How to Transfer ALL DATA from Old MacBook to New MacBook (BEST WAY 2023)

[@DionMedia]

What Mac do you use? 🤔

[@akramrazasama]

1:23 sir, As far as I don’t use it because I don’t own it. But one day Insha’Allah …!!!

[@DionMedia]

Si Dios lo quiere :)

[@akramrazasama]

@@DionMedia hola sir, I am not good at Spanish , I had to translate your phrase. Hahahaha …. Sorry for my Arabic …!!!! Hahaha

[@carloschisenga.7794]

Hopefully one day The M1

[@johnglue1744]

Right now I have a 2012 MacBook Pro but got a new air last year at Christmas and haven’t set it up yet lol

[@joshuamyers5694]

this is one of the very few videos on this topic where I have ZERO questions after watching it. So well done! So helpful!

[@DionMedia]

I take that as a compliment :)

[@joshuamyers5694]

@@DionMedia Its a BIG compliment! Keep it up! You have a knack for teaching. I've only known a couple people in my life like that. :)

[@reuben3077]

lol right !?!

[@ellenhoel7802]

an excellent tutorial!! Thank you so much. My new laptop gets here tomorrow and as a 70 yr old lady I was concerned I wouldn't be able to get this done! I am much more confident now!

[@DionMedia]

Glad it was helpful and enjoy your MacBook for many more years to come!

[@Jefff72]

Be aware that you have to disconnect your old Mac from iCloud before you start cleaning it up. I didn't know that they were linked. I deleted off the old and it did the same to the new. I lost files because of this.

[@DionMedia]

Thanks for sharing this warning!

[@princessl.d.g.]

Thank you for sharing this!!!! 🙈

[@johnbeeston6171]

How do you do that?

[@Jefff72]

@@johnbeeston6171 IDK if there is a better way to stop them from syncing. I just looked my old out of my apple account.

[@grantgomes2431]

What bro? It’s iCloud, this is the dumbest thing I’ve seen today

[@j-station]

“Without further ado, let’s get started! Now, before we get started…” 😂 Thanks for the vid! Much appreciated.

[@phillagettie]

Thank god someone found that as funny as I did. hahah!!!

[@tinsaiz]

Just migrated from a 2013 MBP to new m3 pro. What a difference after 11 years with old faithful. Thanks for the video, you made it super simple and successful on the first time.

[@MrBritrider]

Couple of questions for you kind sir. 1. Does it matter if the old mac is real old like a 2011 MacBook to a new modern mac? 2. Is there a way to use ethernet connection for both mac’s to speed up the process?

[@DionMedia]

Great questions. First if you are coming from an old Mac, my advice would be to update it to the newest IOS possible which will maximize the best transfer possible. I have not done it with a gap that large, but try. For your second question. See the section on the Thunderbolt cable and do the process with an ethernet cable. It should speed up the process a lot.

[@ronin120]

@@DionMedia Can we connect the thunderbolt cable right at the beginning before we even start the process?

[@wisdomyaw03]

Yes​@@ronin120

[@wisdomyaw03]

Yes​@@ronin120

[@kylecarey4189]

Thanks for this! Transferred data from the ol 2015 MacBook flawlessly. Great guide

[@Light-zu1ys]

Thank you so much!!!!!! My M2 is arriving in an hour and this video saves lives! (time is life indeed :p

[@DionMedia]

:) Enjoy your M2

[@matthewsankey817]

This is EXACTLY what I was looking for, so straightforward and simple thank you!!! 🙌

[@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

[@27dgonzalezzz]

I was curious about this exact same thing

[@marthabarker8048]

You explained the process very clearly and I enjoyed how you always showed both computers on the screen. Thanks!

[@cali_nurse_indian711]

💕🔥 100% helpful, I didn’t need to refer to anything or have questions. Non-intimidating video which walks you through step by step. Thank you 🙏🏼 so much for making this ♥️

[@DionMedia]

Glad it was helpful!

[@AleneSybrant]

This was so easy to follow and highly appreciated the step by step - thank you!

[@DionMedia]

Glad it was helpful!

[@NextLevelMovementLLC]

Thank you for this. The apple guy at the store told me to just have the MacBook near the new one and it’ll recognize it like iPhones do. Was NOT the case. This worked perfectly.

[@akramrazasama]

Many many congratulations for your new MacBook sir…..

[@DionMedia]

Thanks Akram, I am quite excited 😆

[@akramrazasama]

@@DionMedia excitement is must

[@DionMedia]

True!

[@akramrazasama]

@DIONSCHUDDEBOOM0 what

[@davidkreiner7728]

Great job! I just transferred some files from my MacBook Pro 2012 to a brand new MacBook Air M3. If I didn’t watch your video, I would’ve been clueless! Thank you for doing such a concise video! Much appreciated.

[@soumikmallick8373]

Hi, did you transfer your subscription like Microsoft office, adobe, parallels Was there any trouble ?

[@rachelmckelvey1]

This video is amazing! My new MacBook will arrive tomorrow and I was sweating the transfer. I feel ready to take it on now! Thank you!

[@DionMedia]

You're welcome!

[@espofromffl]

What if you get an error saying your old mac is using a case sensitive file while the new mac isn’t? my old one is an air from 2014! thanks

[@Pmc1744]

great video i have a question if i am having a problem with old mac mini should i do this thanks

[@CA_preacher]

Great video, thanks. Will be doing this in a few weeks. Now that I won't need my old one, is there a video on how to wipe it so I can sell it or give it to someone?

[@jhonnybravo2243]

Does this transfer all users as well, or only the one that you had the migration assistance open in? And if it’s all users, can I simply transfer data from one user?

[@DionMedia]

Hi, sorry for the late reply. As a rule all data will be transferred, including all users. You can adjust this by transferring manually

[@ConorHildebrandt]

Thoughts on doing a fresh/manual transfer of data vs the migration assistant so you're not bringing over a bunch of junk that will slow your new mac down?

[@paolodavid7481]

what cable did you use? did you need to buy it from apple or does anker produce one as well?

[@guntherreissner5966]

Great tutorial! I have an older iMac and considering buying a Mac mini 2pro. I am assuming that transferring all the files will be the same as shown in your video, with the exception of having only one screen. However, one thing you haven't mentioned! What about the Lightroom catalogue?, does that get transferred or do I have to do that manually? with regards Guenther from Austria

[@artmasterflash]

Great video! Do you have to do something special for the lighting cable to recognize the two computers? I have them connected and it’s still transferring via wireless.

[@Brian-mp6bg]

Well done. Were there any issues with Lightroom, catalogs, etc? Does the process trigger a bunch of updates?

[@bryang.8076]

Migration Assistant on the old laptop continuously has a “logging out failed” message. Any ideas how to correct?

[@davidmedina2186]

Do you run the risk of transferring over a “virus” or any sort of computer bugs

[@lakshaybhatt7643]

I just wanna know if this method will transfer everything (including the installed software and the data generated when using the software) to the new mac as if I were still using my old one?

[@RaulGolfsClips]

Does this also work from going from MacBook Pro to iMac and goes FCPX also transfer over? Thanks!

[@DionMedia]

Yes

[@cpoul]

Does OS have to be the same on both computers? I'm going from a 2017 imac to 2024 imac with different OS' Also you need an Apple ID to do this? Thanks

[@DionMedia]

The longer the time gap, the greater the possibility that the transfer will not be fully successful. But 2017 to 2024 should be fine. I have not done this without an Apple ID, but that should work as well.

[@keekkoo]

Thanks for this! Will migration assistant also transfer over messages?

[@EduardoHenrique-nd1ro]

Great video, Dion! Thanks! 😊

[@kdcarver]

What if you have already initialized the new Mac (with a single Admin account) and want to migrate several users from an old Mac over to the new machine? What of the procedure will be different than what you went over?

[@zoezhang7673]

That’s useful to help me to transfer all data from the old Mac to the new one.Now I can do it by myself.

[@SebastiaanMeijer-y2r]

Hi Dion, great and clear video! Thanks a lot. I got a new MacBook Air M2 and used the migration assistant to transfer the data from my MacBook Pro 2014. This all worked, but I do have problems with office licenses on the new Mac, among other things. I would actually like to erase my new macbook air again to do a clean install and start "fresh". Is it possible to just log out from icloud and erase the new macbook air? The data will still be on my old MacBook Pro, right? And can I also only use the migration assistant to, for example, transfer the photos later?

[@DionMedia]

Hi, sorry for the belated reply. There are more aspects to your question. It is possible to erase your new MacBook Air and start from scratch. There are many good tutorial videos that will help you with this process. Then from there, if you want to transfer specific files. Best is to select them manually and transfer them to an external drive, from there manually to your new computer. In regard to office licenses I have experienced something similar. It depends on the app, but you might have to buy an additional license.

[@rodriguezjohn]

Can this process be started after the initial set up of the new one?

[@sonminorimitsuu2838]

Thank you for sharing. I’ll let you know how I get on today. Fingers crossed everything works out.

[@ianwilsonwildlifephotography]

Great video Dion and just what I was looking for. 👍could you confirm the process for disconnecting the macs from each other once the process is complete? Thanks Ian

[@DionMedia]

Thanks. When the process is complete it is complete. You do not have to unplug it for the process to succeed

[@johnyohe5057]

Thanks! Can you opt out of the fingerprint id in new Macs?

[@Camniee]

Thanks so much for the help. I thought I wasn’t gonna be able to transfer my info from my iMac 🖥️ to my MacBook Air.

[@maxrobinson2794]

Question. Does this work from an older Macbook Pro 2012 to a Macbook Pro M1 from 2020? (not sure because my old Mac is so old lol)

[@DionMedia]

The longer the period, the more difficult. Use the latest update possible on both and start the process. It will be a bit trial and error perhaps.

[@maxrobinson2794]

@@DionMedia thanks man! Will have some problems since the old Mac doesn’t support updates anymore. I’ll try in some ways! Cheers for the answer!

[@ANaijamansPerspective]

Great video. Can you still do this if you old MacBook doesn’t come on anymore ( like mine😢)?

[@paul7000]

Non of tutorials touch one problem: I started the new Mac today morning, I set it up and I installed some software. Now, in the evening I want to transfer things from the old Mac to the new one. Can I still do it or is it too late? Thanks for your reply!

[@KavinKumarKandasamy]

Still can be done through the migration assistant. I guess.

[@priscilakesleyos]

Great video, Dion! Thank you for that! Do you also have a video showing the best way to clean up the old Mac so we can sell it afterwards?

[@DionMedia]

Hi Priscila, thanks. No, I have not, perhaps a good idea for the future

[@Our6Plus]

I realize that this is an older post, but thought I might ask just in case anyone knew the answer. I have an older MacBook Pro, A1398. The charger and charging port are toast. I have changed chargers 4 times. The last time the battery was changed as well as the port and the charger. Now they are burnt again. The laptop is 6 1/2 years old. I am looking to buy a new laptop and am considering a 2024 MacBook Air to replace it. Due to not being able to get the Pro to charge very easily, I can, after a lot of fiddling I can sometimes get the laptop to charge with its 2 burnt ports. It currently has a full charge, but could loose charge overtime. I would like to transfer the files from the Pro to the Air in the least amount of time possible. I understand that using a cable to connect the two laptops together would work fastest. But what cable might be able to connect the 2 and be able to work? Thank you!

[@Penguin0964]

Hi I’ve followed your instructions and part way through the new mac has a message on the screen saying ‘this Mac is attempting to reconnect to your other Mac’ and the only option it gives is to ‘cancel transfer ‘ what would you recommend?? Thanks

[@d2y_dx2]

Is it still showing the message?

[@TinoBurset]

Fan-tastic video, thanks Dion!

[@amirtorhan2762]

I have a lot of 3rd party apps (not from app store) which I have also customized to my liking with unique settings. Would all of these apps and their settings also transfer?

[@simonmejia4533]

Yes

[@ov646944]

Is there a way to do this on the same device? So to transfer all settings (not documents) from one account to the other on the same device?

[@ElaineOReilly-h3m]

@DionMedia… thank you so much for this very useful video. I wanted to ask, I’ve just done this last night and it mostly went well. I didn’t have a cable to do this though, so was reliant on Wi-Fi. My old laptop (hasn’t frozen), but it does say “transferring settings, will take 20 minutes”, and that was 7 hours ago and it still says this…. It hasn’t frozen but the progress bar hasn’t moved either. Do you think it’s hopeful of continuing to do something? Thanks, Elaine

[@thenobody1234]

Can I use a USB4 cable instead of Thunderbolt? Thanks already for replying!

[@jimharberson9779]

Are programs transfered too?

[@manuelcarti2678]

Thank you so much, just got my Macbook pro m2 today!

[@DionMedia]

Excellent, enjoy it!

[@grahamemiles8547]

Does mail transfer as well.. all emails and folders also settings ?

[@I_art_sometimes]

THANK YOU SO MUCH !! The screen on my Mac broke so that was its own hurdle. I’m borrowing my aunt’s because I have college classes starting soon and it would have been a whole big thing. 😅

[@uryic000]

Hello awesome vid. Here is my question. I have a 2021 14" Macbook pro max(little over 1 year old) running sonoma. I'm trading it in for a new 16" Macbook pro running Sonoma. I noticed you began the migration assistant using wi fi then just switched to usb c cable( I have a usb c thunderbolt 3 cable) to initially begin the migration assistant with wifi to get it started then just plug in the cable? Does the data transfer just automatically switch over to cable or is there something else I need to do? That seemed to be what you did. My new mac will be here next wed and I have 14 days to ship back the old 14". Also would a usb c thunderbolt 4 cable be even faster than a 3? Thank you

[@DionMedia]

The answer to both your questions is yes. And yes, the Thunderbolt 4 cable will be the fastest. Enjoy your new Mac!! And sorry for the late reply

[@adtekguide]

Thank you sir. You saved me from a nightmare

[@freckledmel]

What if you suspect you have a virus in your old Mac? Would this also transfer to the new Mac?

[@mrhobs]

Will a Switch Pro Controller USB-C controller cable work well for data transfer? I’m gonna try it later tonight. 🙂

[@hallonbergenn]

Dion, do you know if it is possible to transfer software licenses to the new mac completely?

[@bakenb]

is it possible to use type C to USB cable for speeding up the migration? as i want to migrate my Old Macbook air 2015 to Macbook Air 2020 M1..or is there any option to speeding the migration up?😊

[@robertw.1499]

Hey Buddy, one question. I use all the Apple Office applications on my old MacBook but when I ordered it two years ago, Iit was delivered with Windows Office Suit and Final Cut Pro pre installed. When I migrate from my old Mac to the new, will it also transfer those applications and will I be able to use them on the new Mac without issues? Thank you 🙏

[@DionMedia]

Hi, yes it should. You might have to introduce the password again

[@rgkh1503]

great video. do the cable provided by apple (the white one) qualifies as thunderbolt?

[@stom3998]

Thanks! I just picked up an M2 Air earlier today and I was curious how to drag the data from my early 2015 Air.

[@DionMedia]

Glad I could help!

[@naim.khemis]

Even the MacOs version it will transfer? For example: Let's say the old one is Mojave and the new one is Ventura.. the macOs of the new one will be Mojave after we transfer everything from the old one?

[@DionMedia]

It is possible as long as there is not too much time between the two versions. When you do the transfer, make sure that the old computer is upgraded to the latest version

[@albundy3929]

better to use migrate or can you accomplish the same via cloud?

[@saxophonecsb7398]

Sick video. I love it. Keep up the high quality of work.

[@chuffa1130]

Thank you for the tutorial, seems simple but many of us need details videos like this one, also thunderbolt cable is key!

[@DionMedia]

Glad it was helpful!

[@gurufit1610]

What if you want everything brought over but you want the newer wallpaper/home screen that the newer model offers? And thanks for sharing!

[@wisdomyaw03]

You can change it in settings.

[@martinezdecap]

I have a ton of “other” in my storage. When I transfer my files from my old MacBook to my new, will I be transferring all of that “other” storage as well?

[@DionMedia]

Yes. There are apps that can clean your old Mac

[@MarqNash]

100% best video on this topic on KZbin thanks. just got the Mac Studio M1 Ultra

[@DionMedia]

Wow, thanks!

[@TomAtkins-z7t]

great video. very helpful. a couple of questions. Can the main password be the same for the old and new computer? does it matter what I name the new computer? I am moving from Catalina. 10.15. Thank you!!!!!

[@DionMedia]

Yes to the first one, no to the second!

[@Lit_Hot_takes]

Is this the same setup steps for MacOS?

[@delwoathauda9679]

When you follow this method to setup the new mac, will all the cache files and junk files which were stored in the old mac over the period be also transferred into the nee fresh mac ?

[@DionMedia]

Most unfortunately yes. You can use apps to get rid of many of these cache files

[@darinvilano1700]

Could you just use the USB-C thunderbolt cable right from the outset? Would migration assistant recognize that over Wi-Fi? I believe in your video you used the cable part way through to show that the computer would recognize it and adapt. So, I'm wondering if you could do that at the outset. Thanks.

[@DionMedia]

HI Darin, this should be possible as your Mac will automatically recognize the better way to transfer

[@Basshorizonmusic]

Is bootcamp migrate too ?

[@soumikmallick8373]

Hi, after the transfer the subscription I have like ms office, parallels, adobe, will they be automatically transferred?

[@michaeloitker5567]

Question: If you use a USB-C cable to expedite the transfer of data from one MacBook Air to another is it necessary that the computers be on the same WiFi network?

[@DionMedia]

No, you have to activate the new of course, but after that the process should function

[@ronin120]

do I connect the USB C cable between the two Macs right from the beginning? In the video the Macs were connected a little later.

[@jamiejackson4121]

What is your IOS is older on the new MacBook. My new MacBook will not receive transfer because of this. I recently updated my IOS on my oder mac to the newest version. Once I received my new matchbook from Apple, had an older IOS installed

[@RealNurumusic]

Will this install software applications or music software plugins?

[@techaddictdude]

Will it also migrate installed apps?

[@James-mh8zd]

Once I complete this process, I sync my phone to my Mac I don’t use iCloud on either Mac past and future/ will I be able to sync my phone to the new Mac since it’s synced to the old Mac and or old library?

[@shailarahman7925]

Very clear instructions, makes it easy to follow and super fun. Thank you!

[@UA10i12]

Is there a way to transfer the state of the mac? Open apps such as browsers with the current tabs.

[@Brady_Hommel2.0]

Any notable differences from switching to the m2 from the m1?

[@DionMedia]

Hi Brady, the difference in performance of one excellent device above another is around 20%. See also this link. kzbin.info/www/bejne/gHmvc5Zmg9Z5qpY

[@daviddavidd9883]

WiFi was the first method of transferring data. You finished up with a cable connection. Can I connect a USB C or thunderbolt cable at the start of the migration and will the cable be recognized as the method of migration? I watched several other vids but I didn't see an option to choose wifi or cable.

[@DionMedia]

Yes, just do, your Mac will automatically start over to the fastest method

[@raymurphy5230]

Thanks for this very informative video. Gave me much more confidence in setting up my new Mac.

[@DionMedia]

That is great to hear!

[@BorgyManotoyOnline]

Question: If my old mbp have 2 accounts, both of this accounts will be copied to the new mbp? If I only need my own account, I need to remove the other account on the new mbp? Thanks

[@estheticsguru]

Thank you so much!! This video answered ALL of my questions!!!

[@DionMedia]

Great to hear!

[@TedsCards]

You're a good teacher. Thanks for this, it made my migration smooth.

[@DionMedia]

That means a lot, thank you!

[@NeonDeionGaming]

This is crazy. I heard this dude say my name and was so confused. haha but super helpful, thank you!!!

[@morepowertoyou-aprayerpodc9813]

Everything was very crisp and clear and I really appreciated it and followed your instructions to the letter and it worked to the letter I was thrilled. It counted down to six minutes and I was getting ready to enjoy my success and now for the last three hours it has gone everything from 12:55 thousand hours.... End it keeps going back-and-forth. Do you have any answer to why that is the case? Should I just cancel it and try and start over? Thanks for your great help

[@DionMedia]

Sorry to be late in my answer. You probably have solved it by now. Yes, these things happen for a variety of reasons, but as long as you see movement, let the process continue and make sure that both Mac books have enough power. And thanks for your compliment.

[@telboyynwa699]

I will be migrating from an 9yr old MacBook Pro which operates on OS Catalina to a new MacBook Air. Migrating will not replace the new apps with the older apps?

[@oenginz]

I use 2019 mac mini, going to a new 2023 mac mini... my old mac also has windows bootcamp, will that also set up automatically on my new mac or should I setup windows BootCamp partition again all over?

[@DionMedia]

How, very good question. First of all sorry for the late reply. No, you can not as it requires an Intel chip and the latest Mac models all have chips from the M series

[@Avneet.tooray]

Can we use old usb to c cable also as i have 2015 macbook and now buying new one

[@ucupz]

Hi hi what if you have 2 user on the same mac, how to transfer it? Should i create both users first?

[@sashgusarova]

hi! i love this tutorial and it honestly helped me so much however during the information transferring process, the number of files transferred has been stuck on the same number for an hour and there is no movement and the time remaining keeps increasing. What should I do?

[@DionMedia]

HI, overlooked this one. I assume it has been fixed by now. My advice would have been to wait a bit longer or to try again. Most of the time it goes in the first attempt, but not always