Cannot erase or reformat due to Time Machine inProgress files.

I have an external LaCie disk with two TimeMachine inProgress files which won't erase and I can't reformat the disk either as it won't unmount. Any ideas on how I can reformat this external disk? I'm running Mojave on a Macbook Pro.

Posted on Oct 9, 2022 3:00 AM

Similar questions

Time Machine USB Hard Drive (Seagate GoFlex) Not Accessible on M2 MacBook Air Hi Folks, I recently upgraded my aging Intel MacBook Pro to lovely new M2 MacBook Pro. While most aspects of the migration has gone well, something that has not gone well is using my Time Machine drive on the new laptop. The drive is a Seagate GoFlex. My problem is that this hard drive is completely inaccessible on the new laptop. By this I mean: The drive does not appear in the Finder The drive does not appear in Disk Utility The drive does not appear in the Terminal diskutil list command I am able to connect other external hard drives. I am also able to connect this hard drive to a Dell laptop running Windows 11 and I can see it in the Disk Management app, although it cannot read it since I'm pretty sure it is formatted as APFS. I'm largely sure this issue is due either to MacOS Ventura, or using Apple Silicon, as the drive was working fine with the old Intel MacBook Pro that was running MacOS Big Sur. Has anyone else encountered a similar issue that they were able to fix? If not and no other options are available, does anyone know how I can at least reformat the drive so I can continue to use it? It looks like I should be able to format the drive using the Dell but that surely can't be the only solution, can it? Cheers in advance for any suggestions.
1658 3
Could Not Mount Time Machine External Drive (APFS) I erased my internal ssd in a Mac OS Extended format but my backup ssd (time Machine ssd) is in a APFS format. MacBook Pro 2017 Touch Bar How can i recover my system back if possible or reformat the internal drive from Mac OS Extended to APFS format ?
690 1
How do I use Time Machine using the internal hard drive on my Mac? I don’t have the ability to get an external hard drive. When I tried it tells me that APFS or whatever it’s called is corrupted and to repair start up volume from recovery mode to run first aid. I’m in recovery mode and idk what I’m doing. I’m not very good at all this stuff. I need layman’s terms please.
1202 5

1 reply

BDAqua

Level 10

250,229 points

Oct 9, 2022 6:21 AM in response to Teslagirl

Hi, Start with this...

Safe Boot, (holding Shift key down at startup), does the problem occur in Safe Mode? Could take 10 minutes or more.

Safe mode attempts to repair Disks & clears lots of caches & loads safe Drivers, & prevents loading of 3rd party extensions, so if Safe Mode works try again in regular boot.

This thread has been closed by the system or the community team. You may vote for any posts you find helpful, or search the Community for additional answers.

Cannot erase or reformat due to Time Machine inProgress files.

Welcome to Apple Support Community

A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.

Learn more Sign up