Q: Time Machine not working with Yosemite

Firstly, your mail is in Library (accessed in Finder by selecting the "Go" menu item and then holding down the "Option" key. Then it's:

Library/Mail/V2/Mailboxes/(your pick, e.g., "Junk.mbox")/(folder w/loads of characters)/Data/9 (or whichever you have)/3 (or whichever you have)/Messages. If there's any in there, select one and you'll see the preview. Double-click it and it'll open in Mail.

ADDED: and BTW, I was not able to access historical files of that folder in Time Machine to recover any older mail.

Secondly: How the heck does one open Mail in Time Machine???

Good one, putnik!

I've also noticed that if you select the folders you need from the Finder Path Bar it will work... Of course all, in my opinion, should be considered, palliative actions, apple should fix that bug...

Best,

Launch Mail > launch Time Machine

I also tried recovering the Mail folder by going to the client's 10.7.5 clone before Yosemite install.

I exported that folder but the Yosemite Mail couldn't import it.

I managed to find all other files, bookmarks, music, documents, old settings, by just using my backup drive. All of them except for mail files. Time machine by itself, is now utterly useless, is retrieving files from before when I had snow leopard, Mavericks. etcetera.  It works from Yosemite on, only about a week. To retrieve files from mail, since I can't use Time machine, as originally designed anymore, under what name are 'mail files' stored in the backup drive? Or perhaps will apple, ever fix their time machine app?

OS X 10.10.1 fixed the issue for me.  Previously I was unable to start a restore from just any folder.  I had to go to the Computer favorite, select the Macintosh HD, and start from there.  I guess that was the workaround, in OS X 10.10?  Well, now with OS X 10.10.1, I am able to start from just any folder, just as I did with OS X 10.9.x.  Not sure why others aren't seeing the same fix?  I did a completely new Time Machine backup to my Time Capsule, about two weeks ago (troubleshooting this exact issue.) Maybe that helped?

Fofer, how did you do a completely new time machine backup to your drive? I would like to try and see if it would fix mine. I have seen no change in the time machine issue after the 10.10.1 update. Thanks

I'm on 10.10.1 and still experiencing TM snapshots never opening or intermittently opening after waiting for five plus minutes as of this posting. This is from a mid-2011 iMac and 2014 MBA both with new OS X clean installs, drive permissions repaired, HDD reindexing, PRAM and SMS resets, entering Safe Boot; and Time Capsule hard resets and backup drive wipes - after each step performed the issue still returns.

Time Machine worked flawlessly from Mavericks partitions on the same computers during public beta through GM testing on both computers so there's definitely an issue with Yosemite's code. For what it's worth, I've have noticed Airport Utility loses the ability to "see" my TC during an episode where the TM UI is frozen and unresponsive yet I still maintain a functioning Internet connection for the web, etc - just not with my Time Capsule backups.

I've also started getting the backup drive can't be found error message with the TM UI open since installing 10.10.1 during a "freeze". Rebooting the computer or the Time Capsule resolves the issue with TM snapshots not opening sometimes for a few minutes or few hours but the "freeze" or "wait" always returns.

I reported this issue to Apple when first experienced during PB3 testing and am hoping this thread is being monitored by Apple.     

I recently updated all my iMac's from Mavericks to Yosemite through the Apple store update and ever since then I have been getting "Time Machine Backup Failed" error messages every time I try and do a time machine backup??? I have tried to erase and reformat my external USB passport drives, but still give me an error when doing a time machine backup?

I would have thought that Apple would have beta tested the Yosemite update more thoroughly before releasing to the public? I backup my company data files to my other external drive, but now if I have a failure on one of my desktops, I am SOL because of this issue, I am a loyal Apple customer for years and use iMac's and Macbook Pro's exclusively in my technical writing and training business, but I am not a happy camper over this.

Can anyone recommend an alternative hard drive that WILL work with Yosemite? it's now been 1 month since I have backed-up my data on TM and I need to solve this issue urgently (fed-up waiting for Apple to resolve). Was going to buy the WD My Passport USB 3.0 Portable Hard Drive for Mac by nervous this won't work?

Usually if I just opened up mail, and entered Time Machine, accessing mail was a synch. When you open your mail program, and enter time machine, recovering old email is possible. Since the Yosemite update it is only possible, back util the date that I installed Yosemite. The previous two years of backups, are useless.

In fact, I've used that method in the past to recover individual mails, and folders. Actually now it is impossible to even go back in time machine longer then 24 hours in any particular program like mail anymore. Not just to the date, when I installed Yosemite.

Almost everyone that was using Time Machine with Mavericks and now converted to Yosemite is having the same problems accessing their information in the manner that they were used to. It is not a hard drive problem. The problem is with the software from Apple. They need to fix it.I am using a WD desktop "MY BOOK" drive. Also you need to understand something, all of us are backing up to our designated HD, it is just that you can no longer go into TM from the icon and access the different downloads from the right hand RED bars. If you notice, when doing this, the bars will be dull in color indicating-no access.

The work around that others found and posted back in October is to go to Finder, select your TM drive, then select users, the name of your computer or your name, then select the category that your save would be located , example downloads, documents, etc. , search and copy what you need to your desktop. Its just the process of loops that you have to jump thru to get what you want.

Apple has taken us back to the days of Windows XP!! Ha, but not so funny!

Excuse my ignorance in all this but I don't understand. are you saying that by using a different hard drive with Yosemite the problem won't be solved? I have been unable to find a solution to work with my TM and simply need a back-up option.

John, I had the same problem. I needed a receipt that I had received in January 2014.

To open MAIL in Time Machine: First open Mail, then select the TM icon and select ENTER TIME MACHINE. Next, go to the time bars on the right to search for your mail.Not the way that it is supposed to work, but will allow you to access your saves.  Hope this helps! If so give me a thumbs up.

The problem(s) with the Time Machine are not related to a particular Hard Drive model make or manufactuer.  And most of the problems pre-date Yosemite.  After about two years of experimenting with a couple of Airport Extremes two MacBook Airs and a iMac I have never been able to rely on the Time Machine application.

If you have any mission critical data or in my case pictures of children/grand children, do not trust Time Machine.