Restoring an individual note from the Notes.app via TM backup

[Speed38]

I did some searching, and found this older thread.
If you have a finder window open looking at your TM drive, then select Time Machine, you can scroll back as normal.

Post number 4 below

Post in thread 'Time Machine not working to see back in time'
https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...ing-to-see-back-in-time.2399852/post-32413980

In that thread which you linked to, it sounds like the poster has simply discovered how TM is supposed to work. You open a Finder window then you Browse TimeMachine. He posted "This is where I found a workaround. While this volume window is in the foreground, I can use the Time Machine menu to successfully "Browse Time Machine Backups" or click the "Enter Time Machine" button. Suddenly, Time Machine's interface seems fully functional. From this point, I can browse to whatever files/folders I desire to recover." His so-called "volume window" is a Finder window, it's not a "workaround".

 

[MarkC426]

In that thread which you linked to, it sounds like the poster has simply discovered how TM is supposed to work. You open a Finder window then you Browse TimeMachine. He posted "This is where I found a workaround. While this volume window is in the foreground, I can use the Time Machine menu to successfully "Browse Time Machine Backups" or click the "Enter Time Machine" button. Suddenly, Time Machine's interface seems fully functional. From this point, I can browse to whatever files/folders I desire to recover." His so-called "volume window" is a Finder window, it's not a "workaround".

What happens is, if you have a ‘finder’ open showing your TM backups (which you can obviously browse also).
THEN go to ‘Browse Time Machine Backups’ from your screen top menu, the TM interface opens and works normally.

 

[Speed38]

Did you end up getting your missing notes from your Time Machine backup (the original query)…..?

Nope. Never did.

 

[Speed38]

To sort of wrap this up, a contributor to Apple Support forums noted:

Make sure you have a Time Machine backup of the current state of all data.

First, in the Notes settings, check the box to "Enable the On My Mac account." Move all your iCloud notes into the On My Mac account. Then quit Notes.

Disconnect from the Internet by turning off Wi-Fi and/or unplugging the network cable, as applicable.

Next, restore from Time Machine the whole folder ~/Library/Group Containers/group.com.apple.notes and also the folders in ~/Library/Containers related to Notes.

Relaunch Notes. You should now see your notes as they were at the time of the snapshot you restored from. Move any of those notes that you want to keep to the On My Mac account. Leave the rest alone.

Reconnect to the Internet. The latest versions of your iCloud notes should be restored, overwriting the older versions. You can then move the notes you moved into On My Mac back to iCloud.

 

[BrianBaughn]

You might be able to combine the advice you've received so far with creating a new APFS volume on your Mac, installing the proper version of macOS on it (the one that had the note you need), and then restoring from a TM backup that you know has the note.

 

[Speed38]

I am about at wits end and fearful that I am, so to speak, punching above my weight, involving myself in courses of action which are not going to end well. E.g., I would not know how to even begin to follow the suggestion to create a new APFS volume, install the proper version of macOS, etc. I greatly appreciate all the feedback and suggestions but at this point, I am just going to say Sayonara to that long-ago deleted note.