Just Checking that you have not missed the "holding option key down in time machine" thing that I missed for ages:

Source: http://www.macworld.co.uk/feature/mac-software/complete-guide-time-machine-mac-backup-3626572/

Complete guide to Time Machine: Can I browse Time Machine backups from another Mac, or older Time Machine backups from my own Mac that I no longer use? Yes. Attach the disk, or attach the Time Capsule to your main Wi-Fi/internet router, then hold down Alt (Option on some keyboards) on your Mac and click the Time Machine menu bar icon. Select Browse Other Backup Disks. The Time Machine disk should appear in a list, and once you've selected it you'll see the standard Finder-based Time Machine view where you can move back in time to retrieve older files.

If the backup is encrypted you'll be prompted to enter the password before you can gain access.

This worked well for me so thought I would share here.

Answer from Toby Roberts on Stack Exchange
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Apple Support
support.apple.com › en-us › 102551
Restore your Mac from a backup - Apple Support
Use Migration Assistant to transfer files from your Time Machine backup to your Mac. If you made a Time Machine backup of your Mac, Migration Assistant can use that backup to restore all of your personal files, including your apps and everything in your user account.
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EaseUS
easeus.com › mac file recovery › how to restore individual files from time machine to new mac
Restore Individual Files from Time Machine to New Mac - EaseUS
2 weeks ago - Restore the contents of your Mac's hard drive by selecting the drive and clicking on "Restore". Restart your Mac when you've finished. Sometimes, you delete files unknowingly, format a hard drive containing some essential data, or empty the ...
Discussions
Best way to move files from TimeMachine backup to new computer?
Use Time Machine directly, you can go through and select the files you want to restore to your new machine More on reddit.com
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January 17, 2025
Move only select files from Time Machine to new Mac
Cloning an external hard drive to another on Mac An IT support person told me to click and drag the contents of the external hard drive I want to copy over to the newly formatted external drive. Then, I found the below answer in this community: If you need to clone Drive A to Drive B: Clone using Restore ... More on discussions.apple.com
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June 23, 2022
Can I selectively restore from Time Machine to a new Mac, because said Mac will be smaller than the previous one?
Hi everyone. I will try to be clear and concise. 3 weeks ago, I installed the last system update on my perfectly fine MacBook Pro (2020 model) and… More on reddit.com
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October 4, 2023
Can you restore only certain things from Time Machine?
Yes you can. You can set up the new laptop as a new user. Once logged in plug in your Time Machine backup and open it in finder. There will be a folder in there called 'Backups', open that, in there find the folder called 'Latest', open that and you will see a folder called Macintosh HD. Go into that and then the folder called Users. There you will see folders with their user name, open the folder with the username that you want to copy stuff from. You will now see the desktop, Documents, Downloads, Movies, Music and Pictures folder. You can copy anything you want from the contents of the folders to your new Mac for example the contents of the Pictures folder on the Time Machine to the contents of the Pictures folder on your new Mac. Do not copy any of those folders themselves though, just their contents otherwise MacOS will not boot after a restart. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/mac
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July 2, 2018
People also ask
How do I restore my Mac from Time Machine?
To restore your Mac from Time Machine, restart your Mac and press Command + R during startup to enter macOS Recovery Mode. Then select Restore from Time Machine Backup, choose your backup disk, and follow the on-screen instructions to restore your system to a previous state.
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insanelymac.com
insanelymac.com › blog › restore-from-time-machine
How to Use Time Machine to Restore Your Mac (Guide)
What Happens When You Restore a Mac From Time Machine?
When you restore a Mac from Time Machine, you will restore all of the files and the way that your Mac looked during the last time that it was backed up.
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cleverfiles.com
cleverfiles.com › all articles › how to restore mac from time machine
How to Restore Mac From Time Machine [Full Guide, 2026]
Does Time Machine Restore macOS?
Yes, it does! When you restore from a Time Machine backup, your Mac will look exactly as it was the last time that backup was created. This means that even your wallpaper will be the same!
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cleverfiles.com
cleverfiles.com › all articles › how to restore mac from time machine
How to Restore Mac From Time Machine [Full Guide, 2026]
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Stack Exchange
apple.stackexchange.com › questions › 119705 › restoring-selected-files-from-time-machine-backup-of-a-different-mac
Restoring selected files from time machine backup of a different mac - Ask Different
Top answer
1 of 8
27

Just Checking that you have not missed the "holding option key down in time machine" thing that I missed for ages:

Source: http://www.macworld.co.uk/feature/mac-software/complete-guide-time-machine-mac-backup-3626572/

Complete guide to Time Machine: Can I browse Time Machine backups from another Mac, or older Time Machine backups from my own Mac that I no longer use? Yes. Attach the disk, or attach the Time Capsule to your main Wi-Fi/internet router, then hold down Alt (Option on some keyboards) on your Mac and click the Time Machine menu bar icon. Select Browse Other Backup Disks. The Time Machine disk should appear in a list, and once you've selected it you'll see the standard Finder-based Time Machine view where you can move back in time to retrieve older files.

If the backup is encrypted you'll be prompted to enter the password before you can gain access.

This worked well for me so thought I would share here.

2 of 8
5

Before going into Time Machine, open a Finder window and choose "Computer" from the Finder's Go menu. (That's the key to being able to browse another computer's backup drive.) Then hold the option key and choose "Browse Other Backup Disks".

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Reddit
reddit.com › r/macos › best way to move files from timemachine backup to new computer?
r/MacOS on Reddit: Best way to move files from TimeMachine backup to new computer?
January 17, 2025 -

I have a 2014 iMac that recently died and I'm looking for suggestions on a process to transfer selected files from my TimeMachine backup (external hard drive) to a new MacBook Pro. I can't do a full restore, as my iMac had a 3TB hard drive and my MacBook Pro only has 500GB hard drive. That's fine, I only need to move the most important documents to the new computer and I'll keep the extra files on an external hard drive.

The process I've tried is to use rsync -vaE in Terminal to copy folders from the latest TimeMachine backup on the the external drive to the new computer. The files transfer, they're readable, but I get what seem to be permissions errors when I try to move or delete those file (I'm prompted to confirm everything with an administrator's username and password). I'm a little concerned if this will cause headaches down the road (e.g., editing image files).

Are there any alternative approaches? Can I change permissions after restoring the files?

Top answer
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Use Time Machine directly, you can go through and select the files you want to restore to your new machine
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As you've discovered, Time Machine is made for this! The first time you start up a new Mac, the setup assistant asks if you want to transfer data from another Mac or Time Machine backup. Connect the backup drive to the new computer and choose it. Then tell it what stuff you want to transfer and let it do its thing. If you have already set up the new Mac, you can still connect the backup drive to the new Mac, run /Applications/Utilities/Migration Assistant, and follow the prompts to do the transfer.
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AOMEI Software
ubackup.com › aomei software › mac tips › restore individual files from time machine to new mac: 2 ways
Restore Individual Files from Time Machine to New Mac: 2 Ways
July 16, 2024 - If you haven’t made a backup with Time Machine before, you can transfer files from the old Mac to the new Mac with AOMEI Backupper. It stands out for its comprehensive sync features and ease of use.
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iBoysoft
handyrecovery.com › restore-from-a-time-machine-backup
How to Restore from a Time Machine Backup (2026)
June 28, 2023 - Use Time Machine and turn Optimize Mac Storage ON. Just make sure to download old files (by clicking the cloud icon beside them) every once in a while and they won’t be offloaded again for some time.
Find elsewhere
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Clever Files
cleverfiles.com › all articles › how to restore mac from time machine
How to Restore Mac From Time Machine [Full Guide, 2026]
April 28, 2026 - Just open Migration Assistant on the Mac you’re moving the files to, connect the drive with your Time Machine backup from the other Mac, and go through the same process. If you purchased a new Mac and have been backing up your old one, then ...
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InsanelyMac
insanelymac.com › blog › restore-from-time-machine
How to Use Time Machine to Restore Your Mac (Guide)
September 23, 2024 - To restore a Time Machine backup to another Mac, connect the external backup drive to the new Mac, and use Migration Assistant during the setup process. Select From a Time Machine Backup, choose the appropriate backup, and transfer the data ...
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Macworld
macworld.com › home › software › how-to
How To Restore Mac Files From Time Machine Backup | Macworld
November 26, 2018 - Select your source as Time Machine (make sure it’s plugged into your new Mac). Click on Continue. Choose the backup you want to use (this will probably be your most recent, unless you want to use an earlier backup) Now wait while the information migrates across to your new Mac. There are plenty of reasons why you might want to restore your Mac to an earlier time.
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iBoysoft
iboysoft.com › home › mac data recovery tips › how to restore individual/all files from time machine (2026)
How to Restore Individual/All Files from Time Machine (2026)
February 16, 2026 - ... Restoring from Time Machine usually won't delete existing files unless you're doing a full restore. Restoring Individual Files: Time Machine copies the old file from the backup and places it next to your current files.
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Apple Community
discussions.apple.com › thread › 253993870
Move only select files from Time Machine to new Mac
June 23, 2022 - Cloning an external hard drive to another on Mac An IT support person told me to click and drag the contents of the external hard drive I want to copy over to the newly formatted external drive. Then, I found the below answer in this community: If you need to clone Drive A to Drive B: Clone using Restore Option of Disk Utility 1.
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How-To Geek
howtogeek.com › home › mac › how to back up your mac and restore files with time machine
How to Back Up Your Mac and Restore Files With Time Machine
January 29, 2025 - To restore files from a Time Machine backup on another Mac, navigate to the Applications > Utilities folder and open the Migration Assistant application. You can also press Command+Space, type "Migration Assistant," and press Enter.
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MacPaw
macpaw.com › how to › optimization › backup
3 ways to restore Mac from a Time Machine backup
April 16, 2025 - Time Machine is also built into macOS Utilities in the Recovery Partition, so if your Mac can’t start up normally and you need to start up in Recovery mode, you can restore it from a Time Machine backup. Also, Migration Assistant can use Time Machine to allow you to move data easily from an old Mac to a new one. ... Always make sure that you have a recent backup. However, if you back up your device without first clearing out the junk files, you will move the junk files from your old Mac to your new one.
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Apple Support
support.apple.com › guide › mac-help › restore-files-mh11422 › mac
Restore items backed up with Time Machine on Mac - Apple Support
The currently selected backup is ... that’s still loading or validating on the backup disk. Select one or more items you want to restore (these can include folders or your entire disk), then click Restore....
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HelloTech
hellotech.com › home › how to restore from time machine
How to Restore From Time Machine : HelloTech How
January 26, 2023 - If your Mac has FileVault turned on, you’ll be asked to unlock the disk. To do this, enter the administrator password, then click Restore. When done, restart your Mac. While backing up is very important, there may be multiple copies of data ...
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Macgasm
news.macgasm.net › guide › how to restore files from time machine backup on a mac
How to Restore from Time Machine Backup On a Mac [Full Guide]
January 6, 2023 - Here, you can see all the different past versions of your files and folders saved since you first enabled Time Machine to automatically store this data. Here’s how to restore it: Step 1. To open Time Machine on Mac, launch System Preferences > Time Machine. Step 2. On the Time Machine window, tick the box for the “Show Time Machine in menu bar” setting. Step 3. On the top-right corner of the Apple menu bar, click the Time Machine button and select “Enter Time Machine.”
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Onmac
onmac.net › blog › mac data recovery › how to restore from a time machine backup
How to Restore From a Time Machine Backup (2026)
November 27, 2023 - You can also use such apps to create a macOS backup and then use it to restore your entire Mac. Yes. You can selectively recover individual files from a Time Machine backup to a new Mac.
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Apple Support
support.apple.com › guide › mac-help › recover-all-your-files-mh15638 › mac
Recover all your files from a Time Machine backup - Apple Support
Select Transfer from a Time Machine Backup, then click Continue. If necessary, enter the name and password you use to connect to your backup disk. You may also have to enter the password you used to encrypt the backup. Select the date and time of the backup you want to restore, then follow ...
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Austin MacWorks
austinmacworks.com › how-to-restore-your-mac-from-a-time-machine-backup
How To Restore Your Mac From a Time Machine Backup | Austin MacWorks
January 11, 2024 - Or, you can use the Migration Assistant (located in Applications/Utilities). If you use a Time Capsule, see Restoring files from a Time Capsule backup. Once Migration Assistant completes the transfer and you select your existing Time Machine backup drive, you will be prompted with “Inherit Backup History”. ...