Timeshift — The Complete Guide: Linux System Snapshots and Rollback After a Bad Update
Timeshift is the Linux counterpart of Windows System Restore. It saves snapshots of system files and settings at regular intervals, so you can go back to an earlier point after an update or driver install breaks your setup. It is open source under the GPL and is now maintained by Linux Mint.
Timeshift
Linux Mint (originally Tony George)
Incremental snapshots of a Linux system (rsync or BTRFS) to undo an update or configuration change that went wrong.
Get it from the vendorWhat you get
- Scheduled snapshots — hourly, daily, weekly or monthly, with a set number of copies to keep.
- rsync mode — each snapshot looks complete, while unchanged files are shared through hard links.
- BTRFS mode — snapshots taken and restored in seconds.
- Quick rollback — return to an earlier point from the running system or a live session.
- GUI and command line — for everyday use and for automation.
What it does not do
Timeshift suits a Linux workstation running analysis software and models, where getting back to a working state fast matters. But it is not a document backup tool: the home folder is excluded by default, and snapshots are usually stored on the same machine. You therefore need a second tool to back up your project files to an external disk or the cloud.
Related tools
For personal file backup with a simple interface — Déjà Dup. For deduplicated backup to a server — BorgBackup. For a full disk image from USB — Rescuezilla.
Déjà Dup
GNOME (Michael Terry)
Simple, encrypted, scheduled personal backup on the GNOME desktop, to a disk, a network server or Google Drive.
Get it from the vendor
BorgBackup
The Borg Collective
Command-line backup with deduplication, compression and encryption, to a local disk or a server over SSH.
Get it from the vendor
Rescuezilla
Rescuezilla project
Disk backup, restore and cloning in a simple graphical interface from a USB stick, compatible with Clonezilla images.
Get it from the vendorClonezilla
NCHC Free Software Labs
Disk and partition imaging and cloning from boot media, including deployment to dozens of machines at once over a network.
Get it from the vendorThe bottom line
An essential safety net for any Linux PC: turn it on once, and a failed update goes from a lost day to a five-minute fix.