How to Restore Files from Time Machine Backup on a Mac

[Roman]

For any computer owner, the best advice is to back up your data regularly to avoid losing important work. Mac users can easily restore data using Time Machine, which backs up files and settings automatically to an external drive. The guide outlines four methods for restoring data: retrieving deleted files, booting from a backup, downgrading macOS, and using Migration Assistant. Additionally, if backups weren’t made, users can recover data using software like Disk Drill. We’ll be posting a detailed tutorial on this topic in our next forum post.

[Roman]

Hey everyone! The best piece of advice any computer owner can get is to back up your data regularly.

Losing all your files is super scary. Imagine all that hard work you put into a project disappearing in an instant!

Backing up your data helps you avoid that nightmare most of the time. And if you’re on a Mac, bringing back your lost files is extra easy with Time Machine.

Here’s the lowdown on how to restore stuff from Time Machine using different methods.

How to Restore from Time Machine on a Mac: 4 Methods

Time Machine is a built-in backup system on Macs. It automatically backs up your files, settings, and other important stuff.

Some backups (Local Snapshots) are stored on your Mac and get deleted every 24 hours. But lots of users use an external hard drive to save more extended backups.

Time Machine is super user-friendly, making data restoration a breeze. Let’s dive into the four best ways to get your files back on a Mac.

1. Restore Deleted Files or Revert to an Old Version of a Document Using Time Machine

Need to go back to an older version of a file or get back a missing one? Time Machine makes it super simple.

Here’s how you do it:

1. Open the location where your file was or is currently. Then start Time Machine by clicking its icon in the menu bar. If it’s not there, go to Time Machine preferences in System Preferences and select ‘Show Time Machine in menu bar.’
   

   

2. Use the arrows or timeline on the right to navigate through your backups.
   

   

3. Find the backup you want to restore the file from.
   

   

4. Select the file, preview if it’s the right version, and click Restore.
   

   

5. If the file name clashes with the current version, choose whether to replace, keep the original, or keep both. Keeping both is usually a good idea.
   

   

2. Start Up Your Mac from a Time Machine Backup

Having major issues? Booting from a Time Machine backup might help.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Connect the disk with your Time Machine backups to your Mac. Shut down your Mac.
   

   

2. Restart your Mac in recovery mode by holding Command + R. Restart your Mac and keep holding the keys. When you see this screen, choose “Restore from Time Machine” and hit Continue.
   

   

3. Read the info on the next screen and click Continue again.
   

   

4. Choose the disk with the Time Machine backup you want.
   

   

5. Pick the backup you want and click Continue.
   

   

3. Revert Your Mac to an Earlier Version Using macOS Recovery

Sometimes, new macOS updates aren’t what you expected, and you want to go back to the previous version. Time Machine can help with that too, if you have a backup with an older macOS version.

Here’s what to do:

1. Connect the disk with your Time Machine backups to your Mac and shut it down.
   

   

2. Restart your Mac in recovery mode (hold Command + R and restart). When you see this screen, select “Restore from Time Machine” and hit Continue.
   

   

3. Read the instructions and click Continue again.
   

   

4. Choose the disk with the Time Machine backup.
   

   

5. Pick the backup you want to restore from, ensuring it’s the one with the old macOS version (check the righthand column for macOS version info). Hit Continue.
   

   

4. Use Migration Assistant

Migration Assistant is awesome for moving large amounts of data from one Mac to another. It’s also great for transferring Time Machine backup data to your current Mac.

Here’s how to use it:

1. Open Migration Assistant from Finder or Spotlight (Command + Space). All other apps will close to continue. Connect the disk with your Time Machine backups.
   

   

2. Enter your password and click Continue.
   

   

3. Select the first option to restore from Time Machine.
   

   

4. Choose the disk where your Time Machine backup is stored.
   

   

5. Pick the backup you want to restore from.
   

   

And there you go! Pretty straightforward, right? Time Machine really takes the hassle out of backups and restores. Cheers! ## Recover Data Without Time Machine

Alright, so Time Machine is pretty cool for backups, right? But it only helps if you’re already backing up regularly. If you’re in the club of “I forgot to back up!”, well, you might need to recover your precious files another way.

Sometimes you might’ve made and then deleted a file before a backup even happened. No worries! That’s where data recovery software comes in. Basically, when you delete something, it’s not gone forever — it’s just marked for overwriting. So, unless new data has come in and overwritten it, you can still get it back.

Note: If you use the drive a lot after deleting the files, it’s more likely they’ll be overwritten. Try not to use the disk if you plan on recovering files.

So, after checking a bunch of options, we found Disk Drill is pretty sweet for this. It’s easy to use, gets the job done, and has some nice extra features. Plus, there’s a free-for-life version!

How to Recover Data with Disk Drill:

1. Download and install Disk Drill.
   

   

2. Grant access permissions to Disk Drill so it can search your drives for those lost files.
   

   

3. Select the disk where your lost data was. Could be your internal hard drive or an external one. Then click “Search for lost data”.
   

   

4. Wait for Disk Drill to scan the drive. This might take some time depending on how much data there is.
   

   

5. Click “Review found items” to see what files it found.
   

   

6. Find the files you want to restore. Use the preview button (looks like an eye) to make sure it’s the right file.
   

   

7. Select the files you want and hit Recover.
   

   

8. Choose where to save the recovered files and click OK.
   

   

How to View Time Machine Backups from Another Mac

Got Time Machine backups from another Mac and wanna check them out on your own Mac? Super easy! All you need is the drive where those backups are saved.

Steps to View Time Machine Backups from Another Mac:

1. Plug in the external drive with the Time Machine backups to your Mac.
2. Open Finder and click the storage drive with the backup.
3. Find the “Backups.backupdb” folder and open it. Inside, you’ll see all the backups stored on the drive. If there’s no “Backups.backupdb” folder, it might just be organized by date, like this:
   
   
4. Copy and paste the files or folders you want to transfer to your Mac.

Note: Avoid dragging the files/folders directly onto your Mac, as this can mess with the Time Machine setup. Stick to copy-pasting only.

How to Delete Time Machine Backups

Yes, Time Machine clears out old backups on its own. But if you want to manually delete some to free up space, here’s how:

Deleting Time Machine Backups Before Big Sur:

1. Connect the external drive with your Time Machine backups.
2. Open Time Machine App.
3. Navigate to the backup you want to delete using the arrows or timeline.
4. Click the ellipsis in the Toolbar.
   
   
5. Choose “Delete Backup” or “Delete All Backups of [File Name]”. The first option deletes the entire backup, while the second one deletes every backup of a specific file.

Deleting Time Machine Backups on Big Sur and Later:

1. Connect the external drive with the backups.
2. Open the drive in Finder.
3. Find the backup you want to remove. You can check what’s inside by drilling down.
4. Right-click the backup and select “Delete Immediately…”
   
   
5. Confirm deletion when warned that it cannot be undone.
   
   

Conclusion

Time Machine is pretty awesome for recovering lost files, going back to previous versions of documents, and just generally protecting your data. These tips should help you make the most of it, so you can get back on track in no time!