You can add it to the Privacy tab under Spotlight preference to prevent Spotlight from indexing Time Machine backup volume. Spotlight can interrupt the Time Machine preparation process if it indexes the Time Machine backup volume. Prevent Spotlight from Indexing Time Machine Backup backup' folder, use 'List View' and 'Date Modified', or search the '.inProgress' to find the file.
When Time Machine gets stuck, you can trash the Time Machine placeholder file, finding and removing the. When the progress bar disappears and it no longer says 'preparing backup', it means that you have successfully stopped the currently failed Time Machine backup attempt.
Go to the Apple menu, click 'System Preference' and select 'Time Machine'.Stop the Stuck Time Machine with 'Preparing Backup' Attempt Or, if you lost files after fixing stuck Time Machine, follow steps in Phrase 2 to recover lost files with Mac data recovery software. So make sure that you back up Mac before you take any action. Tip Note that the following steps may cause file loss on your Mac.
