Moving to a new Mac can be exciting, but transferring all your data can be a daunting task. Fortunately, there’s a tool that can help you out: Migration Assistant. With Migration Assistant, you don’t have to manually move your files, apps, user accounts, and settings from your old Mac to your new one.
Before you start using Migration Assistant, there are a few things you need to do to prepare. First, note the administrator password for your old Mac, which is the password you need to install software updates. Make sure both your old and new Macs are connected to power and near each other. It’s recommended to use Wi-Fi to transfer information using Migration Assistant. Make sure Wi-Fi is turned on by clicking the Wi-Fi icon in the top right corner of your menu bar.
Once you’ve prepared, you can begin the process of transferring the data from your old Mac to your new one using Migration Assistant. First, turn on your new Mac and begin setting it up. During the setup process, Migration Assistant will appear and ask you how you want to transfer your data. Select from a Mac, Time Machine backup, or startup disk and click continue.
On your old Mac, you’ll open Migration Assistant in the Finder. Click Applications in the sidebar, scroll down, and double-click Utilities, then double-click Migration Assistant to open it. Opening Migration Assistant will close all apps on your Mac, and you won’t be able to use anything but Migration Assistant until the transfer is complete. Click continue when you’re ready. When prompted, enter your administrator password to allow Migration Assistant to access your files and click OK.
Migration Assistant will ask how you would like to transfer the information on this Mac. Select to another Mac and click continue. On your new Mac, select the icon for your old Mac when asked where you want to transfer information from, and then click continue. A six-digit code will appear on your new Mac and your old one. Confirm that they match, and then click continue.
It might take a little while for Migration Assistant to gather all the transferable information on your old Mac. On your new Mac, this information will appear and be selected by default. Click continue to proceed. You’ll be asked to create an administrator password. Click set password and choose a password. Be sure to make a note of it so you can use it to log in to your new Mac. Select the confirm password field and enter the password again, then click set password. When a green checkmark appears next to your account name, click continue, and the transfer will begin.
Large transfers may take several hours to complete, so leave both computers alone during the transfer process. On your new Mac, the screen might go black or dim, and the Apple logo and a loading bar might appear. This is normal. Once the transfer is complete, your new Mac will automatically restart, or you can click restart now to restart it manually. While your Mac is restarting, the screen will go black, and the Apple logo will appear. You can then click done on your new Mac, and it will restart again to complete the Migration Assistant process.
On your old Mac, click done in Migration Assistant. This Mac will still have the same information it had before the transfer. Now, using the password you created earlier, you can log into your new Mac to finish setting it up, and the information you transferred from your old Mac will be there waiting for you.
If you still need help, you can contact Apple Support. With Migration Assistant, transferring your data to a new Mac has never been easier.