How To Restore Mac From Time Machine Backup

No matter if you are on a Windows Pc or using a Mac, backing up your important data is always recommended. As once you have backed up your files you can easily restore them back any hour of the day when needed. While there are many ways of backing up and restoring the data mainly after the inception of cloud backup programs however in this article we are going to discuss one of the inbuilt features of your Mac, ie. Time Machine. Yes, you guessed it right we are going to talk on how to restore Mac from the backup created through Time Machine.

The Time feature of Mac makes it really easy when it comes to backing up your data and restoring it back. Although in this age of cloud backup technology this method seems a bit conventional as it backups your Mac to an external drive and uses the same to restore either entire or some specific files. However, still there are many users who still have their data through Time Machine.

Restore Mac from Time Machine Backup

When you think of upgrading your Mac from an old one the first question that pops up is how to transfer the files. Now it is possible to copy your files from old to new Mac manually however, it is quite lengthy and a time consuming process. Therefore the easiest way for data transfer from your Old Mac to new one is using Time Machine.

However, the use of the Time Machine feature is not limited to transferring files from old Mac to new; it can be further used to retrieve files that you have accidentally deleted. Apart from this it also helps you to get time stamped older versions of your files.

How to Restore Files/Folders from Time Machine Backup

Below are the steps on how to restore your files and folders from your Time Machine backup on your Mac:

1. To get started click on the Apple Icon located at the top left of the menu bar Now from the drop-down menu select System Preferences. This will open the System Preferences screen.

2. On the System Preferences screen, click on the Time Machine icon.

3. Now, on the Time Machine screen, make sure that the option of Show Time Machine in the menu bar is checked. As once it is checked it will enable the icon of Time Machine in the menu at the top-right corner of the screen.

4. From the top menu bar at the right click on the Time Machine icon and from the drop down menu select Enter Time Machine option.

5. Now on the next screen, first select the Time as per your requirement and then select the files or folders that you wish to restore and then click on the Restore option.

Time Machine will now copy all the files and folders that you have selected in the previous step from your external Hard Drive and copy them back to their original location on Mac.

Also Read: Mac Not Starting Up: Possible Fixes To Know!

How to Restore Hard Drive from your Time Machine Backup

While the above steps can be used to recover your accidentally lost files from Time Machine Backup, you can also use Time Machine to restore a complete Hard Drive on your Mac. Basically when you are upgrading your Mac to a new one with all latest specifications or upgrading your current Mac with a SSD drive.

1. To get started first connect the external Hard Drive that contains Time Machine Backup to your Mac.

2. Once connected press the power button on your Mac to start it and immediately press and hold Command + R keys.

3. Now once you see Apple Logo or Spinning wheel on the screen release the keys. And when prompted enter the Admin password of your Mac.

4. Now on macOS Utilities screen, select the option Restore From Time Machine Backup and click on Continue at the bottom.

5. Click on Continue to confirm. On the next confirmation screen.

6. Now on Select a Restore Source screen, select the Time Machine backup disk and click on Continue button.

7. Once done, next is to select the destination storage source which is your Mac drive and click on the Restore button.

8. That’s it. Now the process of restoring your data from Time Machine backup will start. Wait for the process of backup to complete.

9. Once restoration is completed, restart your Mac and check if all your data is backed up correctly.

Note: If you find some of your files and folders missing after the Time Machine restoration then

Click on Time Machine Icon at top-menu bar > select Enter Time Machine. And on the next screen, copy all your missing files and folders and paste them manually into the desired folders on your New Mac.

Conclusion

So folks this is all from our side. We hope that the article will help you in restoring your Mac from the Time Machine backup. If you have any questions or comments regarding this article then do drop them in the comments section below. Also if you love reading our articles then do share it with your friends and family members.

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