220-1102 Question 215
Single answerTime MachineA user with a MacBook running macOS says they accidentally deleted an important Pages document yesterday afternoon. The file was stored in their Documents folder, and they have been using Time Machine with an external backup drive for several months. The Mac is working normally, and the backup drive is available. Which action should the technician take FIRST to recover the file with the LEAST impact to the user's current data?
- A
Open Time Machine while viewing the Documents folder and restore the version of the file from a backup taken before it was deleted
- B
Boot into macOS Recovery and restore the entire system from the most recent Time Machine backup
- C
Use Disk Utility to repair the external Time Machine drive before attempting any restore
- D
Create a new user profile and migrate the user's files from the Time Machine backup
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
Time Machine in macOS supports point-in-time restoration of individual files, folders, or an entire Mac. In a real support scenario, technicians should choose the least invasive recovery method that resolves the issue. When a user accidentally deletes a file and both the Mac and Time Machine backup are available, the recommended approach is to navigate to the original folder, open Time Machine, locate a backup from before the deletion, and restore the file. Full-system recovery through macOS Recovery is reserved for broader failures such as disk replacement or major OS issues. This aligns with Apple's documented Time Machine workflow for restoring specific files and folders.
- A. Correct.
Correct. If the Mac is functioning and only a single user file was deleted, the best first step is to open the folder where the file was originally stored and enter Time Machine to browse backups from before the deletion. This restores only the needed file and minimizes impact on the rest of the user's current data. Time Machine is designed for both full-system recovery and granular restoration of individual files or folders.
- B. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Restoring the entire system from Time Machine is much more disruptive and is typically used after drive failure, OS corruption, or full-system replacement. In this scenario, only one document is missing and the system is otherwise working, so a full restore is unnecessary and could overwrite newer changes.
- C. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Disk Utility is used to check and repair supported disks and file systems, but there is no indication the backup drive is damaged or unreadable. Repairing the disk first is not the appropriate initial step when the backup drive is available and the task is simply to recover one deleted file.
- D. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Creating a new profile and migrating data is not the normal recovery method for a single deleted document. Migration is more appropriate when moving data to a new Mac or rebuilding a user environment, not for restoring one missing file from an existing Time Machine backup.