How to restore user data from Time Machine when 'myuser' is required by macOS?

Question

How to restore user data from Time Machine when 'myuser' is required by macOS?

<myuser> can’t be modified or deleted because it’s required by macOS.

OK - I've obviously got it all wrong - I have all these Time machine backups and I thought that I could just restore my user data but I get the above when trying to restore to a version an hour old.

<myuser> is my (redacted) user name.

I guess I'm being obtuse but I thought that was the idea of a Restore?

Please advise.

TerryB

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Original Title: Can I not restore?

Mac mini, macOS 15.7

Posted on Feb 5, 2026 9:14 AM

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Answer 1

Feb 5, 2026 9:40 AM in response to Terry Q Brinkworth

This partly depends on exactly what it is you want to restore.

Recovering files and folders from a backup is fairly straightforward. Restoring a full backup from Time Machine is more complex and limited.

Apple provides this guidance for restoring files and folders to the same Mac and OS from which they were backed up. Restore items backed up with Time Machine on Mac - Apple Support

If you are trying to recover more than this or in a different situation, then please provide more detail about exactly what you are attempting to do and we can provide more focused guidance.

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