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To pause Carbonite backup, use the control for your platform and version: on Windows, open Settings & controls > Backup settings > Pause my backup and select a duration; on Mac 2.x, open Carbonite and choose Pause Your Backup. Mac 1.x has a different, 24-hour pause control.

Pause Carbonite backup on Windows

  1. Open Carbonite by double-clicking its icon in the notification area beside the clock. If you do not see it, select Show hidden icons.
  2. Open Settings & controls, then select Backup settings.
  3. Select Pause my backup, choose an interval, and click Pause. The available choices are 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours, 8 hours, 1 day, or 1 week.

To resume before the interval ends, select Resume backing up in the notification or Resume my backup now on the Backup Settings page. The notification-area icon shows a pause symbol while manually paused. Carbonite says that pausing stops backup operations but does not stop its scanning for new or changed files. Carbonite’s Windows pause and resume instructions provide the current control names.

Pause Carbonite backup on Mac

Mac 2.x

Click the Carbonite menu-bar icon, choose Open Carbonite, then select Pause Your Backup in the app. To continue, select Resume Your Backup. Carbonite’s help article for this version says backup scheduling is not supported. See Carbonite’s Mac 2.x pause and resume instructions.

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Legacy Mac 1.x

These older controls are different from Mac 2.x. Either choose Pause for 24 hours from the Carbonite lock icon, or open the Carbonite preference pane and set Backup Is to Paused. It stays paused for 24 hours unless you re-enable it sooner. To resume manually, set Backup Is to Enabled. Carbonite documents this in its Mac 1.x pause instructions.

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Use a recurring schedule instead of a one-time pause

If you use Carbonite Safe Backup Pro on Windows and want regular downtime, its scheduling settings are separate from the temporary pause control. Carbonite lists options such as backing up once a day or avoiding specified hours in its Windows scheduling instructions. A scheduled period of inactivity may not display the pause symbol, so check the app’s backup status rather than relying on that icon alone.

Do not use Recover Mode as the pause control

Recover Mode is described by Carbonite support as a way to stop the deletion timer while restoring files. It is not the ordinary control for temporarily pausing backups. For a standard pause, use the platform-specific steps above.

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If the labels do not match

Carbonite’s controls vary by operating system and Mac app generation, and its instructions are version-sensitive. Check which Carbonite app you have and look for the matching platform-specific help page if the labels differ. Carbonite’s support search for “pause” lists related help results.

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