Remove the backup disk from your Mac, then re-plug it to your Mac.Īlso, make sure the backup disk is turned on with the power source available. If your Time Machine backup disk is a physical external hard drive, it is possible that the backup disk is disconnected so that your Mac is unable to connect to the backup disk.
Solution 3: Reconnect your backup disk to Mac And you will be required to enter the passcode of your Mac twice to confirm the change.Īfter the permission change is made, go back to Time Machine and see if you can enter your backup now. This changes the group permissions so that the admin group on your Mac can access the Time Machine backup folder. Next, enter the command line: sudo chgrp admin Backups.backupdb. This takes you to the Time Machine disk that your Mac can't connect to.) (Replace TimeMachineDriveName with the actual name of your Time Machine disk after /Volumes/. Now, open the Terminal application on your Mac.Įnter the command line: cd /Volumes/TimeMachineDriveName. It is quite easy to grant permission to access the Time machine backup and enable your Mac to reconnect to the Time Machine backup disk. If you see a red stop sign in the Backups.backupdb folder and can't open the folder, you don't have the permission to access the backup folder. You can check if there is a permission problem with your Time Machine by opening the Time Machine disk in Finder and going to Time Machine Backup > Backups.backupdb folder. Lack of permission to the backup database folder is the NO.1 reason why your Mac can't connect to a Time Machine backup disk. Solution 2: Grant permissions to access the Time Machine backup
If you are unable to see the backup disk in the listing, it is possible that the disk is turned off, disconnected, or defective. You should see your backup disk under the Device section. In the Dock, click on the Finder option to open a Finder window. Solution 1: Check the Time Machine backup disk in Finder If your backup disk is connected to another computer, make sure the computer isn't in sleep.If you are using Time Capsule, Time Capsule could be the culprit.If the backup disk is a network disk, your Mac can't connect the backup disk because of network disconnection.If your backup disk is directly connected to the Mac, there could be a connection issue between the disk and your Mac.Your Mac doesn't have the permission to access the Time Machine backup database folder.Here are the reasons why your Mac can't connect to the current Time Machine backup disk. Why Can't Your Mac Connect to a Current Time Machine Backup Disk? Solution 6: Restore lost files without Time Machine.Solution 5: Verify backups for a network disk.Solution 4: Reselect your backup disk in Time Machine preferences.Solution 3: Reconnect your backup disk to Mac.Solution 2: Grant permissions to access the Time Machine backup.Solution 1: Check the Time Machine backup disk in Finder.Why Can't Your Mac Connect to a Current Time Machine Backup Disk?.