How to resolve 'Disk Not Recommended for Backups' message for Time Machine in macOS?

Reformat the Drive for Modern Time Machine (Best Fix)

Only if you are okay with erasing the old backups.

Steps:

1. Connect the drive directly (USB/Thunderbolt)
2. Open Disk Utility
3. Erase the drive with:

• • Format: APFS
  • Scheme: GUID Partition Map

1. Set it up again in Time Machine

APFS is the recommended format for Time Machine since macOS Big Sur.

✔️ This removes the warning permanently.

The Server protocol that talks to the Time capsule for backups has been deprecated. You will not be able to use the Time Capsule for ANY backups in the next major version of MacOS.

Please read this discussion for more details:

Time Capsule: Options after macOS support… - Apple Community

<< Reformat the Drive for Modern Time Machine (Best Fix). >>

That is a Bad Idea™

if you ERASE the Time Capsule drive while running MacOS 26 Tahoe, it becomes permanently un-available for ANY new backups. The drive format is NOT the source of that warning.

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The part that is deprecated is the server communication protocol, Apple File Protocol (AFP) -- not to be confused with DISK formats: Apple File System (APFS) or older MacOS Extended aka Hierarchical File System Extended (HFS+).

Apple File Protocol (AFP) is a Server protocol that Apple has been trying to retire for a long time. Server Message Block (SMB) has proved more suitable, and SMB has taken its place for Server traffic.

Bottom line? You cannot ‘resolve’ the notification. You may keep using what you are using until one day it stops working. You cannot say you were not warned.

And please, enough with the conspiracy theory that Apple tries to force users to buy things. You have no clue what you are talking about.

azaksalmarzur28 wrote:

✔️ This removes the warning permanently.

Sorry the information you provided is not correct. The message is the result of Apple File Protocol (AFP) being deprecated and support will be dropped at some point in the future. You are still able to use NAS for wifi backups, but that will require a supported drive and the Time Capsule (and some others) is not one of those drives that supports the more secure versions of SMB.

You can read more about the reason why that is happening and your options here. It has nothing to do with some grand plan by Apple to profit from additional sales, as the drive you would choose would not even be one provided by Apple.

https://vdaluz.com/blog/afs-smb-time-machine-backup-deprecation/

Unfortunately an AI response will often provide this type of inaccurate information and not helpful on these forums unless they can be verified by you before posting.