How do I restore Time Machine back up from hard drive

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kath1987 Author

Level 1

4 points

How do I restore Time Machine back up from hard drive

I did a Time Machine back up onto a hard drive before I wiped my Mac laptop. This was 4 years ago. I’m now trying yo restore the pictures onto my Apple Mac desk top but it won’t open. Does it look like the pictures are still in there? There were 1000s

i would be really grateful for any help, they have all the first years of my children’s lives ❤️

Posted on Aug 19, 2024 11:00 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

léonie

Level 10

203,455 points

Aug 20, 2024 12:30 AM in response to kath1987

You have to use Time Machine to restore the Photos Library from the Time Machine backup. It is not possible to run Photos on a library that is still a part of a backup. If the library is on a Time Machine volumes, it is protected and Photos will have problems with the file ownerships.

See this link: Restore a library from Time Machine in Photos on Mac - Apple Support (CA)

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Answer 2

léonie

Level 10

203,455 points

Aug 20, 2024 5:14 AM in response to kath1987

When you restore the library to your Mac, you have to restore the library to a different folder - do not overwrite your current Photos Library.

To restore to a different folder:

Open the Pictures folder in the Finder, or wherever you are storing your current Photos Library.
Connect the drive with the Time Machine backup.
Then enter Time Machine
Time Machine opens and shows your available backups. It should open directly on your Pictures folder.
Use the timeline in right sidebar to go to the date you want to restore the library from. Select the Photos Library and ctrl-click it, then click "Restore to ..." and select a different folder.

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