Data Backup Failure: 9 Reasons & Solutions 

Backups are essential as they protect your data in the event of human errors, power failure, or hardware malfunction. Not just that, they help you restore your files when your data is affected due to virus attacks or most tragic situations like natural disasters. 

Having a backup saves you time and money as you can easily save your important data after a data loss incident. But sometimes, you find it difficult to back up data and detect what is causing the problem. 

Let's discuss what causes data failure and the viable ways to prevent them. 

 

Resolve WiFi Error 

If you are using Time Machine to back up your Mac's data to external SSD or network storage, check if the WiFi is working properly. Also, you need to ensure that your Mac is running the latest versions of the operating system to avoid potential problems while backing up the data.

However, if the WiFi is not working, you won't be able to update the OS, and this might leave you wondering why won't my MacBook update. If that happens, reset your router and retry.

 

Check the Power Source 

When you Are backing up important data to iCloud, make sure the Mac, iPhone, or iPad is connected to the power outlet. Also, ensure that the power outlet is working properly and there's no power outage. 

iCloud backup may be stuck every few seconds, and you may notice a pause in regular intervals. Check if the charger is working appropriately or replace the cable, if possible. 

 

Sign Out of iCloud Account

When you are looking to backup data to iCloud, you will need to sign in to your account. If everything seems fine, refrain from interrupting the backup. However, if you notice interruptions or the backup is slow, sign out of your account and then sign in again.

Resume or restart the backup process as you see fit. Make sure that backup items are not repeated, as duplicate files will only consume space on storage media. 

 

Fix the Media Failure

The backup you create goes straight to the media files based on the nature and format of the data. If you are using another drive in your computer for storing the backup files, the chances are that the drive is damaged or corrupted. 

In case you are using a Cloud drive, check if you have sufficient space available to store files. Lack of space on a hard drive or Cloud drive can prevent successful data backup. 

 

Restart the Device

That's certainly one of the quickest and easiest ways of bringing the backup process to normal if it is not working smoothly on Mac. Stop the backup task and restart your Mac to check if there is any difference in the process. 

If you are creating a backup of iPhone files, stop the process and restart your phone. Now start the backup process and see if it is running appropriately on the phone. 

 

Fix Slow Backup 

Sometimes, the backup is running, but the process is comparatively slow. The sluggish backup process will be time-consuming, and you may end up interfering with the process by stopping it on your Mac or iPhone. 

If the backup process is slow, you might need to update your computer or phone. Check if any software updates are available and install them right away. 

 

Delete Incompatible App

Any third-party application that you might have downloaded recently must be interfering with the Time Machine backup process or the tool itself. Navigate to your macOS settings or visit the Activity Monitor to find apps that might be at fault. 

You can either delete or deactivate the app for now or remove it permanently from the computer to start the backup process. 

 

Check Router Functionality

In case you are not able to find your WiFi signals, resetting router settings can be helpful in fixing the problem. Network interruptions come in the way of the backup process, and ensuring smooth WiFi signals can be the best way to troubleshoot. 

Check if the router is working. If not, reset your router by turning it off and unplugging it from the power outlet. Wait for 20 seconds, plug in, and restart the device to check if it is fine. 

 

Check for Downtime 

Although it's rare, checking if the iCloud is working properly. Sometimes, there's nothing wrong with the Time Machine tool, WiFi connectivity, or external storage media, but the iCloud services might be unavailable.

In that case, there's nothing much you can do but wait for the iCloud server to resume its functional state. Once iCloud service is available, start the backup process. 

 

The Conclusion 

Creating a backup of your Mac storage is simple; all you need is to wait patiently for the process to accomplish successfully. The time that Mac's backup utility takes to backup your data to external storage depends on the volume of data you are looking to backup.