Fastest Way To Transfer Old MacBook To New MacBook | Migration Assistant

[@Mainuh]

Update: This method worked perfectly from my old Macbook Pro (early 2015) to new Macbook Air M2. Took about 19 minutes to transfer 48.6GB to the new laptop. No issues at all. Just wanted to throw this out for those wondering how long it takes. Both laptops were on the network, but I also used a direct USB connection between them. Thanks again.

[@bella004]

Did u use thunderbolt 2 to usb c if so how? Did u need both a cord and adapter?

[@Mainuh]

@@bella004 went from stand old USB (A?) on 2015 MacBook direct to USC-C on MacBook Air. Cable was usb-c both ends with a usb a-c adapter on the old MacBook.

[@bella004]

@@Mainuh huh I tried with a direct usb a to usb c cord and it wasn’t recognized the cord is fine I tested it but maybe it’s the adapter

[@guitaranswerguy]

Good to know. I'm about to transfer my old Mid 2015 MB Pro to a new M2, so glad to hear it'll go smoothly

[@martinstranak1197]

Does the transfer include full Parallels and contents of the virtual drive in there?

[@gabuchancreates9813]

Thank you for posting this, just transferred 200GB of data from 2014 macbook to 2021, didn't have an adapter for usbC so wound up doing it through WiFi and although in the beginning it said 2hrs, it quickly changed and was finished in about 30 min for anyone curious about timeframe, that's 100mbps internet speed.

[@Mainuh]

Just what I was looking for! Have a new Macbook Air M2 coming soon, replacing an early 2015 Macbook Pro so his was super helpful! Thank you!

[@DayoAworunse]

Glad I could help!

[@BrianFVenge]

This is a great, no-nonsense, straight-to-the-crux video. thanks. now I'm not so afraid of transferring my data to a new MacBook

[@donnakessler48]

Such an easy to follow video. Steps, explanations and the camera angle were perfect . Thank you so much!!!

[@DayoAworunse]

You're welcome

[@simonegisondi]

Just migrated all my files from one Mac to another! Thank you SO MUCH for this super easy tutorial. Everything you mentioned is exactly what came on the screens of my laptops. Really appreciate this help. 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

[@briietsai1997]

I tried this. it worked! I only intended to transfer my user data which was about 102 gb. I mainly did it cause I had Logic Pro X files that I wanted to keep without having to spend $100+ on a ssd drive to use once. I connected both laptops (2017 Macbook Pro --> 2021 MacBook Pro M1 Pro ) with a usb-c and it took about 45ish minutes to transfer it all. so yeah this works like a charm. for other Logic Pro user looking to try to do this, when opening up my projects, I did have to re download all my third party plug ins. but luckily for me, I only had like 4 third party plug-ins I use that I needed to download. logic will tell you what plug-ins are missing so dont worry about writing down all the plug-ins before transferring. :)

[@DayoAworunse]

Glad you were able to get it to work. There are a few things you might have to sign in to sync things up, but looks like most of it worked out for you.

[@NewIllusion99]

Were you able to open old projects ? I have third party plugins and I’m working on my ep and just afraid I won’t have them being able to open up . And what about the registration keys and all that ? 😂 I have logic too.

[@nurhandrio]

Thanks, this is exactly what I needed: the fastest way of transferring is to connect it with thunderbolt cable! DUH! But nice to know it's capable of this instead of the much slower wireless connection.

[@KadianArtworks]

Ye, kinda wired Apple not saying about cable-boost-option in their official transfer guide >_

[@susanweber6861]

I am on my third try to transfer from my old iMAC to MacBook Air M3 -

[@jeannerogers711]

This was a big help. I’m so proud that I was able to handle the transfer on my on. 😅

[@marthabarker8048]

You explained all the steps very clearly, especially with all the visual closeups. Thanks!

[@DayoAworunse]

Glad it was helpful!

[@marthabarker8048]

@@DayoAworunse I'm 75 and have never done my own computer migration before, so your video gave me confidence and the process went well.

[@tagomarley2076]

Thank you for posting this video I followed your instructions and finally after 13 hours of not transferring anything I now have finally started the process You we’re more helpful and informative the the Apple Support person. So a huge. THANK YOU

[@oluwaseunoni9423]

I hit the “not enough space on this drive to transfer all data” part and I deselected something. This helped a lot. Thanks Dayo!

[@DayoAworunse]

Your welcome. Nice to see another Nigerian 😁

[@TenantRepGuru]

Great tip. I asked Apple support about this and they didn't know. I tried it and it's going probably 20X faster! It went from needing 35 hours to 2 hours, within about 20 minutes! Why, oh why, don't they suggest it?

[@jeffk.1699]

Thanks, Dayo. This tutorial worked very well! My new MacBook Pro did not come with a cable. I bought a Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) cable but one end did not fit in my 2012 MacBook Pro

[@gerrywesterby3487]

Good, so clear and very helpful in marked contrast to many others.

[@KMantey]

Thank you very much. At 60, I thought I could never do this.

[@chachkah]

Great video. Seems pretty straight forward and easy to do. This may be a silly question but will the apps from the old laptop migrate over to the new one? Thanks!!

[@DigitalFF2808]

What wallpaper is that? It’s so neat and how can I get it or one like it?

[@10allan100]

Thank you! I've been using Mac's since 1996, and still found this vid VERY Helpful. Is the cable that comes with the Mac for charging really a decent data cable? I understand not all USB cables are the same.

[@DayoAworunse]

The cable in the box isn't thunderbolt, it's just a regular USB-C cable, so the speeds you see in the video might not be as fast. You can actually start off with WiFi and check the speeds, then plug in a cable and the transfer will still happen. That way to can see which method is fastest.

[@nguyenatonio8248]

The main point is thunderbolt helped transfer faster. This is very important. Thank you

[@alyssagwinn8567]

Just got a new laptop and this information helped out so much thank you

[@DayoAworunse]

@@alyssagwinn8567 no problem

[@GKTraveller]

Thank you so much for your video.... You are the ONLY and I have watched many, who gives the option of the cable which is much faster... I will receive my new MacBook Pro M2 in the coming days and I will follow your video... One Last question... when will it be the right moment to connect the cable??? after the transfer has started through wifi??? Thank in Advance !!!

[@jefcanter]

Thanks for the tip about connecting through Thunderbolt. My new Computer arrives on Monday, so I'll be doing this then. Same size SSD's on both so should (hopefully) run smoothly.

[@jasonmascarenhas]

Off topic but where did you get the moving background -- very cool!?

[@amblee502]

Great video. Thank you for suggesting wiring the two devices.

[@fadaontop]

Nice Video.. Please I want to confirm if I migrate from my old macbook to a new one. Will i loose the data on the previous macbook?

[@rodb8124]

I found this video to be very very helpful. Thank you for taking the time to do it.

[@DayoAworunse]

You’re very very welcome

[@karldillenkoffer4860]

Thank you very much for the advice . I going to be transferring my data from an iMac to a new Studio computer I just bought. Great video thanks.

[@maaikemuis]

Hi thanks so much. I have an old office software on my old MacBook Air. 2013 And I’m going to download new office software for my MacBook Air m2. How do I make sure I don’t transfer the old office software? Thanks so much!

[@jamesgerboc]

Very helpful video. Curious about your comment to be sure you are on the same wifi network. How do you get the new MacBook onto your network before the transfer? Do you have to login before migration assistant or bypass the migration assistant process during this procedure?

[@SamuelIlelaboye]

Saved me a trip to the Apple Store ❤. Thank you so much for this video. Worked perfectly transferring from Mac Air M1 to Max Book Pro M3.

[@bryans8656]

This is slick. I've never tried this method before, I've always used a Time Machine drive.

[@wegotthepower]

This seems very convenient! I hope this isn’t a dumb question, but would this work from an iMac to a Macbook Air if the iMac has an older version of iOS? my iMac is so old that I can’t update to newer iOS than 10.13.6 (I think it is, can’t remember the name of that one right now).

[@DayoAworunse]

There are no dumb questions. Yes it does work regardless of the machine. As long as it's macos, you are good

[@shane1039]

I never knew you could move the spotlight search field. WHAT. Thanks for the video btw lol

[@DayoAworunse]

Glad I could help!

[@djwalkerfemaledj]

Thank you, sir. I transferred all my documents from my MacBook air M2 to my MacBook Pro 2019 thank you so much😊👍🏾🤟🏾👏🏾

[@Brohnzi]

My older MacBook Pro is still running on MacOS 10.15 Catalina So I am just wondering; Will the transfer be affected at all if your old Mac is still on an older version of MacOS?

[@kashbagal5724]

Thank you for the clear video. One question, did you have to turn off your firewall on the old Macbook Air? We are trying to do the same thing and keep getting an error which states that we should turn off the Firewall. However after doing that the Migration Assistant still does not work. Thanks

[@dakotalane3666]

Thank you for this extremely helpful video. I am going to buy a new MacBook Pro and thanks to you I now know how to transfer all of my data easily myself. Two questions: 1. Will this procedure transfer music and photo on my MacBook Pro? 2. How do I wipe out all data from my old Mac before selling it? Thanks, you've been very helpful

[@drought34lyf]

Great instructions! Where did you get the wallpaper?

[@DayoAworunse]

It’s called dynamic wallpaper on the macOS store. It’s either $1 or $2

[@prodchrisdontmiss12]

transfering rn from a 2015 macbook pro to a pro m2 14”. Ill give an update once its done if i run into, issues , thanks!!!

[@AshleyLi-t2g]

Thanks for the video. Just wondering can I set up the same password in the new Mac or have to be a different one?

[@DayoAworunse]

It can be the same

[@blueser100]

Great video. Can I migrate from a 2013 MB Air running Catalina to a new MB Pro M1 running Monterey?

[@michaelknight141]

Is it „cleaner“ to transfer data from the old to new mac or to install everything from scratch? I don’t want old unnecessary files (like cache files, temporary files or files from unclean deinstallations) transfered to the new system

[@hammad_canada]

Thanks man. Just followed all steps now waiting for it to transfer over.

[@doclouiowa]

thanks for the video. After transferring data does your OLD macbook still have the date. Was it copied or transferred. Thanks

[@DayoAworunse]

Copied. Your data will be still on the old laptop

[@trinityraeee]

Will this also transfer how my launchpad looks?

[@bjlivigni4687]

Need to get the a special cable for Thunderbolt connection? Can you use a phone charging cable or do I need to buy a special cable. This is not the usual USB cable correct. Thanks for your time and info. Just to mention lost a lot of the sound. Need to go back with CC on.

[@The83Diva]

Awesome! I love how your video is to the point. Thank you so much for this!

[@Pad-Thai-101]

Awesome! & Thank you. Never know that during WiFi transfer you can plug USB on both ends and it's just Work!

[@juanm5482]

Thank you! I used the USB-C charger and was done in 15 minutes! Side note. Where and how did you get that dynamic wallpaper? It looks so cool!

[@DayoAworunse]

It’s an app called dynamic wallpaper on the macOS store. It should be number one or number two and it’s category.

[@elgarageband7110]

Thank you for the video. I have MacBook 2011 as an old mac....... which port should I use for a cable transfer?

[@danae8112]

Just curious if you ended up using a cable to transfer, and if so how it went? I'm finally replacing my 2011 Macbook with a new Pro next week.

[@ian10022]

Great video I'm glad that you are able to use a USB C cable to speed it up. I think I will do this with my late 2016 MBP to my new M2 MBA. I was just wondering if it would transfer the files I have on my desktop, and my photos in iphoto? I assume yes but just wanted to make sure. I'm less concerned about the files on my desktop than my photos. Thanks for the great video!!!!!!

[@DayoAworunse]

If the photos are in iCloud, then they should sync when you log back in, otherwise the photos should be there. Once the transfer is complete, the original laptop will still have the data, so if you are concern if you will lose data, that will not happen and you can always try again.

[@ian10022]

@@DayoAworunse I actually did today. For some reason when I connected the USB C cable to wouldn't change to thunderbolt, it just stayed at peer to peer. And I messed up on the transfer initially. I just finished setting up the computer then used migration assistant after and it was able to work. Also when I did it that way it took just like 40 minutes rather than 12+ which I was quoted before in he initial set up. Once it was done everything that I wanted was there!!

[@DanielKwan]

Thunderbolt doesn’t show up as an option for me, even tho I’m using the cable that came with my old Mac. :(

[@DayoAworunse]

What is showing up?

[@DanielKwan]

@@DayoAworunse Peer-to-peer and wifi.

[@mjkanzig7469]

This method worked great, thanks! Random question though, what is the name of the live wallpaper that you have? It's very calming and with the stress of uni I'd love to have something tranquil to look at 😅

[@DayoAworunse]

Dynamic wallpaper on the mac store

[@vlkn.music.official]

Thanks mate for the video. Problem is that i have no cable. I do that with wifi only. And stil transfering since 9 hours and no finished yet (125gb). 😊I hope i don’t wait 1 month long 😅

[@Jefff72]

I did this from my old MacBook Pro i7 to my new Pro M2. That worked great. My problem now is that I want to clear files off the old and it removes it from the new. How do I stop them from syncing?

[@djcharlieboy6516]

Hey guys I’ve got a old mbp 2012 and upgrading to a MacBook Air m1 can I use a thunderbolt usb a to c will that make the transfer faster?

[@gimbalair]

does everything I have created need to be in documents folder. I created a separate folder outside Documents called Local Documents where I store everything so I can quickly back up that single folder, or will Migration Assistance identify everything and copy it across perhaps offering me a tick box list to chose what I want to copy across?

[@ikicaq]

Can I use my time machine backup drive to migrate to my new Mac studio. I already sold my iMac, but have it backed up on external ssd.

[@SC-xe5sw]

Is it possible to know where you got that live background from?

[@marknicol9405]

What kind of wallpaper is that? So cool.

[@wendyharris9346]

you are awesome! great explanation & video was very clear. thank you

[@Vintoneuler]

Bros a hero. Honestly nostalgic transferring to a new computer 🥲

[@rossita6688]

Hello, is it going to transfer the data only or can i have the same exact application in my new mac?

[@henrymoreira7898]

I did it and it worked flawlessly. Quick question however, how do I transfer usernames & passwords? Keep in mind I'm going from a Mac Pro '17 to a Mac Pro '20. Thanks 🤟

[@DayoAworunse]

It should have transferred over unless you are using a third party service

[@henrymoreira7898]

@@DayoAworunse it didn’t. I also tried to “export” all passwords as a CSV file and it didn’t work 😤

[@kangadillo]

Hi. I'm trying to transfer data from my old MacBookPro 13 to a new MacBookPro 15 using an adapter and cables. I followed all the right steps, but didn't get the same results you got. The old Mac screen says "Discoverable as Clare's MacBook Pro," and the new Mac screen says "Checking Clare's MacBook Pro," and they've both been saying this for the past two hours. Does it mean something is wrong. Or could it be because of the amount of stuff in my old Mac? I've used 234.73 GB out of 250.79. Please help; I'd appreciate it.

[@aboogz24]

Does this process work if I bought a refurbished MacBook from someone and they added some programs I want to keep? I wouldn’t want to lose them during the migration

[@euipaik1102]

If I reinstalled a new os before doing the migration, can I uncheck System and Network and migrate just the rest? I’m transferring with an external drive. Any tip would be appreciated!

[@carlhargrove3833]

Great video. However, the assistant doesn’t recognize my USB-C connection. It only offers WiFi Peer-to-Peer. I’m using the cable that came e with my older MBP 2020. I’m migrating to the latest MBP with the M3.

[@bjlivigni4687]

Hey Dayo I didn't get the dual USB-C cable. Only the Maga for charing. That's it! Where did you buy the cable? Please

[@bjlivigni4687]

No I need thunderbolt to USB-C. I have MacBook Pro 2013

[@HB-lx3wv]

The migration between the computers isn’t working, gives me a message saying to turn off firewall and it’s already off. Idk what to do

[@Johnyjohnjon]

Really loved and appreciate this. Thanks.

[@LeonardoLeal-r2h]

Great video @Dayo thanks for teaching us these basic skills!

[@DayoAworunse]

Any time

[@addison5293]

Unrelated, where did you find that wallpaper? It’s super nice 🔥

[@DayoAworunse]

It's called dynamic wallpaper engine on the macos store

[@Al_lan]

Exactly the info I was looking for. Thank you.

[@DayoAworunse]

I did my job

[@rstrunks]

Your video really helped. Got mine transferred! Thanks again

[@DayoAworunse]

Anytime

[@Partysize2]

Seems very clear. Nice job. Thanks Dayo!

[@misternev3875]

Great video dude have a couple of question's. Does M.A give the option to select certain applications to transfer to the new macbook as I wanted to use the new macbook for music creation and djing and didn't need all the apps from old one? If I don't select applications with transfer, I'm guessing all my old iTunes playlists & music won't be transferred to the new macbook. ?

[@DayoAworunse]

You can select certain apps you want to transfer over. This also isn't just MacBooks, this goes for any product running macOS

[@misternev3875]

@@DayoAworunse thanks so much for your advice.

[@krismarchant2913]

Does this do all programs and plugins for example i have a home studio with lots of plugins and programs and also my new mac is same model.just has more gb and it has been updated to same as big suhr how do i do it without factory resetting my new mac

[@pinterestexpress8870]

Thanks for the vid. Very clear & helpful.

[@DjGCue71]

so by doing this you'll have the exact same as your old mac in your new mac?

[@ManuelJimenez-ok2mn]

I just transferred all my stuff to my new MacBook Pro M2. I can't find my photos. Do you know where they might be?

[@wppkinsguy72]

my old mac is running sierra 10.12.5 and the new IMac is macOS Monterey 12.6.3 will that work. I'm not sure what os will be on the new mac after the transfer. Can you answer that please?

[@jeffgreenwaldJLG]

What if you are migrating from an older computer with a large 3TB hard drive to a newer one with a smaller SSD? Will migration assistant figure out what files go on the internal drive and put the rest on an external? Or are you able to manually select them?

[@meeluanistyn1644]

Perfect for me - used a cable to connect the MacBooks and everything was moved over in around 3 hours. Just left me some tidying up to do and needing to reinstall a couple of apps that weren’t behaving as they should.

[@Asniiera]

what type of cord did you use?

[@Joedebengaluru]

What type of cable

[@andyching6796]

Hi! Does the old MacBook need to be the same iOS with the new MacBook?

[@Eightpspi]

You need to update the older computer to the latest OS?

[@Tendertroll1]

how long did it take?

[@tanvirahemd8938]

If I have MS office on old computer... Will that also transfer?

[@Adon77]

When you do that transfer , does that carry all your programs as well ?

[@DayoAworunse]

It does.

[@Adon77]

Thank you brother

[@joanalin5539]

exactly what i was looking for, thanks, very helpful info

[@michaelj8067]

Just watched this. Did it also transfer e-mail info, online banking info and other online info to include saved passwords?

[@DayoAworunse]

It should, yes

[@Test-vk8jy]

That is awesome explanation.Thank you Dayo

[@DayoAworunse]

Anytime

[@richardansleycastaneda9753]

Hi, will the migration assistant work from a 2011 macbook to 2015? Both catalina

[@DayoAworunse]

Yes it should work, apples documentation says that they just have to be on El Capitan or later. They also must be on the same Wi-Fi or plugged in directly

[@highthegamer]

Do they both have the same data on them after the transfer? Or is the old mac pretty much erased and everything moves to the new one? I want both to have the exact same things on them. Pretty much a mirror of eachother

[@techupking34]

Hello. I m rails developer my self. By using this method will i get my all installations for terminals as well..? Like I need to install ruby rails python node and many development related libraries and software. Will i get all thats as well ..? Your reply will be very help full for me. Thanks

[@DayoAworunse]

You should be okay. When. it comes to data science and such with newer versions of python, M processors are still a bit bumpy and have workarounds. You can get it done though

[@silkfan]

Hello Dayo, I am trying to transfer all the files and applications from macbook air to a new MacBook pro and I got the message not enough storage as well. What should I do? My MacBook air is the macOS Big Sur by the way. Also once everything is transfer would everything be the exact same location and layout on the screen as the old Macbook.. Thank you very much in advance:)

[@DayoAworunse]

You'll have to deselect some things in order for the transfer to happen. Also everything will be in the exact same location and what not

[@julienDrcq]

Hi I baught a new Mac min M2 pro and tried to transfer my old MacBookPro in my new Mac mini, so I did through wifi, and during to process I blog a usb cable, but my Macs don’t change the transfer

[@MrWilkat1]

Well done! Thanks for the clear instructions--it's easy to follow what you are saying and now I only need to get the cable to connect my old 2012 Macbook Pro to the new one I ordered. I have a lot to transfer so a faster transfer speed is very desirable.

[@MVS_DJGillyGill]

This was perfecte everybody else said put Mac on target mode first and blah blah . It’s as simple as connecting a cable