Transferring a single folder from a Time Machine to a different Mac

You can also copy the folder from Finder from /Volumes/<Time Machine volume name>/Backups.backupdb/<Mac name>/.

If your backup is on a network volume like a Time Capsule, open the sparse bundle file like /Volumes/Data/Your Mac.sparsebundle/ first.

You can also run a command like cp -a /Volumes/Time\ Machine/Backups.backupdb/Your\ Mac/2014-07-17-184058/HD/Users/username/folder ~/Desktop or tmutil restore /Volumes/Time\ Machine/Backups.backupdb/Your\ Mac/2014-07-17-184058/HD/Users/username/folder ~/Desktop in a shell.

Finder and tmutil restore remove extended attributes like com.apple.metadata:_kTimeMachineNewestSnapshot but cp doesn't.

Try this.

Connect the external drive that you use for Time Machine backups.Once you enter Time Machine, you should see your saved backups in chronological order. Scroll through your backups and look for specific items or folders. Older dates are pink, newest copies are in white.

Use the Search field in the Time Machine Finder window to locate the file or folder you wish to restore.

Use Quick Look to select what you need, and then press the spacebar to view the file without having to launch its parent application.

Select the file or folder, and press the Restore button. The file will automatically be copied to your desktop or to the file’s original folder.