Restore Mac: how it works with Time Machine
Time Machine makes it easy to restore your Mac. You can restore both the entire system and individual files - how to do this, read below.
Mac recovery with Time Machine
Restoring your system from a Time Machine backup can take some time. Also note that any data you have created after the backup will be deleted.
- Click on the Apple logo in the top left of the menu bar and then on "Restart ...".
- Immediately after starting, press [CMD] + [R] until the Apple logo appears.
- A window titled "macOS Utilities" follows. Select "Restore from Time Machine backup" here.
- Read the instructions and click "Continue".
- Then go out to your Time Machine hard drive and enter the password under certain circumstances.
- Select the desired backup from the list to start the restore.
Back up Mac data with Time Machine - Here's how
Time Machine: restore individual Mac files
If you only want to restore an accidentally deleted file, this is also possible.
- Click on the Time Machine icon in the menu bar and then on "Open Time Machine".
- Select a file and then select the desired time in the left timeline. Press the spacebar to preview the file and make sure that you have selected the correct state.
- Then click "Restore" below.
In the next practical tip, you will read how you can encrypt your Time Machine backups.