A majority of the Mac users rely on the robustness of Time Machine application to backup data on a regular basis. However, sometimes due to the user’s minor act of negligence, data from Time Machine could be erased within no time. Take the case of accidental deletion of Time Machine backup reported by a user on Apple community- “Hi guys, I frequently take backups of precious data using Time Machine feature on my MacBook Air laptop. But instead of deleting files from the actual drive, I accidentally deleted files from Time Machine backup. Can anyone tell me how to restore deleted files from Time Machine backup drive? Thanks in advance”
Yes, you need to be very careful before deleting something so important. But the harsh reality is accidents happen no matter how cautious you are. Hence this editorial will be focusing on ways to tackle this issue and to effectively restore erased data from Time Machine backup.
Troubleshooting measures to retrieve erased Time Machine backup
- Snapshots are taken automatically by Time Machine application on regular time intervals from the existing files available during the backup process. Hence you still have a chance to restore erased backup files by searching for them within Mac machine, as there are possibilities of it being present here. If still, you do not find required backup files, then you need to restore files directly from respective hard drive to take backup
- Apple makes use of a disk image format known as a sparse bundle to store the Time Machine data. This disc image file can either be contracted or expanded. After deletion, the data will still reside on the same place. Hence you can easily restore data from here. However, you need to take the safety measure of not performing any write operations onto the drive from where data has been deleted as this will overwrite existing data with new ones. Just unplug the Time Machine drive immediately and follow the approach given in the next section to restore data
Troubleshooting measures to retrieve erased Time Machine backup:
Switch to Yodot Mac File Recovery software to get back deleted data from Time Machine backup. Additionally, this tool can even restore lost files. The user interface of this tool delivers best in class data restoration experience that you expect from the premium applications. One need not have any prior data restoration knowledge to use this utility. During certain circumstances, when you get any kind of Time Machine backup error, partition error, file system corruption, journal corruption etc. this tool can be used to retrieve data. In case you want to get back certain files, you have the freedom to choose specific file types. Further, this utility runs seamlessly on major Mac OS such as Sierra, El Capitan, Yosemite, Mavericks, Mountain Lion, Lion, Snow Leopard and Leopard.
Ultimate guide to recover files
Download the Yodot Mac File Recovery utility on your Mac machine. Then, install the tool accordingly. Next, run the application and follow the below-mentioned steps,
- Step #1: A new window will present two options namely, Deleted File Recovery and Lost File Recovery. Select the first option and go ahead with further steps
- Step #2: Select the external drive from which the Time Machine backup needs to be restored
- Step #3: Mark the required file types and hit on Next button
- Step #4: The program scans each and every sector of the drive steadily to rescue data from the connected device
- Step #5: Check out the restored Time Machine data using either Data Type View or File Type View
- Step #6: Specify a safe location to store retrieved backup files
Important Note:
- Store the backup files on multiple locations instead of completely depending on Time Machine. So that timely restoration of files will be possible
- After Time Machine backup deletion do not upgrade your operating system
