Trouble with TimeMachine using macOS GoldenGate

I'm actually posting this for anyone else who has the same problem with Time Machine that I did, so that they can learn what fixed it.

I have a brand-new Mac Studio 64 GB with a 4 TB internal drive, which I just got this week, which means my first OS on it was macOS Golden Gate 27.0. I was setting up my backup TimeMachine disk, which is an external HD, Western Digital D10 8TB drive. I formatted it using APFS, GUID with Disk Utility. I then used the TimeMachine menu under System Settings to Set Up the drive for use as a TimeMachine drive. Everything looked good until I tried my first backup. After clicking Start Backup on the TimeMachine settings menu, I got the usual "preparing for the backup" message for a few seconds. Then instantly, everything stopped. I got a notification message on my screen saying "BACKUP NOT COMPLETED Time Machine couldn't back up to "Backup1"".

I spent many hours over the next two days trying to search for answers. Reformatting drive repeatedly, trying First Aid from the Disk Utility, countless manipulations in the Terminal window based on search/reddit/AI suggestions. Nothing worked.

Finally, after using the Console app to record the log with one of the failed backups, and reviewing the log with the help of AI, it looked like iCloud's FileProvider was interrupting the Time Machine because it was hung up on trying to sync iCloud. I tried multiple permutations of turning iCloud on/off, signing out/in of iCloud. Finally, what helped my was removing the other two users from my Mac using the Users and Groups under System Settings. Apparently it was the iCloud on one of those accounts (my wife and son who virtually never use my computer); the User accounts were a holdover from a prior computer years ago, and were carried along with the data transfer from my old computer when Migration Assistant helped set up my new computer.

Moral of the story: look in other User Accounts for processes that were interfering with the backup.

Posted on Sep 26, 2026 2:33 AM

4 replies

PreCognition

Level 6 (12,236 points)

Sep 26, 2026 4:56 PM in response to MTHS1979

Thanks for posting the fix. One useful caution for anyone who finds this later: don’t delete another user account just as a troubleshooting step unless you’ve made sure anything needed from that account is backed up. macOS can delete that user’s home folder along with the account.

Apple also notes that cloud syncing can prevent Time Machine from completing a backup until syncing finishes, so checking iCloud or other cloud services is a good clue in this situation.

→ If you can't back up or restore your Mac using Time Machine - Apple Support

MacErgerJeNiet

Level 1 (8 points)

Oct 23, 2026 6:58 AM in response to MTHS1979

I had a similar issue; I used the TM backup from an older iMac to migrate to a Mac mini M6. The backup was on a Samsung T7 SSD drive. So far so good. After the migration I wanted to set the T7 as the backup destination for the new mini, but no matter what I tried (reformatting, updates, turning off all security), the backup failed. I ended up trying to backup on a WD hard drive (spinning), and that worked!

It could be the T7 has an issue, but that is as good as new, and used to work just fine on the older iMac... I suspect Golden Gate in combination with external SSD's as destination for TM.

MTHS1979 Author

Level 1 (10 points)

Sep 27, 2026 2:27 AM in response to PreCognition

@PreCognition

Very good points. In my case, the two other user accounts were virtually never used--I set them up for family, but they had their own computers and never needed to use mine. So I was able to get away with deleting User accounts, but for many people--probably most--the other User accounts not be able to be removed without consequences, if there are multiple people who need that computer.

UndertheMushrooms5

Level 1 (19 points)

Oct 31, 2026 9:14 PM in response to MTHS1979

I have been having a backup issue with Time Machine having just updated to Golden Gate. I have a new My Passport for Mac (not SSD) and have run Disk Utility on that, all fine. It is set up exactly as my previous My Passport and that was always fine. It's clearly not a disk hardware problem but a Mac issue.

I have no other users on my system so it's not the same problem as MTHS1979.

My backups are set to hourly yet are taking many, many hours, even if I have done barely any work on my Mac, and hardly changed any files. One day recently it took over 5 hours and had only backed up 23% and 55MB.

The initial back up to the disk was fine.

Originally posted at discussions.apple.com/thread/256365321