Speed up macOS' Time Machine Backups

Time Machine backups are great, but very slow when a large amount of data/files needs to be transferred (such as the initial backup). As designed by Apple the Time Machine background process is running in a very low CPU priority, giving all other running applications and services priority.

The command below prevents Time Machine’s backup process from assuming a low CPU priority, allowing backups to complete more quickly.

Disabling Priority Throttle

sudo sysctl debug.lowpri_throttle_enabled=0

The command is not persistent and will become inactive after a reboot. If you want revert to the default setting without a reboot type:

Enabling Priority Throttle (default)

sudo sysctl debug.lowpri_throttle_enabled=1