Migration Assistant Moves Your Old Mac or PC to a New Mac

Use Migration Assistant, the app that comes with your Mac: it copies your apps, user accounts, files and settings from an old Mac, a Time Machine backup or a Windows PC. A new Mac offers it during setup; a PC needs Apple’s Windows Migration Assistant installed first.

Apple says the app “doesn’t delete information from your old Mac or replace the operating system (macOS) on your new Mac”, and that large transfers “might need hours to complete”.

Three sources, side by side

Moving from	What moves, per Apple	What you need
Another Mac	Documents, apps, user accounts and settings	macOS updated on both (the same version is not required); both Macs nearby with Wi-Fi on; the same Wi-Fi network as well if either runs OS X El Capitan or earlier
A Time Machine backup	All personal files, including apps and everything in your user account	The backup disk connected and turned on; macOS reinstalled first if the Mac will not start up
A Windows PC	Email, contacts, calendars, media, browser bookmarks, home-folder files and some settings	Windows Migration Assistant on the PC (3.2.1.0 needs Windows 10 or later and macOS Sonoma 14.4 or later); Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on, both nearby

If you skipped it during setup, open it later from the Utilities folder in Applications, or on macOS 27 Golden Gate from System Settings › General › Transfer or Reset › Open Migration Assistant.

From an old Mac

Update macOS on both Macs, and turn off any antivirus, firewall or VPN software until you are done. Apple’s User Guide also says to plug a laptop into power.

1. On the new Mac, open Migration Assistant and choose From a Mac, Time Machine, or startup disk.
2. On the old Mac, open Migration Assistant and choose To another Mac.
3. On the new Mac, select the old Mac. On the old Mac, check the security code matches.
4. On the new Mac, wait while it calculates the space your data uses, then tick what to bring.

The macOS 27 User Guide names five categories: Applications, User accounts, Other Files & Folders, Privacy & Security Settings and System & Network. You can open any of them and pick single items.

An administrator account asks you to set a password; a standard account gets a temporary one shown on screen, which you should write down. If the new Mac already has an account with the same name, you choose between replacing it and renaming the old one so both survive.

An old Mac on OS X 10.8 or earlier has a separate route: Apple’s User Guide says to connect it by Thunderbolt cable and hold T while restarting it.

From a Time Machine backup

Connect the backup disk and turn it on, choose From a Mac, Time Machine, or startup disk, then select the disk. Pick a backup; to use an older one, click the disclosure arrow next to the one shown. The rest matches a Mac-to-Mac move. If the Mac starts up to a flashing question mark, Apple says to reinstall macOS before you begin.

From a Windows PC

Update Windows and macOS, quit apps on the PC, and turn on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on both. Apple notes that an older PC without Bluetooth Low Energy may ask for a USB Bluetooth adapter. If the Mac uses macOS 13 or earlier, connect both computers to the same network or by Ethernet cable.

Download the Windows Migration Assistant that matches your Mac’s macOS:

Windows Migration Assistant	PC	Mac
3.2.1.0	Windows 10 or later	macOS Sonoma 14.4 or later, up to macOS 27 Golden Gate
2.4.5.0	Windows 7 or later	macOS Ventura 13, Monterey 12
2.3.1.0	Windows 7 or later	macOS Big Sur 11

On the Mac, choose From a Windows PC. Open Windows Migration Assistant on the PC and type in the code the Mac shows. Then tick what to move, as on a Mac. It moves one Windows account per run: to bring another, sign in to that account on the PC and repeat.

Apple’s support article lists where things land:

From the PC	On the Mac
Outlook and Windows Mail email and settings	Mail
Contacts from People, Outlook and the Contacts folder	Contacts
Calendar and Outlook appointments	Calendar
Outlook tasks (Mac on macOS 13 or later)	Reminders
Music, podcasts, audiobooks, movies and TV shows	Music, Podcasts, Books and TV
Bookmarks from Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Internet Explorer and Safari	Safari
Documents and other home-folder files	Home folder
Photos	Home folder, to add to Photos yourself
Desktop pictures, language and location settings	System Settings

Photos from a PC land in your home folder, not in the Photos app. Apple’s two pages disagree on networks: the support article lists known Wi-Fi networks for a Mac on macOS 13 or later, while the macOS 27 User Guide says “Network settings and passwords aren’t transferred.” Plan to re-enter passwords. If you still need a Windows-only program, see the ways a Mac can run Windows.

If the move fails, Apple suggests running chkdsk on the PC, and otherwise copying files across with an external drive or file sharing.

What Apple says may not come across

• Email may need setting up again. Apple says it transfers your email, “but to access it you might first need to set up your email account again”.
• Some apps. Incompatible apps, or ones with a newer version already on the new Mac, “may not be transferred or may not be usable”. A migration summary appears if Apple found problems.
• Purchases. After a PC move, Apple says to authorize the Mac with your Apple Account before syncing or playing content bought from Apple.

Apple’s migration pages do not mention Intel apps or Rosetta. Moving from an Intel Mac to Apple silicon, check your apps against which ones stop running in macOS 28.

Space matters too: Migration Assistant shows how much storage your data needs before it starts, so check what the old machine holds before you order the new one. On a current Mac mini, memory is chosen at purchase and can’t be upgraded later, which makes it a decision to settle at checkout as well.

Questions people ask

How do I transfer everything from my old Mac to my new Mac?

Use Migration Assistant. On the new Mac choose “From a Mac, Time Machine, or startup disk”; on the old Mac choose “To another Mac”. Check the codes match, tick what you want and click Continue. Keep both Macs near each other with Wi-Fi on.

Where is Migration Assistant on a Mac?

It is part of the setup assistant on a new Mac. After setup, it is in the Utilities folder inside Applications, or on macOS 27 in System Settings, General, Transfer or Reset, Open Migration Assistant.

Can I transfer from a Windows PC to a Mac?

Yes. Download Apple’s Windows Migration Assistant on the PC; version 3.2.1.0 needs Windows 10 or later and a Mac on macOS Sonoma 14.4 or later. On the Mac choose “From a Windows PC”, then enter the code it shows on the PC.

How long does Migration Assistant take?

Apple gives no figure. Its pages say large transfers might need hours and might seem to pause occasionally. Apple’s User Guide also says to connect a laptop to power first.

Do both Macs need the same version of macOS?

No. Apple says it is not necessary for both Macs to use the same macOS version, but to update macOS on each one first.

Does Migration Assistant transfer email?

It transfers your email, Apple says, but you might need to set up your email account again in your email app before you can read it.

Does Migration Assistant delete anything from my old computer?

No. Apple says it does not delete information from your old Mac or PC, and does not replace macOS on the Mac you are moving to.