timeshift
System backup and restore using snapshots
TLDR
List all snapshots
$ sudo timeshift --list
Create a snapshot with a description$ sudo timeshift --create --comments "[description]"
Create a snapshot with a specific tag$ sudo timeshift --create --tags D
Check and create a snapshot if scheduled$ sudo timeshift --check
Restore a specific snapshot$ sudo timeshift --restore --snapshot '[snapshot_name]'
Restore a snapshot to a specific target device$ sudo timeshift --restore --snapshot '[snapshot_name]' --target-device [/dev/sda1]
Delete a specific snapshot$ sudo timeshift --delete --snapshot '[snapshot_name]'
Delete all snapshots$ sudo timeshift --delete-all
SYNOPSIS
timeshift [OPTIONS]
DESCRIPTION
timeshift is a system restore utility for Linux that creates incremental snapshots of the filesystem using rsync or btrfs snapshots. It allows rolling back system changes while preserving user data.Similar to Windows System Restore or macOS Time Machine for system files.
PARAMETERS
--list
List all snapshots.--list-devices
List available devices.--check
Create snapshot if one is scheduled.--create
Create a new snapshot (even if not scheduled).--restore
Restore a snapshot.--delete
Delete a snapshot.--delete-all
Delete all snapshots.--snapshot NAME
Specify the snapshot to restore or delete.--comments TEXT
Set snapshot description.--tags {O,B,H,D,W,M}
Add tags to snapshot: Ondemand, Boot, Hourly, Daily, Weekly, Monthly (default: O).--target-device DEVICE
Specify target device for restore.--grub-device DEVICE
Specify device for installing GRUB2 bootloader.--skip-grub
Skip GRUB2 reinstallation during restore.--snapshot-device DEVICE
Specify backup device (default: from config).--btrfs
Switch to BTRFS mode.--rsync
Switch to RSYNC mode.--yes
Answer YES to all confirmation prompts.--scripted
Run in non-interactive mode.
CAVEATS
Requires sufficient storage space. BTRFS snapshots are more space-efficient than rsync. User data in /home is excluded by default for safety. Restoring typically requires a reboot. Requires root privileges for all operations.
HISTORY
Timeshift was created by Tony George as a GUI and CLI tool for system backup on Linux, originally released in 2014.
