Our 2019 iMac was running slow so I backed it up using Time Machine on a brand new external hard drive. I erased the Mac, reinstalled the OS, but now I am not able to see the contents of the hard drive. The hard drive shows that space is being used, but it is not showing any files.
Is anyone able to help me with figuring out how to access what’s on the hard drive?
Hi kuhnmr,
If you are looking to only restore or access some files, there is a very specific way to access files backed up with Time Machine.
Restore items backed up with Time Machine on Mac - Apple Support
1. On your Mac, open a window for the item you want to restore.
2. For example, to recover a file you accidentally deleted from your Documents folder, open the Documents folder.
3. If you’re missing an item from the desktop, you don’t need to open a window.
4. Use Launchpad to view and open apps on Mac and open Time Machine (in the Other folder). A message may appear while your Mac connects to the backup disk.
5. Use the arrows and timeline to browse the local snapshots and backups.
6. If you see a pulsing light to semi-dark gray tick mark, it represents a backup that’s still loading or validating on the backup disk.
7. Select one or more items you want to restore (these can include folders or your entire disk), then click Restore.
8. Restored items return to their original location. For example, if an item was in the Documents folder, it’s returned to the Documents folder.
If you want to restore the entire contents from your backup, and you haven't already set up your iMac after erasing it, check to see if you can choose to restore your Time Machine backup using the Migration Assistant when you first set it up again as outlined here: Restore your Mac from a backup - Apple Support
We look forward to learning whether you were able to find your files.
Cheers.
Hi kuhnmr,
If you are looking to only restore or access some files, there is a very specific way to access files backed up with Time Machine.
Restore items backed up with Time Machine on Mac - Apple Support
1. On your Mac, open a window for the item you want to restore.
2. For example, to recover a file you accidentally deleted from your Documents folder, open the Documents folder.
3. If you’re missing an item from the desktop, you don’t need to open a window.
4. Use Launchpad to view and open apps on Mac and open Time Machine (in the Other folder). A message may appear while your Mac connects to the backup disk.
5. Use the arrows and timeline to browse the local snapshots and backups.
6. If you see a pulsing light to semi-dark gray tick mark, it represents a backup that’s still loading or validating on the backup disk.
7. Select one or more items you want to restore (these can include folders or your entire disk), then click Restore.
8. Restored items return to their original location. For example, if an item was in the Documents folder, it’s returned to the Documents folder.
If you want to restore the entire contents from your backup, and you haven't already set up your iMac after erasing it, check to see if you can choose to restore your Time Machine backup using the Migration Assistant when you first set it up again as outlined here: Restore your Mac from a backup - Apple Support
We look forward to learning whether you were able to find your files.
Cheers.
Mac not finding contents of external hard drive
