Transferring information from an older Mac or a previous OS version can also be performed using Time Machine. Using Migration Assistant with a Time Machine Drive Once the transfer is complete, you’ll be able to click on the Quit button to leave Migration Assistant and log in to your Mac.
Migration Assistant will start the transfer process, and display a status bar to let you know how the process is going. This usually involves deleting a user account or renaming a user account. Follow the onscreen prompts to mitigate any issues. Migration Assistant will offer conflict resolution, if any exists. Be sure to write down the new passwords so you can log into the account later. Migration Assistant may reset user account passwords. You’ll be guided through the resolution options if a conflict occurs.Īfter you’ve made the choices for which items to copy to your Mac, click the Continue button. You can either deselect the item or allow the Migration Assistant to resolve the conflict for you. This indicates a conflict between the item on the source and an item on the current Mac. In some cases, you may see a yellow exclamation point next to an item. An item with a disclosure triangle indicates there are sub-items you can choose to be included.
You can select any source device that contains a bootable Mac OS system, or a drive holding a Time Machine backup. If it’s housed on a partition on an internal drive, you should be all set. If the source drive that contains the startup drive or clone is in an external enclosure, make sure it is adequately powered and plugged into your Mac. Who needs a backup?” Using Migration Assistant with a Startup Drive or Clone Make a note this is one of the few times we have ever said, “Go ahead. In that case, as long as you still have the Mac OS Installer, you can skip the backup step.
The exception: if you just performed a clean install of the Mac OS and haven’t made any changes yet. You should have a current backup before you begin the Migration Assistant process.
As an example, macOS Sierra’s last minor version update was to macOS Sierra 10.12.6. However, you should, if possible, update your source drive to the most current version of the Mac OS that the drive is currently using. Migration Assistant will work with a source drive running OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.8 or later. Check the Migration Assistant link above for more detailed information about transferring data and files using network connections or Target Disk Mode. Preparation Before Using the Migration AssistantĪs we mentioned, this guide looks at transferring information from a directly connected storage device, and our preparation notes reflect that. The reason for concentrating on these two methods is to avoid some common issues that can occur when migrating data slow or inconsistent network performance, or failure of the Migration Assistant to locate a network-connected drive (or Mac) to transfer data from. The method we’re going to focus on involves directly connecting a startup drive, clone, or Time Machine drive to your Mac. Migration Assistant: The Easy Way to Transfer Your Data to a New Mac If you wish to migrate from an older Mac to a new Mac you just purchased, you’ll find detailed instructions in the guide: In this Rocket Yard guide we’re going to look at two of the possible ways to move the information to your new install of macOS Catalina. There are, however, a few tips we’re going to go over that may help you overcome any problems that could arise when moving information to your macOS Catalina-equipped Mac. Migration Assistant can transfer information from your older Mac, or an older version of the OS, to your newly upgraded Mac.