Attention can be directed towards internally generated representations of the past, a process known as internal attention. Internal attention can operate over contents of both working memory (WM) and long-term memory (LTM)**, **but far less is known in terms of the neural signatures when orienting attention in LTM compared to WM. To answer this question, we recorded EEG signals from participants engaged in a behavioral task where retrospective attention cues prioritized either a WM item that switched features from trial to trial, or an LTM item that had been previously memorized. Following a brief delay, participants reproduced the cued item. Using multivariate pattern analysis, we were able to decode the timescale of the cued item (WM vs. LTM) during the delay. Furthermore, left vs. right items were better decodable for WM, whereas LTM representations seemed to show less lateralization. Event-related potentials revealed higher contralateral responses at posterior sites for WM items, but no such lateralization for LTM items. Time-frequency analysis indicated alpha power (8-12 Hz) lateralization during a WM delay but not LTM. However, non-lateralized theta power (3-7 Hz) is found to be higher during an LTM delay compared to WM, hinting at distinct retrieval processes for LTM. To sum up, our findings suggest that orienting attention to LTM contents involves different neural mechanisms compared to WM. Selecting an item in LTM does not necessarily bring it back to the same state of a WM item, indicating potentially dissociable representational formats for WM and LTM contents.