      • Virtual Machine RecoveryRecover documents, multimedia files, and database files from any virtual machine
      • File ErasurePermanently wipe files and folders, and erase traces of apps and Internet activity.
      • Mobile ErasureCertified and permanent data erasure software for iPhones, iPads, & Android devices
      • Drive ErasureCertified and permanent data erasure software for HDD, SSD, & other storage media
    • Toolkit
      • Exchange Toolkit5-in-1 software toolkit to recover Exchange database, convert EDB to PST, convert OST to PST, restore Exchange backup, and reset Windows Server password.
      • Outlook ToolkitComprehensive software suite to repair PST files, merge PST files, eliminate duplicate emails, compact PST files, and recover lost or forgotten Outlook passwords.
      • File Repair ToolkitPowerful file repair utility to fix corrupt Word, PowerPoint, and Excel documents created in Microsoft Office. It also repairs corrupt PDF files and recovers all objects.
      • MS SQL Toolkit5-in-1 software toolkit to repair corrupt SQL database, restore database from corrupt backup, reset database password, analyze SQL logs, & interconvert databases.
      • Data Recovery ToolkitSoftware helps to recovers deleted data from Windows, Mac and Linux storage devices. Also supports recovery from RAIDs & Virtual Drives.
    • Forensic
      • Email ForensicAdvanced email forensic solution for cyber experts to audit, analyze, or investigate emails & gather evidences.
      • Log Analyzer for MySQLAnalyze forensic details of MySQL server database log files such as Redo, General Query, and Binary Log.
      • Exchange AuditorExchange Server monitoring solution to automate audits, scans and generate reports ìn real-time.
      • Log Analyzer for MS SQLTrack & analyze MS SQL Server database transactions log files.
  • Our Partners
  • Lab Services
  • Support
  • About

Trending Searches

Data Recovery

Photo Recovery

Video Repair

iPhone Data Recovery

File Erasure Software

Exchange Repair

OST to PST

PST Repair

Raid Recovery

MS SQL Repair

Free Mac Data Recovery 6 minute read

Time Machine can’t complete backup on WD My Book

Vishal
Written By
Vishal
Rohit Arora
Approved By
Rohit Arora
stellar calander
Updated on
March 1st, 2023

Summary: On Mac, the Time Machine is the preferred choice for backups, but many people face errors like “Time Machine not backing up”. The primary cause of this error could be an incompatible file system on the WD My Book device or unwanted utility programs interfering with the backup process. Thankfully, a few manual fixes can help eliminate the problem on WD My book. So, let’s see the solutions.

Contents

  • How to fix “Time Machine cannot backup” error?
  • Data Recovery on WD My Book
  • Conclusion

In macOS, the Time Machine utility is the most significant and frequently used backup method. Mac users utilize it to create restore points for their systems on an externally linked hard drive such as My Book, an Airport Time Capsule, or a cloud server. However, several Apple users have noted that after updating to macOS Mojave or higher, the Time Machine is often unable to complete backup. If this happens, you can face the threat of data loss since you won’t have a backup to restore from in case your system fails.  

Time Machine Backup

Before you get disheartened, you should know about a few simple ways to resume creating backups with Time Machine on WD My Book and other external drives. Read on to discover a few such easy tips and tricks.

How to fix “Time Machine cannot backup” error?

As mentioned earlier, after applying updates for macOS, users often face errors like Time Machine not backing up files. If you are witnessing the same issue, here’s how you can address it.

1. Quit Background Apps

Does your Mac often run slow, or have you recently installed an app that has caused your Mac to become sluggish? If yes, you need to quit such memory-hogging apps to allow Time Machine to run smoothly. Check your Mac’s Activity Monitor to identify such heavy apps running in the background and quit them if not needed.

Activity Monitor

2. De-clutter your Mac and WD My Book

The Time Machine backup on WD My Book may also fail due to junk files on the Mac hard drive. Such unnecessary files can prevent the backup process from a smooth operation since the Time Machine can run out of space during backup creation. Though the Time Machine can optimize itself by removing the oldest backup from WD My Book device, as a good practice, make sure you de-clutter your Mac and WD My Book from time to time to give Time Machine the space it needs. See the below figure:

Time Machine

Some tips to Clean your Mac

  • Trash junk, unwanted files, and folders from Mac storage drive.
  • Uninstall any third-party application which behaves suspiciously.
  • Remove junk system files or temporary files from Mac SSD.

Next, turn off the Time Machine application from the System Preferences. Then navigate to the WD My Book device and delete InProgress folder. If you’re facing any challenge while cleaning up your Mac, you can browse 7 Fantastic Software to Clean Up your Mac.

3. Advanced Option: Uninstall the WD Utilities Program

When you purchase a WD product, you get prompted to install the WD Drive Utilities program on your Mac the very first time you connect the product to it. While the program is generally quite helpful to install, control, and troubleshoot the product, if you install its corrupted copy, it can disrupt the functioning of processes that involve the use of the product. In this case, this scenario applies to Time Machine backups that you wish to take on your WD My Book.

To overcome the “Time Machine not backing up” error, try uninstalling the WD Drive Utilities program. Also delete any temporary files this program might have created. Here are the steps you can use:

  • Go to Finder >Library > Launch Demons. 
  • In this folder, navigate to com.WDPrivilegedHelper.plist. This will open the WD Drive Utilities helper window
  • From SystemPreferences >Users&Groups >LoginItems, remove the preference of WDDriveUtilityHelper (this runs the helper program when a user logs in).

Once you’ve removed this program, your Time Machine backup should progress smoothly.

4. Examine the WD My Book Filesystem

We hope that the #3 solution might have resolved your problem since the suggested method works in most cases. Now coming to the problem where the user is unable to determine the “Time Machine not backing up” files issue on a new WD My Book device.

Most external hard drives come pre-formatted with default file systems like FAT32, exFAT, or NTFS. In the case of WD My Book for Mac, there are high chances your drive might be formatted with HFS+J file system. Though it shouldn’t be, in some rare conditions, this file system may be incompatible with your Mac’s built-in Time Machine utility.

Therefore, before you start backing up data with Time Machine, it’s advisable to format the WD My Book with a compatible file system. You should ideally format it in the same way as a Mac startup disc, which is APFS or Mac OS Extended (Journaled).

Here are the steps you can use to format the WD My Book:

  • To obtain the file system information of the hard drive, plug it in to your Mac and then open Finder and choose the hard drive from the left sidebar. You may also use the shortcut “Command + I” for this. Check if the format of the file system is Mac OS Extended (Journaled) or APFS.
WD MyBook
  • If not, format the drive with Disk Utility. Go to Applications >Utilities > Disk Utility. Select WD My Book and the “Erase” button located on the top of the window and click it. In the dialog-box that appears, select APFS and then click on “Erase” (this will erase any data that’s already present on the drive).
Disk utility

Note: Before performing the disk erasure action, make sure you don’t have important backup files on WD My Book. And, if you have come across data loss event on your Mac or WD My Book, then refer to our WD My Book data recovery section.

  • Set-up the Time Machine on WD My Book with the help of Time Machine application > System Preferences. Once set-up is completed, allow the Time Machine to perform its first backup. If the Time Machine is unable to perform the backup, go to Solution #2, i.e., removing the .inProgress files from the backup device.

Watch a video on How to Set up Time Machine on macOS & Restore Data

Data Recovery on WD My Book

If you face data loss due to accidental disk formatting or Time Machine drive not mounting, you could face the danger of losing your precious files permanently. However, restoring lost or deleted files from Mac or WD My Book isn’t a challenging task for sure. Also, the solution is either free or pocket-friendly.

You can get all your lost files back with Stellar Data Recovery Free Edition for Mac software. Stellar is a data retrieval solution for lost or deleted files on Mac. The program is simple to use and comes with a robust list of features to help you combat loss of data in a variety of scenarios and across a wide variety of storage devices. As such, you can comfortably use it to retrieve lost files in case Time Machine is unable to complete backup on your WD My Book.

This is how you can get started with the data recovery process:

  • Download Stellar Data Recovery Free Edition for Mac from the official website and install it using the proprietary Setup Wizard. The free version will give you access to a demo of the software, which will let you scan and preview recoverable files from your external hard drive.
Download Button
  • Once you’ve installed the software on your Mac, launch it to see an intuitive interface.
  • From the software’s home screen, select the kind of files you wish to recover and click on “Next.”
Select What to Recover
  • Now, select the external drive that you wish to recover from. Toggle the “DeepScan” button for better results. Click on “Next”
Select Location
  • Once the scan completes, from the tree-view of recoverable files, click on any file to preview it before saving to a destination folder of choice. We recommend saving the files to a location that’s different from the location that you’re recovering from.
Preview
People also ask

1. How to resolve No Time Machine Backup Found Issue
2. How to resolve No Time Machine Backup Found Issue
3. Recover Deleted Mac Data without Time Machine Backup

Conclusion

Time Machine, Apple’s proprietary application for backups, is present in all Apple laptops and desktops. Though it generally works well, sometimes Time Machine cannot backup to an external drive. Nonetheless, there are hacks and tips to get Time Machine up and running. In case you’re unable to get Time Machine to back up your critical files and perchance you lose your data, it’s highly advisable to go with a data recovery solution, such as Stellar Mac Data Recovery to restore all lost files.

About The Author

Vishal

Vishal is a data recovery expert @Stellar. He addresses data loss scenarios on a Mac. He intends to help people solve their macOS problems. Besides, Vishal prefers to read about astronomy and autobiography, and his favorite is Steve Jobs - The man who thought different written by Karen Bluementhal.

Best Selling Products

Stellar Data Recovery Professional for Windows

Stellar Data Recovery Professional for Windows

Stellar Data Recovery has the right Windows Recovery tool for all your data recovery

Read More
Stellar Data Recovery Professional for Mac

Stellar Data Recovery Professional for Mac

Stellar Data Recovery for Mac program performs safe..

 

Read More
Stellar Photo Recovery

Stellar Photo Recovery

A comprehensive photo recovery software to restore photos, music & video files

 

Read More
Stellar Repair for Video

Stellar Repair for Video

Powerful video repair tool for repairing corrupt or damaged MOV and other video files

 

Read More

4 comments

  1. Rennie says:
    April 29, 2022 at 9:12 am

    It really helped me to fix my WD portable drive which was not taking the backups. Everytime I try to backup my mac it says time machine can’t complete backup. Thanks for the posting such informative content!

    Reply
    1. Vishal says:
      April 29, 2022 at 10:25 am

      Appreciate your kind words, Rennie!

      Reply
  2. Jimmy says:
    January 24, 2022 at 3:34 am

    Hi,

    I have a Seagate external drive and want to know if I can use my Seagate drive as a Time Machine drive for my mac system?? I hope that will function similarly to the WD drive. Please suggest!

    Reply
    1. Vishal says:
      January 25, 2022 at 9:13 am

      Hi Jimmy,

      Yes, you can use any external drive as a Time Machine on your mac system.

      Reply

Leave a comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Image Captcha
Refresh Image Captcha

Enter Captcha Here :

Table of Contents    arrow

  1. How to fix “Time Machine cannot backup” error?
  2. Data Recovery on WD My Book
  3. Conclusion

Categories

offer banner

Related Posts

related post
Free Mac Data Recovery

How to Safeguard From macOS App Sandbox Vulnerability

Stellar Author Ratnesh Kumar July 26, 2022 Read More
related post
Free Mac Data Recovery

New MacBook is Crashing during YouTube 4K HDR Video Playback

Stellar Author Ashutosh Kumar November 25, 2021 Read More
related post
Free Mac Data Recovery

macOS Monterey Update: Recent Problems And Fixes

Stellar Author Ashutosh Kumar November 18, 2021 Read More

Free Trial for 60 Days

Technology You Can Trust A Brand Present Across The Globe

  • tuv1
  • tuv2
  • Nist
  • hipa

Stellar Official Website

Stellar Data Recovery Inc.
48 Bridge Street Metuchen,
New Jersey 08840,
United States

ALSO AVAILABLE AT

ALSO AVAILABLE AT

About

  • About us
  • Career
  • ISMS Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • License Policy
  • Refund Policy
  • End User License Agreement

RESOURCES

  • Blog
  • Articles
  • Product Videos
  • Knowledge Base
  • Case Studies
  • Whitepapers
  • Software Catalog

NEWS & EVENTS

  • News
  • Events

PARTNERS

  • Affiliates
  • Resellers
  • Distributors

Useful Links

  • Contact Us
  • Support
  • Special Offers
  • Student Discounts
  • Awards & Reviews
  • Downloads
  • Store
  • Sitemap

Stellar & Stellar Data Recovery are Registered Trademarks of Stellar Information Technology Pvt. Ltd. © Copyright 2023 Stellar Information Technology Pvt. Ltd. All Trademarks Acknowledged.

Follow Us Facebook Twitter Linkedin Youtube

  • Notron
  • dcma

This website uses cookies in order to provide you with the best possible experience and to monitor and improve the performance of the site in accordance with our cookie policy. You can reject cookies at any time in your browser settings.

cookies-cross
Got it