Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Restore Data with Time Machine
Once you have Time Machine set up and running, it normally does
its thing silently in the background, without intruding on your work.
(Depending on several variables, such as the speed of your CPU, the
way your backup volume is connected to your Mac, and the amount
of data you're backing up, Time Machine may in some cases slow
down your Mac—and perhaps also your network connection—while it's
running.) And you can continue ignoring it until the time comes when
you need to restore something—a missing file or folder, or a previous
version of a file you still have. This is where Time Machine's fancy 3D
“time warp” interface comes in, and you should try restoring some files
now, whether you need them or not, partly to make sure your backup
is working—but mostly for the experience of flying back through time!
Tip:
In Time Machine as in other backup programs, remember that if
you discover data is missing from an application, you want to restore
the data files—not the application itself! See the sidebar
Restore the
Data, Not the Application
for more details.
Restore Files and Folders in the Finder
If you notice that a file or folder is missing, or that you've accidentally
changed it and need an older version, follow these steps to retrieve an
item from your Time Machine backup:
1. In the Finder, make sure the window that contains the item you
want to restore (or the one that used to contain it, if it's been
deleted) is frontmost—you can verify this by clicking anywhere in
the window. (Not certain where the missing item was stored? Skip
ahead to
Restore Files and Folders Using Spotlight
.
)
2. Click the Time Machine icon in the Dock or choose Enter Time
Machine from the Time Machine
menu.
The frontmost window moves to the center of the screen, and the
screen's background changes to the starry “time warp” display, with
copies of the window receding into the background (
Figure 10
).
