Migrating to your new Mac
A new Mac is a pleasure — right up to the moment you look for your mail, your documents, your settings and your passwords. Migration Assistant does that job very well, provided it is run at the right moment and in the right direction.
What is actually going on
The best moment to migrate is the very first startup of the new Mac. The Assistant then offers to bring the old one across: that is the cleanest route. Later it is still possible, but it usually creates a second user account, and the machine becomes confusing.
The migration can come from the old Mac connected directly, or from a Time Machine backup. The second route is often quicker and safer — and it has the merit of proving, along the way, that your backup works.
What we do
- Prepare the old MacUpdates, a fresh backup, and a clear-out of what does not deserve to cross over.
- Run the migration at the right momentAt the new Mac’s first startup, to avoid the duplicate user account.
- Put licences and accounts back in placeOffice, Adobe, mail accounts, passwords: whatever does not follow automatically, we set up again.
- Check in front of youMail, photos, documents, printer, and the new Mac’s own backup. You are left with a finished machine, not one to finish.
Before we arrive
What helps
- Do not switch the new Mac on before our visit: the first startup is the right moment.
- Allow time — a large migration takes a good part of the day, even if you need not be present throughout.
What is better avoided
- Erasing the old Mac before everything has been checked on the new one.
- Creating a “temporary” account on the new machine: that is what complicates everything afterwards.
Your questions
Does everything really come across?
Documents, photos, mail, settings and most applications, yes. Some licences need reactivating: we handle that during the visit.
Can you migrate from a very old Mac?
Yes, including from a Mac more than ten years old. The route varies a little with the versions, but there is almost always one.
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