How to move everything to a new Mac with Migration Assistant

2 min read · 7 steps · Updated 2 October 2026

Short answer

Put both Macs next to each other with Wi-Fi on. Open Migration Assistant on the new Mac and choose From a Mac, Time Machine, or startup disk. Open it on the old Mac and choose to transfer to another Mac. Check that both show the same code, pick what to copy and click Continue.

Migration Assistant copies your user accounts, apps, files and settings from the old Mac to the new one, so the new Mac looks and works like the old one. It is part of macOS and is also offered during the first set-up of a new Mac.

Menu names are from recent versions of macOS, where the settings app is called System Settings.

Step by step

  1. Prepare both Macs

    Install the latest updates on both (how to update macOS on your Mac). The versions do not have to match. Switch on Wi-Fi on both and place them close together. Turn off antivirus, firewall and VPN software for the transfer, and plug both into power.

  2. Open Migration Assistant on the new Mac

    It is in the Utilities folder inside Applications, or find it with Spotlight. During the first set-up of a new Mac the same question appears by itself. Choose From a Mac, Time Machine, or startup disk and click Continue.

  3. Open Migration Assistant on the old Mac

    Click Continue, choose the option to transfer to another Mac and click Continue again. Migration Assistant closes all other apps.

  4. Select the old Mac and compare the code

    On the new Mac, click the icon of the old Mac and click Continue. A security code appears on both screens. Check that it is the same, then continue on the old Mac.

  5. Choose what to transfer

    The new Mac works out how much there is. Tick the categories you want: applications, your user account, other files and folders, system and network settings. The arrow next to a category shows the items inside.

  6. Set up the accounts

    For an administrator account you set a password for the new Mac. If an account with the same name already exists on the new Mac, choose whether to replace it or to keep both under different names. Enter the old account's password when asked.

  7. Wait for the transfer

    A large transfer takes several hours and can seem to stop for a while. Leave both Macs open and awake. When it is finished, quit Migration Assistant on both and log in to your account on the new Mac.

Good to know

No second Mac at hand? Choose a Time Machine backup as the source instead: how to back up a Mac with Time Machine.

A cable between the two Macs, for example Thunderbolt or USB-C, makes the transfer faster and more reliable than Wi-Fi.

Mail accounts may ask for their passwords again in the Mail app. Some apps need to be activated again with their licence.

When everything is on the new Mac and you want to pass the old one on: how to factory reset a Mac.

In short: Update both, Wi-Fi on, Migration Assistant on new Mac (From a Mac) and old Mac (to another Mac), same code, choose categories, set passwords, wait.

Sources
  • Apple Support: Transfer to a new Mac with Migration Assistant

Rules and prices change. Check the official source before you act.