How to restore files from a Time Machine backup on a Mac

2 min read · 6 steps · Updated 2 October 2026

Short answer

Open the folder where the file used to be, then open Time Machine from Launchpad or Spotlight. Use the arrows or the timeline at the edge of the screen to go back to a day when the file was still there. Select it and click Restore. It returns to its original place.

Time Machine keeps older versions of your files as well as deleted ones, so you can undo an accidental deletion or go back to how a document looked last week. The backup disk has to be connected.

Menu names are from recent versions of macOS, where the settings app is called System Settings.

Step by step

  1. Connect the backup disk

    Plug in the drive you use for Time Machine, or make sure the network disk is reachable.

  2. Open the folder the item was in

    For a file that was in Documents, open the Documents folder in Finder. For something that lay on the desktop, you do not need to open a window.

  3. Open Time Machine

    Search for Time Machine with Spotlight (Command + Space), or click the Time Machine icon in the menu bar and choose Browse Time Machine Backups. The screen changes to a stack of Finder windows.

  4. Go back in time

    Use the arrows next to the windows, or click a date on the timeline at the right edge. The backup you are looking at is marked in red on the timeline.

  5. Find and check the item

    Select the file or folder. Press the Space bar to preview it and make sure it is the version you want.

  6. Click Restore

    The item is put back in its original place. If a file with the same name is there now, the Mac asks whether to keep both, replace it or keep the original.

Good to know

In many apps, such as Pages, TextEdit and Preview, you can go back to an earlier version of an open document without Time Machine: choose File, Revert To, Browse All Versions.

To bring back a whole Mac, for example after a repair or onto a new Mac, use Migration Assistant with the backup as the source: how to move everything to a new Mac with Migration Assistant.

No backup yet? Set one up today: how to back up a Mac with Time Machine. If backups fail: Time Machine not backing up: 9 fixes to try.

In short: Backup disk connected, open the folder, open Time Machine, arrows or timeline, select, Space to preview, Restore.

Sources
  • Apple Support: Restore items backed up with Time Machine on Mac

Rules and prices change. Check the official source before you act.