Restoring from a backup

To get files back, open Versions… on the backup set, pick the version from the date you want, and either restore all of it or browse inside it and restore only what you need. Restoring reads from the backup and writes into a folder you choose; the backup itself is never changed.

Before you start

• Make sure the destination is reachable. For a drive, plug it in; for a cloud account, be online. The versions are read from there.
• Decide where the files should go. Restoring into an empty folder is the safest choice — see "When files with the same names are already there" below.

Restore a whole version

1. In Data Backup, click Versions… on the set's card. The list shows each version's date and time, how many files it holds, how many were new, and how much new data it added out of the set's total.
2. Find the version from the date you want and click Restore All….
3. Choose a folder and click Restore Here. Use New Folder in that window to make an empty one.
4. The row shows progress and the time left; Cancel stops it. When it finishes, the folder opens in Finder.

Restore only some files

1. In Versions…, click Browse Files… on the version you want. You'll see the files and folders exactly as they were at that moment, with sizes.
2. Click a folder to open it; use the back arrow or Top to go back up.
3. Click the circle beside each file or folder you want, so it's ticked. The bottom of the sheet says how many are selected.
4. Choose what to do with them:
   • Restore… is for putting them back. The folder picker opens at the set's first protected folder; choose it, or another folder, and click Restore Here.
   • Export… copies them to a place you choose, such as a new folder on your Desktop. Click Export Here.
5. When it finishes, the folder opens in Finder.

%% caption: Restoring files from a backup
flowchart TD
  A[Click Versions… on the backup set] --> B[Pick the version from the date you want]
  B --> C{Everything, or only some files?}
  C -->|Everything| D[Restore All…]
  C -->|Some files| E[Browse Files… and tick what you need]
  E --> F{Back where they were, or a copy elsewhere?}
  F -->|Back where they were| G[Restore…]
  F -->|A copy elsewhere| H[Export…]
  D --> I[Choose a folder, ideally an empty one]
  G --> I
  H --> I
  I --> J[The folder opens in Finder when it's done]

When files with the same names are already there

If you restore into a folder that already contains files with the same names, check the result before you delete or change anything. The safest way to keep the two apart is to restore or export into a new, empty folder, then compare, and move across only what you need. That way the version you have now and the version you're bringing back can both be looked at side by side.

Finding the right version

• Versions are listed newest first, with their date and time.
• Older versions are thinned out over time, so for something from months ago you may find one version per week or month rather than one per hour. See Backup versions: what's kept and for how long.
• If you're not sure which version has what you need, Browse Files… in a couple of them — browsing doesn't change anything.

If it doesn't work

• "No versions yet. Run a backup to create the first one." — the set hasn't finished a backup yet.
• A message instead of the list, such as "Couldn't reach the backup destination" — connect the drive or check your network, then open Versions… again.
• A cloud set that asks for its passphrase — use Re-enter passphrase… on the card first; see The backup passphrase.

More in What backup messages mean.

See also: Data Backup · Restoring something from the Recycle Vault · Backup version