--- title: "A backup didn't run" url: https://storagestudio.us/wiki/a-backup-didnt-run category: "Troubleshooting" tags: ["troubleshooting", "backups"] summary: "When a backup set didn't run, its card in Data Backup says why — usually a condition you set, such as only on power or outside working hours, a destination that isn't connected, or a passphrase it needs. Back up now always starts one straight away." updated: 2026-10-01T05:41:27.000Z --- # A backup didn't run When a backup set didn't run, its card in Data Backup says why — usually a condition you set, such as only on power or outside working hours, a destination that isn't connected, or a passphrase it needs. Back up now always starts one straight away. When a backup didn't run, the set's card in **Data Backup** says why in a sentence. Most often it's waiting on purpose — for power, for Wi-Fi, for your working hours to end, or for the destination drive to be connected — or it needs a passphrase from you. **Back up now** starts a backup straight away whatever the conditions, so it's also the quickest test. ## What you might see on the card | Status or message | What it means | | --- | --- | | Waiting for power — you asked for backups to run only when plugged in. | Plug your Mac in, or change the condition. | | Waiting for Wi-Fi — you asked for backups to stay off hotspots. | You're on a personal hotspot. It runs once you're back on Wi-Fi. | | Waiting until … — you asked for backups to stay out of these hours. | It's inside the hours you set aside. | | Paused while your Mac is busy — … It picks up where it left off on its own. | Storage Studio stepped aside while you needed the Mac. | | Waiting for a faster connection — the upload to … is running at about …, which is too slow to finish a backup. | Automatic cloud backups wait for a better connection. **Back up now** still works. | | Set a backup passphrase for “…” before its first cloud backup. | Click **Set passphrase…**. | | That backup passphrase didn't match. | Click **Re-enter passphrase…**. Automatic runs stop trying until you do. | | Couldn't reach the backup destination … Connect the drive or check your network. | The drive isn't connected, or the network is down. | | The last backup didn't finish — Storage Studio closed while it was running. | It picks up where it left off; use **Back up now** when you're ready. | | Not backed up | It hasn't run yet — check it has folders to back up and a trigger. | ## Likely causes - **A condition you set is holding it** — **The Mac is plugged in**, **Not on a personal hotspot**, or **Stay out of my working hours**. - **The trigger is Only when I ask** — "Nothing happens until you press Back up now." - **The destination isn't there.** For an automatic run, an unreachable drive doesn't turn the card red; it waits quietly and tries again once the drive is back. - **A passphrase is missing or wrong.** - **The Mac was asleep or Storage Studio wasn't running** at the scheduled time. ```mermaid %% caption: Why a backup set might not have run flowchart TD A[Backup didn't run] --> B[Open Data Backup and read the set's card] B --> C{What does it say?} C -->|Waiting for power, Wi-Fi or hours| D[Wait, or change Only when] C -->|Passphrase| E[Set or re-enter the passphrase] C -->|Couldn't reach the destination| F[Connect the drive or check the network] C -->|Not backed up| G[Check its folders and trigger] D --> H[Click Back up now to run it straight away] E --> H F --> H G --> H ``` *Flowchart — Why a backup set might not have run. Outline:* - Backup didn't run - leads to Open Data Backup and read the set's card - Open Data Backup and read the set's card - leads to What does it say? - What does it say? - Waiting for power, Wi-Fi or hours: leads to Wait, or change Only when - Passphrase: leads to Set or re-enter the passphrase - Couldn't reach the destination: leads to Connect the drive or check the network - Not backed up: leads to Check its folders and trigger - Wait, or change Only when - leads to Click Back up now to run it straight away - Set or re-enter the passphrase - leads to Click Back up now to run it straight away - Connect the drive or check the network - leads to Click Back up now to run it straight away - Check its folders and trigger - leads to Click Back up now to run it straight away ## How to fix it 1. Open **Data Backup (Versioned)…** from the **More** menu and find the set. 2. Read the sentence on its card and act on it — plug in, connect the drive, or enter the passphrase. 3. Click **Change…** to review **When to back up** and its **Only when** conditions if they no longer suit you. 4. Click **Back up now** to run it straight away. A manual backup ignores the power, hotspot and working-hours conditions. ## Good to know - **Missed times don't pile up.** If your Mac was asleep at one or more scheduled times, they're combined into a single backup when it can next run, rather than several back to back. - **Battery.** While a backup runs, Storage Studio keeps the Mac awake if it's plugged in or the battery is above 30%. Below that, it lets the Mac sleep and the backup carries on later from where it stopped. With the lid closed on battery, macOS sleeps regardless. See also: [Data Backup](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/data-backup) · [Backup schedules and triggers](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/backup-schedules) · [What backup messages mean](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/backup-messages) · [The backup passphrase](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/the-backup-passphrase) · [Backup speed, battery and the network](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/backup-speed-and-power) · [Something's not working: start here](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/troubleshooting-start-here) - **Can I move my iPhone backups to an external drive on a Mac?** Yes. Finder has no setting for where it keeps iPhone and iPad backups, but Storage Studio can move them to your external drive from What's Using Space: it copies them, checks every file arrived, and only then frees the space on your Mac. Finder keeps backing up to the drive afterwards, so keep… (https://storagestudio.us/faq) - **What is purgeable space on a Mac and how do I clear it?** Purgeable space is storage macOS is holding — old snapshots, cached cloud files, optimised media — that it frees automatically when you need room, which is why "free" space can look smaller than expected. Storage Studio reclaims a lot of it on demand instead of making you wait. (https://storagestudio.us/faq) - **How do I reclaim space from local Time Machine snapshots on a Mac?** macOS keeps point-in-time APFS local snapshots so Time Machine can restore even when your backup drive is away — useful, but they can hold a lot of space. Storage Studio lists every snapshot, shows which are already safely backed up, and reclaims the space you choose in one click. (https://storagestudio.us/faq) ## What links here - [Backup schedules and triggers](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/backup-schedules) - [Something's not working: start here](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/troubleshooting-start-here) - [The drive was unplugged during a move](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/drive-unplugged-during-a-move) - [What backup messages mean](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/backup-messages) - [When an account needs signing in again](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/when-an-account-needs-signing-in-again)