Migration Assistant copies all of your files to your new Mac so that you don't have to copy your files manually.

• If your files are currently on a Windows PC, follow the PC migration steps instead.
• If your new Mac is using OS X Mountain Lion v10.8 or earlier, follow the Mountain Lion migration steps instead.

Check software, settings and power

MacBook Pro User’s Guide Includes setup, expansion. Transferring Files to Another Computer 53 Chapter 3: Using Your MacBook Pro 54 Using Universal Serial Bus Devices 57. Understanding General Safety Instructions 106 Setting Up Your MacBook Pro and Power Adapter 107 Using Your MacBook Pro 109.

• Install all available Apple software updates on both Mac computers. Install any updates for your third-party apps as well.
• Make sure that your old Mac is using OS X Lion or later.
• Make sure that your old Mac has a computer name: Choose Apple menu  > System Preferences, then click Sharing and check the Computer Name field.
• Connect both computers to AC power.

Connect the computers to each other

• If both computers are using macOS Sierra or later, just make sure that they're near each other and have Wi-Fi turned on. If either is using OS X El Capitan or earlier, connect them to the same network using Wi-Fi or Ethernet.
• Or connect them using target disk mode and the appropriate cable or adapter. Then start up your old computer in target disk mode.
• Or connect your new Mac to a Time Machine backup of your old Mac.

Use Migration Assistant

On your new Mac:

1. Open Migration Assistant, which is in the Utilities folder of your Applications folder.
   
2. Click Continue.
3. When asked how you want to transfer your information, select the option to transfer from a Mac, Time Machine backup or startup disk.
4. Click Continue.

On your old Mac:
If you started your old Mac in target disk mode or are migrating from a Time Machine backup, skip these four steps.

1. Open Migration Assistant.
2. Click Continue.
3. When asked how you want to transfer your information, select the option to transfer to another Mac.
4. Click Continue.

On your new Mac:

1. When asked to select a Mac, Time Machine backup or other startup disk, click the appropriate icon.
2. Click Continue. You might see a security code.

On your old Mac:
If you started your old Mac in target disk mode or are migrating from a Time Machine backup, skip these two steps.

1. If you see a security code, make sure that it's the same code as on your new Mac.
2. Click Continue.

On your new Mac:

1. Choose the backup to transfer information from.
2. Click Continue.

Continuing on your new Mac:

1. Select the information to transfer from the backup.
2. Click Continue to start the transfer. If you have a lot of content, the transfer might take several hours to finish.

In the example above, John Appleseed is a macOS user account. If you transfer an account that has the same name as an account on your new Mac, you're asked to rename the old account or replace the one on your new Mac. If you rename, the old account appears as a separate user on your new Mac, with a separate home folder and login. If you replace, the old account overwrites the account on your new Mac, including everything in its home folder.

After Migration Assistant has finished, log in to the migrated account on your new Mac to see its files. If you're not keeping your old Mac, learn what to do before you sell, give away or trade in your old Mac.

Related Articles

• 1 Synchronize With Briefcase
• 2 Use a PNY High-Speed USB Drive
• 3 Transfer Pictures Saved on a Computer to SanDisk
• 4 Connect a MicroSD Card to a USB Port

When you need to transport images, such as your company logo or a photo of your corporate headquarters to different offices, a professional printer or other off-site locations, carry them on a compact, lightweight Secure Digital memory stick. If you require photos not already on the memory stick, you must obtain them from the computer first. Once you move them to the appropriate folder on the memory stick, you can plug the stick into any computer and transfer the images.

Insert the memory stick into an SD port on your computer or a memory card reader that's connected to the PC. Click the Windows orb and select 'Computer' in the right pane of the Start menu. Double-click the SD memory stick in the 'Devices with Removable Storage' section and then minimize the folder that opens.

Navigate to the folder containing the pictures that you want to copy or move to your memory stick. If you want to transfer the entire folder, navigate to the folder location but don't open it. If you want only certain pictures, open the folder. Press and hold the 'Ctrl' key and then click on each photo you want to transfer.

Right-click the folder or the photos you want to transfer. Click 'Cut' to remove the photos from their current location and transfer them to the memory stick, or click 'Copy' to transfer copies of the selected photos.

Open the minimized SD memory card folder. Right-click inside of the folder and click 'Paste' to transfer the images you cut or copied. Alternatively, you can drag the images from their current location to the SD card folder.

Close the memory stick folder. Click the 'Safely Remove Hardware' icon on the right side of your taskbar near the clock and select 'Eject.' Remove the memory stick from the SD port or card reader.

Tip

• Depending on your digital camera's configuration, it may not be able to display photos that have been edited or formatted on a computer and placed back on the memory stick. Other devices, such as printers and digital frames, however, will be able to view and display the images from the SD stick.

About the Author

Tricia Goss' credits include Fitness Plus, Good News Tucson and Layover Magazine. She is certified in Microsoft application and served as the newsletter editor for OfficeUsers.org. She has also contributed to The Dollar Stretcher, Life Tips and Childcare Magazine.

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