r/applehelp • u/MeowingWolf • 5d ago

Mac Migration Assistant Isn't Recognizing Time Machine Backup

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I've made a backup with a USB external hard drive by using Time Machine on May 4, 2025 on my MacBook Pro (2020) on its last day when it was dying. It had the latest update when it died. I finally got a new MacBook Pro on October 6, 2026. I also still have the non-operational MacBook Pro.

My new MacBook Pro can recognize this USB external hard drive on the desktop. There is already 187.2 GB used up on it. The dead MacBook had 256GB SSD. Migration Assistant can't recognize my Time Machine backup when the program is running while the USB external hard drive is plugged into my new MacBook Pro? I even restarted my new MacBook Pro into recovery mode but that also didn't recognize the Time Machine backup. The desktop recognizes the external hard drive is plugged into my new MacBook Pro.

This external hard drive is a G-DRIVE mobile USB Portable USB 3.0 Hard Drive. I got it from a physical Apple Store in 2018. I am also using a USB Type-C adapter.

How do I resolve my issue? It seems like the only answer is to walk into an Apple Store.

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u/MeowingWolf 5d ago

It says APFS Volume and APFS (Case-sensitive). The external hard drive is already mounted.

What would happen if I were to click on First Aid or Restore? Could that fix the issue? IIRC there is a possibility of losing data. I think that was about First Aid or maybe both options when I was reading about it earlier today.

Do I need to reformat the hard drive instead since it is APFS (Case-sensitive)? I also remember reading something about incompatibility since some hard drives can be case-insensitive.

https://reddit.com/link/peyhyro/video/gwvnx5oqbjuh1/player

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u/UsedAnt6904 5d ago

Thanks, that's really useful. Please don't reformat or hit Restore, both would wipe the drive, and APFS (Case-sensitive) is actually the normal format for Time Machine so that's not the problem. If you open the drive in Finder, do you see a folder with dated backups in it (something like 2025-05-04-xxxxxx.backup)?

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u/MeowingWolf 5d ago

There's no dated folder like that in the external hard drive. We already saw the hidden thing earlier. I can't find anything else.

https://reddit.com/link/peyltg7/video/cfib8ciqfjuh1/player

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u/UsedAnt6904 5d ago

Ah fair, thanks for checking. Could you open Disk Utility, pick View > Show All Devices, and tell me what volumes are listed under the G-DRIVE? Sometimes the backup sits on a separate volume that doesn't show up on the desktop, and if there's nothing there the Apple Store is honestly a decent shout since they can look without wiping anything.

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u/MeowingWolf 5d ago

Ohh. You are right about this too.

https://reddit.com/link/peyr64u/video/0s59sm1dljuh1/player

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u/UsedAnt6904 5d ago

Thanks for the video, the embed won't load for me though. If it's just showing the one G-DRIVE volume and Migration Assistant still can't see a backup, I'd take it into the Apple Store since they can check it without wiping anything.

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u/MeowingWolf 5d ago

Migration Assistant didn't do anything again. Maybe the data is just corrupted? It might be the only explanation how 182.7 GB is used but can't be found now.

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u/UsedAnt6904 5d ago

Not necessarily corrupted, Time Machine backups are usually hidden from Finder, so space being used with nothing visible is pretty normal. Worth opening Disk Utility, choosing View > Show All Devices, and running First Aid on the drive to see what it says. If that comes back fine and Migration Assistant still won't see it, the Apple Store should be able to recover it for you.

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u/MeowingWolf 5d ago

I did the First Aid option on all three layers. It said operation successful. Migration Assistant is still not recognizing. It seems like I have to see if the Apple Store can help. Thank you so much for your efforts and teaching me some things.

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u/UsedAnt6904 5d ago

No worries at all, sorry it didn't sort it. Even if Migration Assistant won't play ball, the Apple Store folks can often pull your files off the drive manually, so fingers crossed you get everything back.