Back-In-Time 5.1.1 for Mac

Mac Utilities

Updated Nov 6, 2026

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Back-In-Time is a Mac utility from TRI-EDRE that fixes the weakest part of Apple's Time Machine: actually finding and restoring your files. Time Machine's own interface forces you to step through backups one at a time, while Back-In-Time works as a normal Mac app with a browser view of everything Time Machine has saved. You can see data from several Time Machine disks, several Macs and several drives at the same time, check how many versions of a file exist across all backups, and restore items without leaving your desktop workflow.

Key Features

• Browse Time Machine backups in a standard app window — no full-screen time travel view
• Shows how many versions of each file exist across all of your backups
• See which items first appeared in a backup and which were deleted since
• Browse and recover data from Time Machine drives belonging to other Macs
• Options to remove selected data from backups and to view invisible items and package contents

How to Download

1. Use the green Download button on this page to check the current version and details.
2. Visit the developer's website, TRI-EDRE, and find Back-In-Time in its Mac software section.
3. Download it from the official site, install it, and point it at your existing Time Machine backup drive.

System Requirements

Back-In-Time 5 requires a Mac running a recent version of macOS with an existing Time Machine backup to browse; the 5.1.1 release addressed changes introduced with macOS 10.15 Catalina, where apps live in both /Applications and /System/Applications. It works with local and network Time Machine drives.

FAQs

Does Back-In-Time make its own backups?

No. It does not replace Time Machine — it gives you a better interface for the backups Time Machine already makes, so Time Machine must be set up and running first.

Can it restore a file I deleted weeks ago?

Yes, as long as a Time Machine backup from before the deletion still exists. Back-In-Time lists every version it finds, so you can pick the exact copy you want back.