I saved files on my External Time Machine Drive & Now They Are Gone!

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Level 1

8 points

I saved files on my External Time Machine Drive & Now They Are Gone!

Hi Everyone.

So recently, I used Time Machine to go back to a date and before I did, I put files on there that I had after updating, to save them for when I go back to the earlier time. I made a folder just for them.

Now that I went back to the date, the files I saved on the external Time Machine HD are gone?!

I know Time Machine reverts the HD but the External HD to be reverted also???

Have I lost the files??? I thought the external HD ( With Time Machine ) wouldn't get touched in the process, or was I wrong???

Please let me know of anyway to recover, I don't care If I have to get a 3rd party software for it because I took a lot of time to have these files in a certain way ( they were saved favorites/preference files )

Thanks.

iMac Line (2012 and Later)

Posted on Dec 20, 2020 9:32 AM

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Answer 1

steve626

Level 6

14,103 points

Dec 20, 2020 11:04 AM in response to AyPlusM

You can try using Find Any File to search for the files. If they exist, it will find them (on any drive). However if you placed those files within an existing Time Machine folder on the external drive, they probably are gone.

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Answer 2

steve626

Level 6

14,103 points

Dec 20, 2020 11:42 AM in response to AyPlusM

AyPlusM wrote:

I'll try to be more clear.

1. Was on Big Sur, then wanted to go back to Catalina. I Had files downloaded & screen shot that I didn't want to lose.

Yu were using Big Sur, that may explain what happened. Apple indicates that you should not share ordinary file storage with Time Machine storage on the same volume. Here is something from Apple's guidance https://support.apple.com/en-ie/guide/mac-help/mh15139/11.0/mac/11.0

"Note: The entire APFS disk is reserved for Time Machine backups. If you want to store files other than the Time Machine backup on the same physical device, use Disk Utility to create an additional APFS volume on the disk. The two volumes then share the available space."

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Answer 3

tbirdvet

Level 6

17,205 points

Dec 20, 2020 10:30 AM in response to AyPlusM

Not clear what you did but never make any folders on your own for TM drive TM should be dedicated for only Mac backups. Use another external drive for users files. You may have lost your folder.

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Answer 4

AyPlusM Author

Level 1

8 points

Dec 20, 2020 11:30 AM in response to steve626

I'll try to be more clear.

1. Was on Big Sur, then wanted to go back to Catalina. I Had files downloaded & screen shot that I didn't want to lose.

2.I then made a folder on the external HD ( That is the Time Machine HD ) "Separately" from the backup folder that is there. I called it Desktop Folder *for example*

3.I then began the process and booted up today and I go back into the External HD, and that folder I made is gone.

My understanding was, Time Machine reverts the main HD not the external HD also. Was I wrong in thinking that?

It doesn't make sense to me why it would touch that folder if it's not on my main HD.

That's where I am now ( Thanks for the suggestion by the way, I'll try it now)

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Answer 5

AyPlusM Author

Level 1

8 points

Dec 20, 2020 11:50 AM in response to steve626

That really really sucks because it's a 6TB HD and I figured it wouldn't be an issue. So I'd have to split the drive then. Eh, live and learn.

Thanks for the help.

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Answer 6

steve626

Level 6

14,103 points

Dec 20, 2020 12:13 PM in response to AyPlusM

Sorry that happened, I believe before Big Sur you could indeed do what you tried to do, but apparently starting with Big Sur that space is no longer protected. That seems to be a change, and it's not one I was aware of either, I don't think it's been publicized very much. Hopefully more of an inconvenience for you than a serious problem.

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Answer 7

AyPlusM Author

Level 1

8 points

Dec 20, 2020 12:17 PM in response to steve626

Ah, of course it had to start with Big Sur, when I decided to do this -_-

I had to be "That Guy" lol. But, if it helps others to not be "That Guy" then it's alright.

It's become more of an inconvenience that this happened than a serious problem.

( I had favorites in 3 music programs, with 500 saved in each ) so now I gotta go through all of them all over again and favorite.

Eh, anyway, again, thanks for the help.

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I saved files on my External Time Machine Drive & Now They Are Gone!

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