Show Hidden Library Folder Time Machine

Time Machine in macOS can work within a number of apps, letting you retrieve older versions of files or even deleted email messages in the Mail app. However, if an entire folder of stuff goes away, you need to turn to the Finder.

Show Hidden Library Folder Time Machine

Macworld reader Harold found himself in this pinch, because a folder that contains all his business emails disappeared from Mail without any action on his part that he’s aware of. He first tried to use Time Machine within Mail, opening Mail, then choosing Enter Time Machine from the Time Machine system menu item. Every time he did so, Mail quit!

If you’re using IMAP, a protocol for syncing messages with a remote server to a local app’s mailbox, it’s possible to recover it that way, assuming the deletion didn’t propagate to the server, too. You should be able to select in Mail: Mailbox > Synchronize > Mail account name, and this will restore access to the messages.

Failing that, however, Time Machine can still do the trick, because it’s backing up the mailbox files that Mail uses to store messages locally.

Open your Time Machine folder using Finder. Double-click on the Backups.backupdb folder. Double-click on your old Mac folder. Double-click on Latest. It should be the last file on the list. Double-click on Macintosh HD. Select the folder that stores the files you want to recover, like Applications, Library, System, or Users. Open a Finder window in the folder that previously stored the lost Word file. Launch Time Machine by clicking the Time Machine icon on the menu bar. Search through the snapshots and backups using Time Machine’s timeline and arrows to locate the Word document that you want to recover. Select the file you want to retrieve and click the Restore. Open File Explorer from the taskbar. Select View Options Change folder and search options. Select the View tab and, in Advanced settings, select Show hidden files, folders, and drives and OK.

1. In the Finder, choose Enter Time Machine from the Time Machine system menu item.

2. Go to your Home directory, then open the Library folder, then the Mail folder inside that.

3. You may see multiple folders at the next level. Look for the one starting with V that has the most recent modification date and open it.

4. You’ll see several folder with long hexadecimal (base 16) names. One of these is the folder that corresponds to the mail account that has the mailbox you need in it. Open each in turn until you find the right one.

5. Restore the file with the name of the missing mailbox, like Small House Design.mbox to the Desktop or somewhere, not to the original location.

6. Exit Time Machine.

7. Switch to Mail, and then choose File > Import Mailboxes.

8. Choose Apple Mail, and click Continue. (Even though the folders end with mbox, they’re not using the standard Unix mbox format, which can be used to import mail folders from other platforms.)

9. Select the mbox file in at this stage and click Choose.

10. All the messages under Items To Import will be selected by default, and that’s likely what you want to keep in place.

Show Hidden Library Folder Time Machine Download

11. Click Continue.

12. You’ll see a dialog that the messages are in a folder and it tells you the name, which is typical “Import” unless that folder already exists.

13. Look in the Mailboxes view at left under On My Mac, and the Import folder should be at the bottom. Select it.

14. All your messages will appear in the summary column if imported correctly. (If you click open the folders under the mailbox name, you’ll see a whole hierarchy you can ignore.)

15. Re-create the mailbox that was deleted.

16. From the Import mailbox, select all the messages and drag them into the mailbox you want them back in. If that mailbox is hosted on an IMAP server, Mail will upload them there.

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Hello everyone,



I have two Macs: one in the office (iMac) and one at home (MacBookAir) running both on OS 10.8.5. I do TM backups of the office computer on an external hard disk and I woud like to use the backups to access work files (documents, mail, keychains etc..) from the home computer.


I have noticed that in OS 10.8.5 I cannot neither see in the Finder nor access (through Terminal commands) from the home Mac the ~/Library folder stored in the hard disk by means of a TM backup done on the office Mac.


I went through old discussions debating about the hidden ~/Library folder and I am able to see and access the /Library folder in the TM backups done with the SAME computer upon opening the local ~/Library folder and then entering Time Machine.


When I had the office Mac running on OS 10.6 and the home Mac on 10.8 there was no problem for accessing at home the /Library folder backed up through the office Mac. It was visible and accessible from the Finder.


Is there a way to access the TM backup ~/Library folder from a computer which is not the same which did the TM backup?


Help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks a lot!

Show Hidden Library Folder Time Machine Software

Posted on Jan 4, 2014 11:09 AM