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hiredgoon Author

Level 1

6 points

How can I access ~/library on my time machine backup?

I recently re-installed OSX Lion and made sure i'd backed everything up before I did a clean install and did not want to transfer my old archive across. I need to access my user library on Time Machine so that I can restore my Transmit favourites and Little Snapper image database.

I've tried following the process here: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3633972?start=0&tstart=0 but I get "The folder can't be found" (see screenshot) and now i'm at a complete as to what to do.

Any suggestions?

Posted on Apr 10, 2012 11:57 PM

51 replies

Oct 13, 2014 9:46 AM in response to hiredgoon

Hello,

No idea if someone already wrote that because I haven't read the whole thread, but this worked for me and seems to be the easiest way to access User's Library content within Time Machine:

On the desktop, open a window with the User's Library:

Command+Shift+G, then type ~/Library/

orleft click on Go menu + hold down alt key, then choose Library

Once the window is open, click Enter Time Machine in the Time Machine Menu

Cheers,

Richard

Oct 19, 2014 12:04 PM in response to Alberto Ravasio

Thank you very much for your post; it saved my ***!

per58

Level 1

8 points

Nov 7, 2014 2:54 AM in response to hiredgoon

If you have backup on a dmg and must import to mail.app

mount disk, in terminal go to disk,

cd /Volumes/HD\ copy/Users/me/

show all folders:

ls -Ol

drwx------@ 71 me staff hidden 2414 5 Jan 2014 Library

drwx------+ 8 me staff - 272 25 Nov 2013 Movies

its hidden, unhide:

sudo chflags nohidden Library/

ls -Ol

drwx------+ 71 me staff - 2414 5 Jan 2014 Library

---

To hide again:

sudo chflags hidden Library/

ls -Ol

drwx------@ 71 me staff hidden 2414 5 Jan 2014 Library

Sleeva

Level 1

0 points

Nov 20, 2014 6:32 AM in response to hiredgoon

This worked for me:

Navigate to your user folder in Finder

Press Cmd+shift+G

Type Library/

Done!

mfaasse

Level 1

13 points

Jan 15, 2015 4:00 PM in response to hiredgoon

Instead of typing "~/Library/" just type "Library/" after you open the parent folder and type Cmd-Shift-G.

bob1144

Level 1

0 points

Feb 11, 2015 12:52 PM in response to Alberto Ravasio

Thank you Alberto, I was looking to find the hidden folder on a Mountain Lion TM backup and this works. Thanks.

May 11, 2015 11:37 AM in response to Alberto Ravasio

Just to say this got me out of a big hole!!!!!

Thanks

May 23, 2015 1:49 AM in response to Alberto Ravasio

Thanks for the advice! Just recovered a drum kit preset I spent hours on and thought might be lost. FYI this is still working on 10.9.5, opening the library on a TM disk from 10.8.4. Cheers!