In this article, you will learn to recover specific files and the entire system with Time Machine. Whether it is the entire system, a picture from a family gathering, or an important document, losing anything from your Mac can be nothing less than a disaster. Thanks to macOS, as it offers a built-in backup solution – Time Machine.
Time Machine is a wonderful backup feature that quietly saves various types of data files for Mac users to lend them a helping hand in case of any data loss. When you suddenly lose your data files, this backup solution helps you restore the deleted or lost data.
You can even recover the whole system using Time Machine. Simply put, this article walks you through everything you need to know about Time Machine backup recovery.
Part 1. When to Use Time Machine Recovery?
Below is a list of common situations where Time Machine can assist you with recovering your deleted data files.
- When you need to recover the entire system after hardware failure or crash.
- Installed software updates that resulted in different problems.
- When you accidentally delete a folder or file.
- If you are migrated to a new Mac computer and need your previous data.
Whether you need to restore your whole system or a single file, Time Machine can help you with both.
Part 2. Alternative to Time Machine – Mac Data Recovery Software
While Time Machine is Apple’s built-in solution for backing up and restoring data on your Mac, it primarily functions as a backup utility, allowing you to revert to previous versions of files or an entire system if you have an existing backup. However, there are scenarios where Time Machine might not be sufficient for data recovery, such as when:
- You haven’t set up Time Machine or your backups are outdated.
- The data loss occurred between scheduled backups.
- The storage device itself is corrupted, formatted, or physically damaged, making Time Machine backups inaccessible.
- You’ve permanently deleted files from your Trash.
- You need to recover files from a non-bootable Mac system without a recent Time Machine backup.
In these situations, Wondershare Recoverit emerges as a powerful alternative. Unlike Time Machine, which relies on pre-existing backups, Recoverit is a free data recovery software designed to scan deep into storage devices to find and reconstruct lost files, especially in video recovery.
It supports thousands of file types and hundreds of data loss scenarios, and features a 99.5% successful data recovery rate.
Here is how you can use Recoverit to perform an instant and reliable data recovery on your Mac.
Step 1: Download and install the tool from its official website.
Step 2: Launch the software and choose the drive from which you want to recover your deleted or lost data. You will find the drive in the Hard Drives and Locations tab.
Step 3: Click Start, and Recoverit will initiate the scanning process. Wait until the scan is completed.
Step 4: Hit the Preview button before recovering the file. If this is the one you need, tap on the Recover button, choose the destination on your Mac, and save the file.
Part 3. How to Recover Specific Files with Time Machine?
Before getting into the details of Time Machine backup recovery, let’s prepare for recovery first.
- Connect the Time Machine backup drive.
- Make sure that your Mac detects the connected drive.
- Ensure the files (you are looking for) exist in the backup.
- Confirm that your Mac has enough free space to store recovered files.
Now that you know when to use Time Machine and how to prepare for recovery, it is time to head toward recovering your lost or deleted data files using Time Machine.
Step 1: Go to the folder from which your file was deleted.
Step 2: Tap on the Time Machine icon and choose Enter Time Machine.
Step 3: Use the Time Machine arrows to browse for backups and local snapshots that you want to restore.
Step 4: Choose the files you want to get back and hit the Restore button. The recovered files will go to their original location. For example, if your files were lost from the Downloads folder, you will find them in the same place after successful recovery. The recovery time depends on the data size you want to restore.
Part 4. How to Restore an Entire System with a Time Machine Backup?
Has your Mac computer been completely replaced or wiped? Concerned about losing your important files permanently? If this is the case, you don’t need to worry, as Time Machine has the ability to recover anything you want from your Mac computer. Here is how you can recover the entire system using Time Machine.
Step 1: Connect your external hard drive (containing Time Machine backup) to a Mac from which you wish to recover data.
Step 2: Now, go to Applications, click Utilities, and open the Migration Assistant and (when asked) select to transfer the data files from the Time Machine backup.
Step 3: You will be asked to select the backup drive that you want to use during the restoration process. Make sure that you choose the hard drive with a compressed image of the drive you use.
Step 4: As soon as you choose the files, documents, or anything to transfer, hit the Continue arrow, as shown below.
This method considers the most recent backup to get your stuff back. Do you want to go back further? If so, open the Utility and choose the boot image you need. Doing this will show you a list of various options to choose from.
Though you will not be able to define files or folders properly, it will provide you with the information you are looking for. Simply put, when you recover the entire system, this process reinstalls macOS, files, settings, and apps, and brings your Mac back to its original condition (like it was earlier).
Part 5. How to Recover Data to a New Mac with Time Machine?
Have you purchased a brandnew MacBook? Want to access your previous data from this device? Time Machine backup offers an efficient solution. Follow the steps given below to make your data accessible from Time Machine to a new Mac.
Step 1: Connect your backup disk to a new Mac computer.
Step 2: While transferring data to a new Mac, you will see three different options. Choose “From a Mac, Time Machine backup, or a startup disk”. Then, tap on the Continue button.
Step 3: It is time to select the backup disk. Choose the external hard drive from the available options. Then, hit the Continue button.
Step 4: Confirm the files you want to transfer to a new Mac. As soon as you choose the items, tap on the Continue button again.
Step 5: Once you follow all the above steps carefully, your Mac will initiate the data transfer process from Time Machine.
Ending Note
Time Machine is a powerful data recovery solution that comes as a built-in feature with Mac devices. Whether you want to restore a single file or the entire system, Time Machine will assist you with both scenarios. The discussion above has presented a step-by-step guide for a successful Time Machine backup recovery. If you can’t restore data using Time Machine, try a third-party recovery tool like Recoverit.
FAQs
What does Time Machine backup?
Well, Time Machine can create a backup for almost everything, including but not limited to apps, settings, and files. However, it may not back up temporary files or cache files on some systems.
Will Time Machine backup recovery delete my current files?
If you want to restore individual files, you can restore selectively without deleting anything from your Mac. However, full system restoration will overwrite all the data available on your Mac.
Can I use Time Machine on multiple computers?
Yes, you can. But remember, each Mac computer creates a specified folder on the backup disk. Therefore, don’t forget to make sure that enough free space is available on the drive.
