How to Transfer Files from an Old Mac to a New One

The old Mac holds years of files, apps, and settings, and the new one is empty. Dragging folders across copies the documents but leaves accounts, app preferences, and mail behind. Migration Assistant moves the whole account in one pass.

Connect the two Macs

The fastest route is a Thunderbolt or USB-C cable run straight between them. Otherwise put both on the same Wi-Fi network. Plug both into power and stop them sleeping, because a transfer that starts and then stalls has to be run again.

Open Migration Assistant on both Macs

On each machine, go to Applications, Utilities, Migration Assistant and click Continue. Each Mac quits its open apps and asks for an administrator password before going any further.

Choose a direction on each Mac

On the new Mac, choose From a Mac, Time Machine backup, or startup disk. On the old Mac, choose To another Mac. The new Mac then lists the old one; select it, and a code appears on both screens. Check that the two codes match, then continue on both.

Pick what to move and start the transfer

The new Mac shows a checklist: user accounts, Applications, Documents and other data, and computer and network settings. Tick what you want and click Continue. If the new Mac was already set up and an incoming account name matches an existing one, Migration Assistant asks you to rename it, which creates a second account rather than overwriting the first.

Move files only with an external drive

If nothing but the documents matter, skip the account transfer. Copy the folders you want to an external drive in the Finder on the old Mac, then drag them across on the new one. A Time Machine drive works the same way: attach it and pull individual folders out of the backup in the Finder.

Allow an hour or more. A full account with photos and apps takes real time, and a Wi-Fi transfer can run several hours. Leave both Macs open, awake, and plugged in until the progress bar finishes on its own.

The first-run path is the smoothest. A brand new Mac, or one erased back to Setup Assistant, offers the same transfer during initial setup, including from a Time Machine backup. Taking it then avoids duplicate accounts entirely.