---
title: "Catalog Rebuild of a Disk Media Set-Macintosh - Step-by-Step Guide"
slug: "catalog-rebuild-of-a-disk-media-set-macintosh-step-by-step-guide"
updated: 2026-11-12T16:24:14Z
published: 2026-11-12T16:24:14Z
canonical: "docs.retrospect.com/catalog-rebuild-of-a-disk-media-set-macintosh-step-by-step-guide"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.retrospect.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Catalog Rebuild of a Disk Media Set-Macintosh - Step-by-Step Guide

## **Performing a Catalog Rebuild from a Disk Media Set**

This process walks you through rebuilding a Retrospect catalog from an existing disk media set. Use these steps when your catalog file is missing, corrupted, or needs to be recreated from backup data stored on disk.

#### **Step 1: Open the Media Sets Section**

On the left-hand navigation pane, go to ****Media Sets****.

![](https://cdn.us.document360.io/6d1fe0c6-ccdb-4ee9-a621-0504cb91b4be/Images/Documentation/catalog-rebuild-of-a-disk-media-set-macintosh---step-by-step-guide-image-hbxjfgk9.jpg)

At the top of the Media Sets window, click ****Rebuild****.

![](https://cdn.us.document360.io/6d1fe0c6-ccdb-4ee9-a621-0504cb91b4be/Images/Documentation/catalog-rebuild-of-a-disk-media-set-macintosh---step-by-step-guide-image-89pblfug.jpg)

#### **Step 2: Choose Disk as the Media Type**

In the rebuild dialog, select ****Disk**** as the type of media set you want to rebuild, then click ****Next****.

![](https://cdn.us.document360.io/6d1fe0c6-ccdb-4ee9-a621-0504cb91b4be/Images/Documentation/catalog-rebuild-of-a-disk-media-set-macintosh---step-by-step-guide-image-ta1bqmzt.jpg)

#### **Step 3: Add the Disk Member Containing Backup Data**

Click ****Add Member****.

![](https://cdn.us.document360.io/6d1fe0c6-ccdb-4ee9-a621-0504cb91b4be/Images/Documentation/catalog-rebuild-of-a-disk-media-set-macintosh---step-by-step-guide-image-v2shds4i.jpg)

In the browser that opens, select the disk that contains your backup data files. In most cases, you do not need to expand the disk and navigate into folders; simply highlight the root of the disk and click ****Next****.

![](https://cdn.us.document360.io/6d1fe0c6-ccdb-4ee9-a621-0504cb91b4be/Images/Documentation/catalog-rebuild-of-a-disk-media-set-macintosh---step-by-step-guide-image-e683ewhf.jpg)

#### **Step 4: Select the Detected Member and Start the Rebuild**

From the list of members that Retrospect finds on that disk, select the appropriate member, then click ****Next****.

![](https://cdn.us.document360.io/6d1fe0c6-ccdb-4ee9-a621-0504cb91b4be/Images/Documentation/catalog-rebuild-of-a-disk-media-set-macintosh---step-by-step-guide-image-o98y2kqq.jpg)

Review the disk Retrospect displays for the rebuild. When you have confirmed it is correct, click ****Rebuild****.

![](https://cdn.us.document360.io/6d1fe0c6-ccdb-4ee9-a621-0504cb91b4be/Images/Documentation/catalog-rebuild-of-a-disk-media-set-macintosh---step-by-step-guide-image-kyj5i4m9.jpg)

#### **Step 5: Choose the Location for the New Catalog File**

When prompted for the location of the new catalog file, accept or confirm the default path: ****Library**** → ****Application****

![](https://cdn.us.document360.io/6d1fe0c6-ccdb-4ee9-a621-0504cb91b4be/Images/Documentation/catalog-rebuild-of-a-disk-media-set-macintosh---step-by-step-guide-image-2grt4uty.jpg)

****Support**** → ****Retrospect****

![](https://cdn.us.document360.io/6d1fe0c6-ccdb-4ee9-a621-0504cb91b4be/Images/Documentation/catalog-rebuild-of-a-disk-media-set-macintosh---step-by-step-guide-image-mvmz0r4n.jpg)

and then ****Catalogs****.

![](https://cdn.us.document360.io/6d1fe0c6-ccdb-4ee9-a621-0504cb91b4be/Images/Documentation/catalog-rebuild-of-a-disk-media-set-macintosh---step-by-step-guide-image-x986fvc7.jpg)

![](https://cdn.us.document360.io/6d1fe0c6-ccdb-4ee9-a621-0504cb91b4be/Images/Documentation/catalog-rebuild-of-a-disk-media-set-macintosh---step-by-step-guide-image-bji2csn3.jpg)

If Retrospect asks whether you want to overwrite an existing catalog file, choose to overwrite it for this operation, then click ****Rebuild**** to proceed.

![](https://cdn.us.document360.io/6d1fe0c6-ccdb-4ee9-a621-0504cb91b4be/Images/Documentation/catalog-rebuild-of-a-disk-media-set-macintosh---step-by-step-guide-image-ef20pbvs.jpg)

#### **Step 6: Monitor the Catalog Rebuild Progress and Completion**

Retrospect will show the catalog rebuild under the ****Running**** tab in ****Activities****. The duration depends on the size of your backup; larger backups will take longer to process. By default, Retrospect performs a ****fast catalog rebuild****.

![](https://cdn.us.document360.io/6d1fe0c6-ccdb-4ee9-a621-0504cb91b4be/Images/Documentation/catalog-rebuild-of-a-disk-media-set-macintosh---step-by-step-guide-image-e01sl0w1.jpg)

When the rebuild is complete, the job will move to the ****Past**** tab, showing the completed catalog rebuild. You can then open the log to review what was rebuilt, confirm that a fast catalog rebuild was used, and see how much data was processed during the operation.

![](https://cdn.us.document360.io/6d1fe0c6-ccdb-4ee9-a621-0504cb91b4be/Images/Documentation/catalog-rebuild-of-a-disk-media-set-macintosh---step-by-step-guide-image-mzl9z420.jpg)

![](https://cdn.us.document360.io/6d1fe0c6-ccdb-4ee9-a621-0504cb91b4be/Images/Documentation/catalog-rebuild-of-a-disk-media-set-macintosh---step-by-step-guide-image-sg2t40n5.jpg)