Can I restore Time Machine backup to Macintosh HD?

You're welcome. 🙂

And, I'm sorry, but you've used up all of your questions so no, you cannot ask more. 😉

Rubydoobydoo wrote:

What’s the difference between using Migration Assistant and restoring via Macintosh HD?

I don't know what you mean by "restoring via Macintosh HD", but Migration Assistant is the prescribed way to do a software restore.

I was advised to do it via Migration Assistant but it didn’t work.

When asked ‘Select the information to Transfer’ everything except my user account just kept spinning and couldn’t calculate the size of:

Applications

Other files and folders

Computer & Network Settings

so I couldn’t go any further.

Does that mean that there’s something wrong with the things that it couldn’t calculate?

This doesn't necessarily mean there is a problem. That's not uncommon. The migration process can take hours and depends on the overall health of the old drive, the amount of data being transferred and a few other things.

I advise that you start the process and then walk away and let the Mac do its thing. Maybe start it before you go to bed and let it run overnight.

Restore your Mac from a backup - Apple Support

You can restore the backup to Macintosh HD but it could be, and that is up to the settings of your backup, that you're operating system is reverted back to the one you was running on the backup. If that happens, you can always upgrade back after that

Yes, the normal restore from a Time Machine backup will be applied to the startup drive "Macintosh HD".

The whole point of restoring from backup is usually to wipe the drive and apply the contents of a backup to that drive.

If you don't wish to replace the contents of the startup drive with what is in that backup, then by all means, apply the restore to an external drive. If you are happy with the external drive as a boot drive after that, then you could run the restore process again and apply it to the startup drive, if you wish.

"Will it essentially delete my operating system if I restore the backup to Macintosh HD?"

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The simple answer is no.

The TM dataset does not contain the OS, it contains and restores only your data, apps, settings and network.

Yes, senator, I'd like to revise my previous testimony. 😉

A TM backup will allow you to restore only user data, files, folders, system settings and apps on a Mac running macOS Big Sur or newer. The macOS remains untouched if already installed. If the OS is not already installed, it must be reinstalled using Recovery and then the restore backup would be applied to that.

If the Mac is capable of running macOS Catalina or older, then the TM backup can restore the whole kit and kaboodle, including the macOS, provided the full backup was made under that earlier, machine compatible macOS version.

You're welcome. 🙂

I hope all goes well.

You're welcome. 🙂

Happy to know you've got it sorted out.

i try to reset my macbook so i can give it to my niece who is at uni but i am having problems deleting my fies and reset it to factory setting