Restore a File from Time Machine with tmutil restore

Copy a specific file out of a dated backup folder straight to a destination path, no GUI needed.

macOSbackupmacosFilestime-machineMedium risk

Run `sudo tmutil restore <path-inside-backup> <destination>` — the last argument is where the file lands and must not already exist.

01Command

Command

$ sudo tmutil restore /Volumes/Backup/Backups.backupdb/<Mac>/<date>/Macintosh\ HD/Users/me/doc.txt ~/Documents/doc-restored.txt

02What it does

Time Machine stores dated snapshots under Backups.backupdb (or the volume layout used by APFS backups), so you can browse the backup volume and copy the exact version you need. `tmutil restore` does more than a plain cp: like Finder it also restores the file's Time Machine metadata such as extended attributes. Give the source path inside the backup first and the destination last; tmutil refuses to overwrite, so if the destination exists, delete or rename it first. Run inside a Terminal that has Full Disk Access to the backup volume if permissions complain.

03Risk

RiskMedium risk

RequirementsTime Machine backups available on the backup volume; sudo.

!Warning: tmutil restore will not overwrite an existing destination file — pick a new name or move the old one away first.

04Undo

✓No undo needed — this command does not change persistent state.

05Sources

tmutil(8) man page
Xcode Man Pages (keith.github.io) · technical · 2026-09-17
Evidence: Man page for tmutil: the restore verb copies items from a backup to a destination, requires the last path argument to be the destination, and warns the destination must not already exist.
tmutil - Time Machine management utility
SS64 · technical · 2026-09-17
Evidence: Documents `restore [-v] src … dst`: 'Restore. The last path argument must be a destination… for the restore verb, tmutil behaves largely like Finder' restoring data and Time Machine metadata.

Last verified: 2026-09-19 · Category: Files & Folders