A music video directed by Art Johnson and Cole Cook was released on the same day and features a cameo from American rapper Tierra Whack.

[5] Keys released "Time Machine" after announcing 2020 Grammy nominees on November 20, 2019, with Gayle King and Bebe Rexha on CBS This Morning.

[1] Michael Saponara from Billboard noted that the production of the song is "a stark change compared to the heavy key-laden records we've become accustomed to from Keys recently".

[18] Writing for Rated R&B, Anders Hare opined that the "haunting" song "steadily grows in intensity as Keys delivers some of the best vocals to date".

[19] Andy Kellman from Allmusic named it one of the highlights on the album and wrote that it is Keys' "funkiest and spaciest songs, unlike anything else she has recorded".

[15] Adi Mehta from Entertainment Voice praised the vocals, writing that "Keys sings with an effortless cool and seasoned showmanship, with her increasingly impassioned, wispy utterances giving way to angelic falsetto cascades".

[14] The Arts Desk's Joe Muggs wrote that the song "is a heavy disco-funk stomp, where Keys's multi-octave range is put to fantastic use harmonising with herself" and added that "dirty synth basslines and sitars are treated to all sorts of trippy effects".

[4] Keys performed "Time Machine" along with "Underdog" (2020), "Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart" (2009), Billie Eilish song "Everything I Wanted" (2019) and "Fallin'" (2001) at BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge on February 6, 2020.