Merging backups from two distinct physical external Time Machine backup drives?

Imagine that I have two uncorrupted external drives to which I backup my user data from my Mac on alternate days using Time Machine.


Now suppose I realize that I've mucked up, some days prior, a critical file that I am now in dire need of. Unfortunately, while I know what part of the file I've mucked up, I don't know whether my error occurred an even or an odd number of days ago.


Would it be possible to mount both distinct Time Machine backup disks and, in a single process, use Time Machine to find that last un-mucked up version of the file?


Most succinctly, would it be, possible with a new external Time Machine disk of at least twice the capacity, to merge the contents of two distinct external Time Machine disks into one?


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PS Is there really no topic for Time Machine? If there is such a topic, how do I find it? More generally, is there a way to use more than the two categories of tags, for greater specificity?

MacBook Pro 16″, macOS 13.5

Posted on Jul 28, 2023 3:50 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Jul 28, 2023 9:01 PM

Joe Christy wrote:

Would it be possible to mount both distinct Time Machine backup disks and, in a single process, use Time Machine to find that last un-mucked up version of the file?

While you cannot merge two separate Time Machine disks, the answer to this question is yes, according to Apple. See below for "see Timeline for all backup disks" ...


FROM APPLE SUPPORT ARTICLE: Use Time Machine on your Mac to back up to multiple disks - Apple Support


If you use multiple backup disks, you can see timelines for all disks or for an individual disk.

To see a timeline for all backup disks: Click the Time Machine icon  in the menu bar, then choose “Browse Time Machine backups.” 

To see the timeline for a specific backup disk: Click the Time Machine icon  in the menu bar, press the Option key, then choose Browse Other Backup Disks.


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3 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Jul 28, 2023 9:01 PM in response to Joe Christy

Joe Christy wrote:

Would it be possible to mount both distinct Time Machine backup disks and, in a single process, use Time Machine to find that last un-mucked up version of the file?

While you cannot merge two separate Time Machine disks, the answer to this question is yes, according to Apple. See below for "see Timeline for all backup disks" ...


FROM APPLE SUPPORT ARTICLE: Use Time Machine on your Mac to back up to multiple disks - Apple Support


If you use multiple backup disks, you can see timelines for all disks or for an individual disk.

To see a timeline for all backup disks: Click the Time Machine icon  in the menu bar, then choose “Browse Time Machine backups.” 

To see the timeline for a specific backup disk: Click the Time Machine icon  in the menu bar, press the Option key, then choose Browse Other Backup Disks.


Jul 28, 2023 4:59 PM in response to Joe Christy

Joe Christy wrote:

Imagine that I have two uncorrupted external drives to which I backup my user data from my Mac on alternate days using Time Machine.

Now suppose I realize that I've mucked up, some days prior, a critical file that I am now in dire need of. Unfortunately, while I know what part of the file I've mucked up, I don't know whether my error occurred an even or an odd number of days ago.

Would it be possible to mount both distinct Time Machine backup disks and, in a single process, use Time Machine to find that last un-mucked up version of the file?

Most succinctly, would it be, possible with a new external Time Machine disk of at least twice the capacity, to merge the contents of two distinct external Time Machine disks into one?



That is not possible to merge.


Restore items backed up with Time Machine on Mac - Apple ...

Restore items backed up with Time Machine on Mac - Apple Support


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Merging backups from two distinct physical external Time Machine backup drives?

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