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User profile for user: Andrew Shalit
Andrew Shalit Author
User level: Level 1
89 points

Can I restore a user from a Time Machine backup to an external hard drive?

I have an old Time Machine backup. The backup includes a user that I no longer have on my computer. I deleted it about a year ago.


I want to restore that user, but I don't have enough room on my main hard disk to do so. Can I restore the user from the Time Machine backup to an external hard disk? How would I do that?


I'm running MacOS Big Sur, which is the most recent version of MacOS supported by my computer.


Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

MacBook Pro 15″, OS X 10.11

Posted on Feb 16, 2023 10:15 AM

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User profile for user: John Galt
John Galt
User level: Level 10
146,480 points

Posted on Feb 16, 2023 10:49 AM

Yes. Navigate to that Mac's Users folder (example below) then "Enter Time Machine."


In the TM interface, navigate "back in time" to the date that User Account last existed. Click the "reveal triangle" or open that folder to show its contents. Locate and select that User Account and control-click (or two-finger tap) to summon the contextual menu, in which you will find "Restore <item> To..."


That will exit the TM interface and show the standard macOS dialog prompting for the location to restore that item.


What you do with it after that may prove more challenging because its contents are likely to be protected from alteration without that User Account's login information. The way you might need to go about it would be to first install macOS on that external disk, boot from it, then when asked if you want to migrate information from another Mac or its Time Machine backup, follow the above instructions.

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User profile for user: John Galt
John Galt
User level: Level 10
146,480 points

Feb 16, 2023 10:49 AM in response to Andrew Shalit

Yes. Navigate to that Mac's Users folder (example below) then "Enter Time Machine."


In the TM interface, navigate "back in time" to the date that User Account last existed. Click the "reveal triangle" or open that folder to show its contents. Locate and select that User Account and control-click (or two-finger tap) to summon the contextual menu, in which you will find "Restore <item> To..."


That will exit the TM interface and show the standard macOS dialog prompting for the location to restore that item.


What you do with it after that may prove more challenging because its contents are likely to be protected from alteration without that User Account's login information. The way you might need to go about it would be to first install macOS on that external disk, boot from it, then when asked if you want to migrate information from another Mac or its Time Machine backup, follow the above instructions.

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Can I restore a user from a Time Machine backup to an external hard drive?

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