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Move to a New Mac with Migration Assistant Step by Step

· 3 min read macosmigrationsetupnew-macdata-transfer

Migration Assistant copies your entire user account, applications, network settings, and preferences from an old Mac (or a Time Machine backup) onto a new one. Done right, you sign in once and find everything where you left it.

What you need

  • Both Macs plugged into power
  • A connection path: same Wi-Fi network, a Thunderbolt or USB cable, or a recent Time Machine backup drive
  • Roughly the transfer time proportional to your data; 500 GB over Wi-Fi can take hours, cables take minutes

Step by step

  1. Update both machines first. Run Software Update on each Mac before starting, because mismatched OS versions occasionally break migration compatibility.
  2. Back up the old Mac regardless of method. If anything interrupts the transfer, a [[time-machine-first-backup]] drive is your safety net.
  3. Free space check: the new Mac needs more free space than the data being moved. Trim the old machine first using [[optimize-mac-storage]] if it is nearly full.
  4. Open Migration Assistant on the new Mac during initial setup, or later from Applications, Utilities. Choose From a Mac, Time Machine Backup, or Startup Disk.
  5. On the old Mac, open Migration Assistant and choose To another Mac. The two machines display a matching verification code; confirm it matches on both screens.
  6. Select what transfers. You can take everything, or deselect specific user accounts, applications, or settings. Deselecting apps is common when you plan fresh installs via [[brew-essentials-install]].
  7. Wait without interrupting. Keep both machines awake (plug in, disable sleep) and on the same network. Do not close the lid on a laptop mid-transfer unless it is connected to power with the setting allowing it.
  8. Sign in after completion. Your old account name and password carry over; the new Mac may ask you to set a new login password that matches local policy.
  9. Verify before wiping the old Mac: open Mail, Photos, and a few key projects, confirm iCloud and app licenses reactivate, and check that browser bookmarks and Wi-Fi passwords arrived.

Common mistakes

  • Starting over Wi-Fi with hundreds of gigabytes and no cable option; a Thunderbolt or USB transfer finishes in a fraction of the time.
  • Erasing the old Mac before verifying the new one, leaving no recovery path if something did not arrive.
  • Migrating from a backup that predates important work instead of making a fresh one the same morning.

Related guides

Migration works hand in hand with preparation guides. Make sure a current backup exists per [[time-machine-first-backup]], slim down the source with [[optimize-mac-storage]], and decide whether developer tools migrate or get rebuilt cleanly following [[brew-essentials-install]]. After arrival, restore your working layout using [[free-window-management-macos]].

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