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Viewing Time Machine backups from other Macs

Apple’s built-in Time Machine app makes it simple to back up Mac data. You can also view the files that were backed up on another computer by following these steps.

Great backup drives

How it’s done

Make sure you have the physical backup drive that was used with the other computer. From there:

  1. Plug in your external backup device to your Mac and make sure it’s powered on.
  2. Go into Finder and click on the external backup device.
  3. Select the folder called Backups.backupdb.

  4. Double click on the folder with the name of the Mac.
  5. You will see folders identified for the dates backups occurred. Drill down to find the documents you wish to review.

  6. Copy and paste the files/folders you want to copy to your computer.

Please note: Make sure you don’t “Move” the files or rename them. If you alter any of them, you may have problems using the native Time Machine app with that backup instance. Instead, only copy and paste.

Our top equipment pick

There are countless hard drives available that support Apple’s Time Machine app for backup purposes. These three are among the best on the market.

Ideal for most users

G-Technology G-Drive 1TB

$70 at Amazon

Durable, colorful accessory

USB-C ready plus USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt 3 compatible, this stylish drive from G-Technology is lightweight and Mac ready.

Also available with 2TB and 4TB, G-Technology’s G-Drive is one of the easiest drives to use for backup. Just plug it in and you’re halfway there! It’s available in silver, space gray, and rose gold.

Other options

The following hard drives are also among our favorites for 2019.

SanDisk Extreme Portable External 250B, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB

starting at $73 at Amazon

This product proves that even hard drives can be beautiful.

LaCie Porsche Design 1TB, 2TB, 4TB

starting at $90 at Amazon

LaCie is well known for its backup devices; this is one of the most popular on the market.

Source of the article – iMore