Make Time Machine back up less often so it stops slowing you down

Why it happens

Out of the box, Time Machine backs up automatically every hour. Each backup reads your changed files and writes them to the backup disk, which can make a busy Mac or a slow network disk feel sluggish for a few minutes. Backing up less often means fewer of those moments, but also that you could lose more recent work if something goes wrong.

How to fix it

1. Choose Apple menu > System Settings, click General in the sidebar, then click Time Machine.

2. Click Options… and open the Backup Frequency pop-up. Automatically Every Day is a good middle ground. Automatically Every Week or Manually cuts backups down further.

   General›Time Machine›Options…›Backup Frequency

3. Click Done. Time Machine now follows the new schedule.

4. If you picked Manually, remember to back up yourself. Click the Time Machine icon in the menu bar and choose Back Up Now, ideally at the end of each working day. No icon? Turn on Time Machine under Menu Bar Controls in Menu Bar settings.

Still not fixed?

1. On a MacBook, turn off Back up on battery power in the same Options panel. Backups then wait until you're plugged in.

   General›Time Machine›Options…›Back up on battery power

2. Leave out folders you don't need backed up, like a big downloads or video cache folder. In Options…, click the add button under Exclude from Backups and pick the folder.

   General›Time Machine›Options…

3. The very first backup is always long. Leave the Mac on power overnight so it can finish, and later backups get much shorter.

4. Plug the backup disk straight into the Mac rather than through a hub, and use a fast port. A slow disk or a busy Wi-Fi network makes every backup drag.

5. If even small daily backups take hours, or the Mac crawls whenever one runs, contact Apple Support. The backup disk may be failing and worth checking or replacing.