I need to see if I have some missing photos in a Time Machine backup, but I'm just looking for a few photos from 2017. I have 18,000 photos in my library, so I really don't want to have to download the entire library just for a couple of photos.
Mac mini, macOS 12.2
Hi
You can't open a library from within the time machine backup (or even the drive)
Unfortunately you have no choice other than to restore the whole library to a compatible location, and open that with the app to find your photos.
You can - but you have to restore the library first.
OK, I was afraid of that. Well, so I don't have this problem in the future, could you recommend the best procedure to just back up my photo library to an external hard drive? Thanks.
Isn't that what Time Machine does?
It does, however if I just want to recover just a few photos, I do not want to have to restore my entire library. (see previous reply)
Yes, that is a bit of pickle, unfortunately Time Machine doesn't allow for individual photos to be pulled out of Photos. Lame.
There are plenty of other apps that will back up the library in the same format, not package it into chunks like Time machine.
Check out SuperDuper, CarbonCopyCloner, or Chronosync.
So, what's the point of having a time machine backup if you can't get to your photos?
Photos backed up in Time Machine.
