Buying a new Mac is hugely exciting. But if there’s one thing that takes the edge off the thrill, it’s the prospect of transferring files from your old Mac to the new one. Best mac software for landscape design. It’s not just documents, of course, it’s applications, settings files, caches and everything else that’s involved in setting up your Mac just the way you want it.
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Some people, of course, like starting from scratch on a brand new machine. For the rest of us, who just want to get up and running as quickly as possible, there’s Apple’s Migration Assistant.
If you have an Office 365 subscription, then no harm done. On your new Mac, simply log into the portal site where you can de-activate the old user and re-download the Office suite on your new Mac and then sign in using your new credentials. Having a subscription is a big plus when it comes to upgrading your hardware.
The Mac Migration Assistant makes it easy to transfer all your files from one Mac to another. It can also transfer files from a Time Machine backup or an external clone drive. And, if you’ve just come over from the dark side, it will even transfer files from a Windows PC!
Preparation for Migration Assistant
Before you do anything else, it’s a good idea to backup your old Mac using Apple’s Time Machine or another backup application. Better still, make a bootable clone of the startup disk. If something goes wrong with your old Mac’s disk during the migration process, you can still migrate from either the Time Machine backup or the clone.
Before backing up and moving files from your Mac, do a full system cleanup. There is a good chance some vital files on your drive are corrupted or outdated, filled with system junk etc. To clean your Mac in just a couple of minutes, try using an app like CleanMyMac X. It has a free version to download.
Using Migration Assistant is very easy, but there are a few things to check and prepare before you get started.
- Check that both Macs are running the most up-to-date versions of their operating systems. If not, update them.
- Make sure all the applications on your old Mac are up-to-date.
- Make sure your old Mac is running OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.8 or later.
- Check that your old Mac has a computer name by going to the menu and selecting System Preferences, then the Sharing pane. Check there’s a name in the Computer Name box. If not, add one.
- Connect both Macs to an AC power outlet.
With that all done, you’re ready to start! The next step is to connect the Macs to each other. There are number of options for this. If both Macs are running macOS Sierra or later, you can just place them next to each other and make sure WiFi is switched on both machines. Clever, huh?
If one or both are running macOS El Capitan or earlier, make sure they are both connected to the same WiFi or Ethernet network.
Target Disk Mode
If, for some reason, you can’t connect them wirelessly, you can connect them using a cable and use Target Disk mode. Target Disk mode can be used with Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C), Thunderbolt 2, or FireWire cables.
You can connect USB-C to USBC (or Thunderbolt 3) using a Thunderbolt 3 or USB-C cable, though not the USB-C charging cable that comes with the MacBook Pro. To connect USB-C to USB-A, you’ll need a USB-C to USB-A cable that supports USB 3.0. You can also use Apple’s Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 adapter combined with a Thunderbolt 2 cable to connect Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2. And any Firewire cable can be used to connect Firewire-to-Firewire.
Once you’ve connected the two Macs, go to System Preferences on the old Mac, click Startup Disk and press Target Disk mode then click Restart. Or, if the old Mac is powered off, boot it while holding the “T” key. The old Mac will now mount as a disk volume on the new Mac.
Using Migration Assistant to transfer files from one Mac to another
Now you’ve connected the two Macs together, or used Target Disk mode, you’re ready to use Migration Assistant.
On the new Mac
- Go to the Utilities > Applications. Double-click Migration Assistant to launch it.
- Click Continue.
- Choose the first of the three options on the next screen: “From a Mac, Time Machine backup, or startup disk.”
- Click Continue.
The next four steps only apply if you didn’t use Target Disk mode to connect the two Macs. If you did, you can skip them. Likewise, if you wanted to migrate from a Time Machine Backup or cloned drive, you would give these four steps a miss.
On the old Mac
- Open Migration Assistant from the Utilities folder.
- Click Continue.
- This time, when you see the options for how you want to transfer data, choose: “To another Mac”
- Click Continue.
Back to the new Mac…
- You’ll be asked whether you want to migrate from a Mac, Time Machine backup, or startup disk, choose from a Mac.
- Click Continue.
- If you see a security code after you click Continue, check your old Mac and make sure it is displaying the same security code.
- Click Continue on the old Mac.
- You should see the name of your old Mac appear in the Migration Assistant window on your old Mac. Click it.
- Click Continue.
- You’ll now see a list of the data on your old Mac. If you want to transfer everything, check all of the boxes. If not, check only the boxes that describe the data you want to transfer.
- Click Continue.
At least one of the options you’ll see on-screen in Step 7 will be a user account. If you have more than one user account on the old Mac, you’ll see them all listed. If you choose to transfer them, the whole account will be transferred and a new account created with the same name. If you already have an account on the new Mac with the same name as one of the accounts you’re transferring, you’ll be asked whether you want to rename the account on the old Mac. If you do, a new account will be created on the new Mac with the new name you provide. If you don’t rename the account, it will overwrite the account with the same name on the new Mac.
The transfer could take several hours, depending on how much data there is to copy, so go and make a coffee!
Transfer files from a Time Machine backup with Migration Assistant
The process of transferring files from a Time Machine backup is the same as described above, except that you can ignore all the steps that involve the old Mac. And, when you’re asked whether you want to migrate from a Mac, Time Machine backup, or startup disk, choose Time Machine backup. On the next screen, choose the backup you want to migrate.
Tip: There is a way to reduce the time it takes to transfer all files from one Mac to another — get rid of data you don’t need before you start. The fewer files Migration Assistant has to transfer, the quicker it will be.
The best way to get rid of files cluttering up your Mac is to use CleanMyMac X. It identifies files you can safely remove from your Mac, including system junk, unnecessary Photos files, and large and old files. It can also safely uninstall applications you no longer need. Give it a try and you’ll find you can reduce the amount of data you need to transfer by several gigabytes.
Transferring files from one Mac to another using Apple Migration Assistant is very easy. It can take some time to complete, but you can reduce that time by getting rid of unwanted files using CleanMyMac X.
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There will come a time when you will want to upgrade your Mac. Whenever that happens, it is a great feeling. However, what about all the files and apps you have on your old Mac? What happens to them? This guide on how to move apps and files from Mac to Mac can help. It will take some clicks and tweaking, but it can all be done in no time.
While there is always the option of using an external hard drive, this is a much easier way. Mac’s come with an integrated migration assistant. The Migration Assistant, lets you take a hold of your old applications, files and documents, and move them to your new Mac. You can even migrate your system settings as well. Migrating your apps and files from one Mac to another using the migration assistant is the best thing. In fact, when you get a new Mac and turn it on, it will offer to run the Migration Assistant. But, most people don’t bother doing that right away. The majority typically like to play around with their new toy before doing so. Especially when the transfer can take a long time to complete. Since you can always use the Migration Assistant whenever you want, it doesn’t really matter when you do it anyway.
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Keep in mind that it does take a while to complete though. Still, it will be well worth it once you are done. We suggest that you leave it overnight so that when you awake, the entire process will be over. And you will have your new Mac, just like your older Mac
Below are the step by step process to transferring files and apps from one Mac to another.
2)1) Begin The Migration Assistant Process
The first thing you want to do is make sure that your Mac is plugged and powered. That’s because the entire process will take a long time. The last thing you want is for your battery to die on you before you are done. Once you have it plugged, go to the Finder. Next, you go over to the Applications and then Utilities. This will bring you to the Migration Assistant.
After you click on Continue, the user account you are presently using will be logged out. In a few, you will be able to see the process begin in a window. Once the window appears, choose the ‘From a Mac, Time Machine, or Startup Disk,’ option. Select Continue and you can then start to get the old Mac ready to go as well.
2) Setting Up The Older Mac For Transfer
The second step is to begin setting up your older Mac for the entire migration process. Keep in mind that if you have a backup to restore from using a Time Machine, then there is no need to use your older Mac. All you have to do is simply plug the drive in. Or you can connect it to the network. Once you do that, you can then move on to the next step.
For those that DO NOT have a Time Machine backup setup to restore their old Mac from, there are two options. The same for those who rather restore their Mac using another method.
Option 1.
Using your network, you can migrate your data directly from one Mac to another. Although this method is very slow, it is the easiest way to do so.
Option 2. Using either a Thunderbolt, Ethernet or Firewire cable, you can connect both of your Macs directly to each other. Although this is the fastest way to do so, you must have the cables ready; no matter which ones you choose.
In addition, for those with an older Mac, they may have to start their old Mac in the ‘Target Disk Mode’ option. However, this is only true for those who use Thunderbolt cables. And Macs running OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion or earlier versions. This is according to Apple.
Once you have decided to use the Migration Assistant, the next step is making sure your old Mac is plugged into an outlet with the power supply. Again, this will ensure that the process is not interrupted due to the battery dying out.
The next step is to begin the Migration Utility tool on your older Mac. You find it by going to Applications, then Utilities. After the program has launched, you click on Continue. That will log you out of your older Mac’s current account.
From here, you want to choose “to another Mac’ option. Next, you hit the Continue button once again. Once this is done, you will need to head back to the new Mac.
3) Complete The Migration Process
As you head back to your new Mac, there should be a list of all of the devices you will be able to restore from. Choose where you want to transfer from, and then click on Continue. There will be a number which will pop up. You will need to confirm that both numbers are the same. Once you confirm the numbers, click on Continue again.
This step is important and necessary. That’s because you want to make sure that both Macs are connected to the same network. And that they are using the same Migration Assistant simultaneously. This is a safeguard against you restoring data from somewhere else by mistake.
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After you have completed the numbers verification process, select which user accounts you want to keep. Also, you can choose if you want to port over all of your apps. Lastly, your system settings from your old Mac can be kept, as well as any other files. Whatever you DO NOT want to migrate, make sure you uncheck. To begin the migration process, select the Continue button.
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The amount of time this migration process may take, will largely depend on the files you are moving. For those with only a few files, it may take a few hours. However, if you have a huge amount of files, the best suggestion is to leave it overnight.
4) Review Your Files and Applications
After the migration process has been completed, you will want to check on your files and applications. You can do so by logging on to your new and old Macs. All of your apps and documents should be exactly where you left them before the transfer process. Even your dock icons will be in the same place and identical.
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The last step is to begin enjoying your new Mac, while still using your older files, applications and settings.