Deleting Files from Time Machine Backups
Apple has done a not-so-great job in documenting how to properly delete files from a Time Machine backup: Time Machine's online help doesn't explain how to do this, yet the solution is mentioned shortly on Time Machine's product page on the Apple website (it's under "Back up only what you need"). No wonder that, even though this topic has been addressed on several websites already, people keep asking how this works. Here's the answer to that question -- yet again.
Aaaaaaand Action Menu!
The features you're looking for are located in the Action menu in the Finder's toolbar: after launching Time Machine with the Finder in the foreground, find the files that you would like to delete, select them, and open the Action menu.
To delete just the version of these files specific for the date you are currently looking at, choose "Delete Backup". All other versions of these files -- both older and newer -- will not be touched and remain in the Time Machine backup. To completely delete all versions of the files from Time Machine, choose "Delete All Backups of <...>".
By the way, there's another useful command in the Action menu: "Restore <...> to…". Unlike the Restore button in the lower right corner of Time Machine's full-screen window, which restores files to their original location, you can use this menu command to save the restored files to another folder or even another hard drive.
Note that, unlike in the "normal" Finder, the functionality found in the Action menu while in Time Machine is not available in a context menu, so you must have the Action menu installed to access the Time Machine features explained here. If the Action menu is missing from the Finder windows on your Mac, simply re-install it via the Finder's View > Customize toolbar… menu command.
Mo' Safer Backup Deletion
In case you would like to securely erase sensitive data that has ended up in your Time Machine backup, deleting them as described above is just the first step: as with any file deletion in the Finder, only the deleted files' entries in the hard drive's directory are removed -- the actual data is still on the drive and can possibly be retrieved with utilities like TechTool Pro. To prevent that from happening, use the "Erase Free Space" function in Disk Utility after you've deleted the files from Time Machine.
Have you found any other not-as-obvious-as-they-should-be features in Time Machine? Let's hear 'em in the comments!
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Sue Mi:
Since I wrote this piece three years ago, some items in the Action menu have changed, and the menu now is also available as a context menu.
The commands covered in the article are still available, however, and they still work as I explained.
Hence, would you be so kind to explain what you tried to do, and at what step the process failed? Thank you.
These instructions are bad. Does not work.
Good point, Rob.
The way Time Machine deletes older backups is problematic, indeed, because you cannot tell exactly which files will be removed from the backup for good. So, following your suggestion can help keep those backups around that you really need, vs. wasting too much space with multiple copies of bigger files.
Jochen Wolters said:
"Then again, why would you want to delete individual versions of a file from a Time Machine backup? (And no, this is _not_ meant to be a rhetorical question! :) )"
Answer: Deleting files in a TM backup isn't just for privacy/security, deleting files is also good for clearing out unneeded copies of files. Say you have a 5GB file that has been backed up 20 times due to minor changes. All versions of this one file are taking up 100GB of space! Deleting older versions of the file is a great way to come up with more room in your Time Machine drive, so it doesn't fill up so quickly (and start deleting files you may need).
Thank you so much!
Glad to help, Andrew. :)
Thank you very much, solution was simple and elegant, had a virus infected file that had been backed up and while my virus scan could find it in the backup's it was unable to act on it
DrLex:
The idea behind the "Delete Backup" function is, indeed, to completely remove all versions of the selected file(s) and/or folder(s) from your Time Machine backup, which is useful for erasing unencrypted confidential information, etc.
As for deleting only specific versions of a file while generally keeping the file in the backup, you can navigate through the folder hierarchy of the Backups.backupdb folder on your Time Machine drive to find the version you would like to dispose of. This, however, is something you should only try if you're fully aware of what you might get yourself into by deleting the wrong files.
Then again, why would you want to delete individual versions of a file from a Time Machine backup? (And no, this is _not_ meant to be a rhetorical question! :) )
Mind that the "Delete Backup" menu item will delete all files of the currently displayed date, not just the selected files. I wish there was indeed an option to delete a specific version of specific files only.
D Terry,
I'm afraid I don't know of a way to delete hidden files or folders in a way similar to what's described in the above blog post.
What's more, when running out of space on the backup drive, Time Machine will weed out older backups automatically. If, nevertheless, you do want to manually make some room on the drive, you can use a utility like GrandPerspective and check out which files take up the most room on the drive.
http://grandperspectiv.sourceforge.net/
Drill down into one of the backups in the backup database, at least as far down as your main users' folder, and start GrandPerspective's scan. Once you've found out which are the biggest files (that you can abandon, of course), delete them via the Time Machine application as outlined in this blog post.
Do make sure, however, that you really don't need the deleted files anymore, as you cannot undo this operation!
By the way, when looking at the respective users' folders on the Time Machine drive in Terminal, you will see that these do not contain the .Trash folders. Hence, Time Machine does not seem to back these up after all.
Great tip. But how can one see the "hidden" files that have been backed up if one wants to delete them. For example--trash--which is backed up unless specifically deleted. I need to make more room in my back up drive...
Thanks, useful tip.
Thanks for that tip! However, I had previously moved some old backups t the Trash and now I can't delete them. Have tried secure empty trash and everything - with no luck. Any suggestions?
Glad to be of help, Nortons.
thanks I could not find the solution anywhere.... difficult to find easy to execute.. thanks...I had to do it because time machine keep giving a full disk error which did not make any sense...