Time Machine files need Touch ID on MacBook Neo

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Level 1

22 points

Time Machine files need Touch ID on MacBook Neo

I use Time Machine to back up my MacBook Neo once a month to a separate hard drive. I want to retrieve some files from that hard drive that got there through a Time Machine backup, but when I do that, dragging them over to my laptop using the Finder, I'm asked to use TouchID anytime I want to make *any* changes to that file I brought over from the hard drive.

Is there any way around this? I tried using the Time Machine app to get to the files I want to restore to the Neo, to no avail.

Thanks!

MacBook Neo

Posted on Jul 31, 2026 4:46 PM

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Answer 1

MrHoffman

Level 10

158,649 points

Jul 31, 2026 4:50 PM in response to Jeff Hunt1

Are you restoring the files using Time Machine (as is expected), or are you possibly accessing the backup directly (which doesn’t work)?

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

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Answer 2

MrHoffman

Level 10

158,649 points

Jul 31, 2026 7:09 PM in response to Jeff Hunt1

Jeff Hunt1 wrote:

1. I was trying to restore files by dragging them from the hard to the Finder.

2. I had already tried following those steps in the link you provided. But when I go through Time Machine, I'm not able to access Time Machine backed up files, even though that hard drive I back up to is connected to my Neo.

Any additional help is appreciated.

And…. you decided to omit these details from your question?

Has a Time Machine verification been performed? Verify your backup disk on Mac - Apple Support

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Answer 3

Jeff Hunt1 Author

Level 1

22 points

Jul 31, 2026 4:59 PM in response to MrHoffman

I was trying to restore files by dragging them from the hard to the Finder.
I had already tried following those steps in the link you provided. But when I go through Time Machine, I'm not able to access Time Machine backed up files, even though that hard drive I back up to is connected to my Neo.

Any additional help is appreciated.

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Answer 4

Jeff Hunt1 Author

Level 1

22 points

Aug 1, 2026 9:58 AM in response to MrHoffman

Thanks. Followed those instructions, but didn't see "Verify Backups" on the menu when I pressed and held the option key. "Browse Time Machine Backups" became "Browse Other Backup Disks." When I selected "Browse Time Machine Backups," I was taken back to the Time Machine interface. When I browsed my backup hard drive through that interface, and selected one of the files I want to restore, I wasn't offered the option to restore.

Screenshots attached. Help is appreciated.

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