access time machine files after osx re-install

[m.moore]

i have a backup of my system in time machine on external hd. can i delete the imac hd and re-install osx and access all my files from the external hd time machine backup?

 

[rkaufmann87]

i have a backup of my system in time machine on external hd. can i delete the imac hd and re-install osx and access all my files from the external hd time machine backup?

YES! That's one of the major points of Time Machine. When you do an erase and install the last part of the installation is you will be asked if you want to restore from TM or another volume. From there just restore from your TM drive and if you choose all the options your new install will look like your old one.

One recommendation, is get a second external drive and make a bootable clone so you have a redundant backup. The reason to do that is twofold, if the internal drive on your computer dies you can be up and running in minutes and if something happens with your TM backup you have another backup.