Cannot view files in Time Machine

I have my time machine backup on Time Capsule. I cannot view files while I am in the interface of time machine. Some files can be viewed with quick look such as photos and some eps or .ai files. Indesign documents will not view, address book will not view and many others. I did a series of tests and the files will restore just fine, but you cannot view them in the time machine mode. Very frustrating!! Is there a setting that I am missing?
Ben
27" imac 3.4GHz Intel Core i7, 8GB memory, ssd drive, 1TB drive, thunderbolt display second monitor

Flydesign wrote:
It would be nice to be able to go back in timemachine to a document that you had 6 months ago and ressurect it.
You can do that easily. If you can't view it via QuickLook, restore it to an alternate location, such as your desktop. See Time Machine - Frequently Asked Question #16.
I have been able to view documents in Time machine before.
Yes, some types of documents have always been viewable in TM backups. TextEdit, Pages, Numbers, Preview, and no doubt others. But some others aren't, and haven't been.
If bridge can view indesign documents, then Apple sure has the capability to add that as a feature to time machine.
Doubtful they'll do that for a 3rd-party app, but ask here: http://www.apple.com/feedback/timemachine.html
In 30+ years of design, I have only a handful of times forgot to save my work as I go.
Neither have I, but (a) it only takes once, and (b) most users don't. (Actually, most users don't even back up ).
Time Machine is not likely to change much in the forseeable future. If it doesn't meet your needs, there are lots of other backup apps around.

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Cannot retrieve files from Time Machine.

I cannot retrieve files from Time Machine. I can enter it, but the arrows don't seem to function and when I click on a date/time, nothing happens.

I don't know what you mean by "arrows". After Entering TM, put your pointer over one of the coloured (usually purple) dated bars at the right of the screen. That will bring (usually the desktop) for that date to the front. Navigate in the usual way to find the old file, select it, and press the big Restore button on the bottom left of your screen. As I remember it, a copy of that file will appear beside the current original with something like "Restored" added to is title. When you quit TM (Cancel) that restored file should appear beside its current version. (Or, if it's host folder has been deleted, smewhere else but I can't remember where - search for it.)

Cannot copy files from Time Machine

Hi,
I wanted to trash all my Time Machine Files yesterday but when I tried to empty the trash, my Mac started to count all the files on the trash for so long that I decided to undo that. So, I opened the trash and decided to move back again all my Time Machine back up files into the original disk where they where. My Mac started to count all the files and it did not stopped since then? What can I do to resolve this issue, since my Mac has been counting files since very late last night and it's been doing this ever since: it's been counting for at least one day?
Can I stop the process and do something else, I would not like to damage my disk or something else. I know I should have taken a «reformat» option instead but right now I do not know if I can stop this process or should I let it run for I do not know how long???
Please help!
Thanks
Robert
<Email Edited by Host>

Hi,
After consideration of all this precious time spent, I've decided finally to call at Apple support even if my Apple Care coverage had expired for so many years. The 35$ fee for a month services was largely worth the call and the service I received... So, with the help of a well trained expert, I got the job done very fast et efficiently! Mind you, I had to insist to be in the hand of a good expert before doing anything, this was a "must" in my case...
After explaining my problem to this expert I realized that I was in good hands: he knew what was the problem and he really made my call worth all the money. I agreed to share my screen with him and we started with Terminal.
First:
I emptied the trash by typing the proper command in Terminal. I tried it before but it wasn't working since all my backup files from Time Machine where not on my local disk, they where on another internal disk. With his help, I identified the proper disk and when Terminal executed the command, it was done in no time. Sweet, no more counting! But my files where still on the trash, no one could tell how long this would take to trash everything. I had a zillion files in my Backup from Time Machine!
Second:
So, I asked my expert: "since we don't know how long will this process will take, will reformatting the disk, be better and will this save time? Is it possible since all my files on this disk are in the trash? He said: "Yes it will work even if your files are in the trash". Ok, let's do it! So, I've stopped the process after a few minutes and started Disk Utility. I then identified the volume and hit the "erase" button.
Voilà, the job was done perfectly after 2 minutes, my disk was clean.
Conclusion:
Is it both actions that did the job, I cannot say. But in my case, it worked perfectly. I know, I should have reformat my disk first, it would have save me so much time.
May my mistake serve other users in the futur! If anyone would like the command codes I used in Terminal, feel free to ask.
Live long and prosper Mr. Technician!
Robert M.
<Personal Information Edited By Host>

Cannot access files on Time Machine due to permissions

I wiped my hard drive and reinstalled Mountain Lion. I am now trying to pull my files back off of Time Machine - music, pictures, documents. I keep getting errors stating I do not have permission to access certain files and the whole process shuts down. On my backup drive, I had a different username. Is that the problem? If so, how can I fix it without creating a new user with my old name and creating more problems?

I suspect that the problem isn't so much a different user name but a different user ID. You can see that for your current account in System Preferences > Users & Groups by right-clicking on a user and selecting "Advanced Options". (Heed the warning about changing the values you see in that panel!)
You can see the user ID for a file in Time Machine using a command in a Terminal session. Open a session and type "ls -ln ", where the letters "l" are lower-case "L"s and there's a space after what you type. (Don't type the quotes.) Then use the Finder to navigate to a file on your Time Machine disk that you can't access, drag it to the Terminal window, and press <return>. The user ID will be shown in the third field. It will probably be a number like as 501. If your account's user ID is 501 and that of the Time Machine files is 502, I'd create a new account on your Mac. It will probably be given the user ID 502, which will match that of the Time Machine files.

Cannot find files after time machine restore

I have reinstalled my mac mini with Lion. After installation, I have restored the files from my time machine backup, files have been copied with window showing the copying progress.
But after the copying, I can't find the files/apps in the new system that should exisit in the backup of time machine.
I have tried restore different folders but still no change can be seen.
Anything wrong or what's the problem?

Hmmm, get Find Any File...
http://apps.tempel.org/FindAnyFile/
Hold Option or alt key when selecting Find to Find All.
Search for some unique file or even part that should've been imported/migrated.

Cannot Access Files on Time Machine

Hi all I was hoping that I can get some help on Time Machine issue I have. I am having trouble accessing my external hard drive backup (WD My Passport for Mac) on Time Machine. I want to restore iPhoto. Somehow I have excluded items on Time Machine that I now need to put on to my Mac. When I hit the option key on Time Machine Preferences I can see the folder I want to restore but when I hit "-" nothing changes.
I can also see the same disk as a backup disk but only the unused portion. I am using Yosemite. I hope someone can help!!

Triple-click the line below on this page to select it:
~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.TimeMachine.plist
Right-click or control-click the highlighted line and select
Services ▹ Reveal in Finder (or just Reveal)
from the contextual menu.* A Finder window should open with a file named "com.apple.TimeMachine.plist" selected. Move the file to the Trash.
Repeat with this line:
~/Library/Preferences/ByHost
A folder named "ByHost" should open. Inside that folder, there may be a file with a long name beginning "com.apple.TimeMachine." If the file exists, move it to the Trash.
Restart the computer and test.
*If you don't see the contextual menu item, copy the selected text to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C. In the Finder, select
Go ▹ Go to Folder...
from the menu bar and paste into the box that opens by pressing command-V. You won't see what you pasted because a line break is included. Press return.

Cannot add file in time machine to ignore list

Hi,
I have here Snow Leopard 10.6.1 and bought a time capsule.
I have parallels installed as VM and file fault is activate for my home directory (I'm the only user on the mac book pro).
Now I wanted to added the paralles harddisk to the ignore.
But time machine does not allow it.
If I open the options all file in my home dir are greyed out.
How can I add files in my homedir to a ignore list in time machine?
TIA
Matthias

Idefix6 wrote:
sry, maybe I understood you wrong.
If I change one file on my file fault (which is around 40GB of size) does time machine then backup the complete sparse file again or only transmit the change?
it only backs up the changes. that's why sparse bundles were introduced in leopard - precisely to deal with this very issue. a sparse bundle disk image as opposed to a regular sparse disk image is split in a number of small bands (8Mb in size by default). when TM does incremental backups it only backs up afresh new and changed bands and hard links the unchanged bands to existing backup copies. that makes backing up sparse bundles using TM somewhat bearable. if you try to back up a regular disk image with TM it will back it up afresh after any change however tiny to its contents. that would quickly fill up the backup drive if you are talking about a 40GB disk image.
If it only transmit the change I can move out my parallels disk to the folder All Users and ignore the file here.

Cannot access files in time machine backups

Greetings all. Thanks for your help with this.
I've recently replaced my internal HD in my 2009 MBP. Of course, I ran a backup to my external 1TB. Installed the new HD, reinstalled Mountain Lion, and figured...fresh start, let's just grab what I need from Time Machine and start "new." Well, when I get into Time Machine, it shows all of my backups, ever, which it should, but when I access the backup I want to draw from, I can't access the files I need. Everything in the Finder window, except for my computer name and the applications folder, is greyed out. THIS IS FRUSTRATING TO ME.
I've tried this..associating the new backups with the old:
http://pondini.org/TM/B6.html
didn't work.
I don't want to do a full backup from migration assistant. I like the idea of a fresh start with just my media. Any ideas? I"m so frustrated right now.
Thanks

I can't see backups for a disk/partition that's no longer connected

Cant access some of my files in time machine- says I dont have permission to view them.

Hi, I cant seem to find some of my older files in time machine. Says I dont have permission to view them. I recently had a new hard drive installed in my Mac and had all info restored to it then did a time machine back up onto my WD drive. Time machine window still seems to have the earlier dates and windows but I cant acces them. Anyone got any ideas how I can safely get them back? Thanks D

nastassjasouthend wrote:
I' ve been working in FC10
Specifically. what version number?
Russ

I can't restore 'library' with support files from Time Machine

backup - I can't restore 'library' with support files from Time Machine - Ask Different
Due to an accident, my entire applications folder with all the support files, including plists and caches got deleted.
I tried restoring by files from the most recent Time Machine backups but I cannot retrieve my applications with the support files.
I even tried it with migration assistant on a new image.
Is this impossible?
Must I start from scratch?
Details of the ‘accident’
I was using this app called ‘AppCleaner’ that also automatically deletes related support files which are normally left behind if one simply trashes an Application.
In the search view, I typed the app name and I selected all the apps in the results using Command + A. Unfortunately, this selected every single Application in the Applications Folder in the background and I trashed and deleted all files.
Anyway.
I tried to restore the applications and library from my Time Machine Back-ups but failed to do so because I didn’t have enough space to restore. (I have a 11inch Macbook Air 2012 64GB SSD
When I tried to restart in recovery mode, I had the same problem, I was disallowed the option to restore using my time capsule backups because my SSD didn’t have enough space for the backup.
I then tried to restore it to a totally different but new image on a 64GB USB3.0 Sandisk USB Stick, but the process stopped after hours of being stuck around 30.4 percent and the computer was unable to boot, leaving me with a persistent verbose message suggesting it couldn’t identify the os, kernel or anything.
I finally tried restoring the state using migration assistant on the very same SSD that had my files missing. This happened successfully and I have all my applications in the applications folder.
But now I have 13GB free (I had 2GB before) and all my application support files, saved states, preferences, caches and customizations are gone.
Basically, it feels like I just got a new macbook with my documents and itunes folder loaded on to it.
How can I get my apps back to the pre-deletion state or is this impossible? Do I have to start from scratch? I thought my Time Machine Backups would restore it to exactly the same state, am I wrong?
Screenshots:
Message was edited by: Arsenenger

Can you simply navigate to your Time Machine backup with the Finder? Treat it like an external hardrive and just look for your old Applications folder. /Applications/
Also, quite a few apps put config and support files in ~/Library/Application\ Support/
So you may be able to get the files from there as well.

Why can't I restore a file from Time Machine?

I purchased a new Macbook Pro a month ago. I migrated all my stuff from my previous Macbook that was running Maverick. All went well. However, I was looking for a particular file. Apparently I had removed it from my old Mac at some point, but I found it in Time Machine. My backups are on an external hard drive. Again, I can see the file in Time Machine, but I can't seem to do anything with it.
To that end, I see two files: one has shows the file size, and the other (same name, file type, etc...) says "Calculating size"...forever.
Thoughts? Suggestions?

Launch the Console application in any of the following ways:
☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)
☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.
☞ Open LaunchPad and start typing the name.
The title of the Console window should be All Messages. If it isn't, select
SYSTEM LOG QUERIES ▹ All Messages
from the log list on the left. If you don't see that list, select
View ▹ Show Log List
from the menu bar at the top of the screen.
Click the Clear Display icon in the toolbar. Then try the restore operation again. Select any messages that appear in the Console window. Copy them to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C. Paste into a reply to this message by pressing command-V.
The log contains a vast amount of information, almost all of which is irrelevant to solving any particular problem. When posting a log extract, be selective. A few dozen lines are almost always more than enough.
Please don't indiscriminately dump thousands of lines from the log into this discussion.
Please don't post screenshots of log messages—post the text.
Some private information, such as your name or email address, may appear in the log. Anonymize before posting.

Don't see photo files in time machine

I'm new to mac/brand new time machine user.
I just backed up for the first time. I had no apps open.
I can't seem to view photos in time machine. Other files seem to be there. but in the iphoto library I can only see a placeholder for 430 MB. I have 17G of photos.
Can somebody help me solve this?
Thanks

Got it.
I'm having fun working through some of these issues on my new OS. The best thing so far I have been able to rapidly find answers online by perusing forums. This is the first time I actually had to post a question. I suppose if I had googled "alternate handling of photos on time machine" maybe I'd have gotten a hit. But I had no luck with "can't view photos on time machine."
Anyhow thanks much. Photos are obviously precious. I went one day with BU and I lost a photo. (lost power while working with file.)
Off topic. Interesting that right click is suggested several times in the FAQ. But it is not the iMAC default. I was going to try to do without it, but it seems like even the Apple pros prefer it. Seeems strange it is not the default.
Thanks again.

Hidden files in Time Machine...

I've lost my bookmarks in Firefox and I'd like to restore them from my last time machine backup. The 'bookmarks.html' file (in time machine) is unfortunately in my Library which is now hidden. How can I view this file in timemachine so that I can restore it?

scratch that about hidden files.
What you need is visible Library
in terminal run this:
chflags nohidden ~/Library
Message was edited by: leroydouglas

Upgraded to Mavericks, can't find files on time machine

I have an external hard drive where I backup my Macbook Pro. I recently upgraded to Mavericks and now I can't find old files on time machine. I am looking for a file around a certain date, but no matter what date I look at in time machine - the files and data seem to be the same. I hope someone has a solution to my problem!

Hi Miax1,
Welcome to the Apple Support Communities!
I understand that you are looking for a specific file in your Time Machine backup. It sounds like you are familiar with the interface but just cannot find the file. Just to make sure you are searching in the right area, I suggest reviewing the Restoring data from Time Machine backups section from the following article. Please let me know if you need further assistance.
Mac Basics: Time Machine backs up your Mac
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1427
Restoring specific files or folders
Choose Enter Time Machine from the Time Machine menu. The restore interface appears. You can literally see your windows as they appeared "back in time."
You can use the timeline on the right side of the window to reach a certain point back in time. The timeline shows the times of all backups on your backup drive. If you don’t know exactly when you deleted or changed a file, you can use the back arrow to let Time Machine automatically travel through time to show you when that folder last changed.
Note: Dates in pink indicate the data resides on your Time Machine backup device. Dates in white indicate the data resides on your Mac. In OS X Lion v10.7 and later, portable Macs include local snapshots.
You can also perform a Spotlight search from the Finder. Simply enter a search term in the Spotlight search field, and use the back arrow to have Time Machine search through your backups to find what you are looking for.
Before you restore a file, you can also use Quick Look to preview a file to make sure its the one you want. Highlight the file and press the Space Bar to bring up a quick look.
To restore, select the file/folder and click the "Restore" button. The file will automatically be copied to the desktop or appropriate folder. If the file you are restoring has another file in the same location with the same name, you will be prompted to choose which file to keep or keep both.
I hope this helps,
-Joe

Locating parallels files in time machine

I'm looking for specific files within my virtual machine (Windows XP) in my time machine back ups. Does anyone know how to locate files or folders within the .pvm?
Thanks

Flydesign wrote:
It would be nice to be able to go back in timemachine to a document that you had 6 months ago and ressurect it.
You can do that easily. If you can't view it via QuickLook, restore it to an alternate location, such as your desktop. See Time Machine - Frequently Asked Question #16.
I have been able to view documents in Time machine before.
Yes, some types of documents have always been viewable in TM backups. TextEdit, Pages, Numbers, Preview, and no doubt others. But some others aren't, and haven't been.
If bridge can view indesign documents, then Apple sure has the capability to add that as a feature to time machine.
Doubtful they'll do that for a 3rd-party app, but ask here: http://www.apple.com/feedback/timemachine.html
In 30+ years of design, I have only a handful of times forgot to save my work as I go.
Neither have I, but (a) it only takes once, and (b) most users don't. (Actually, most users don't even back up ).
Time Machine is not likely to change much in the forseeable future. If it doesn't meet your needs, there are lots of other backup apps around.

Cannot view files in Time Machine

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