Use Migration Assistant to go from High Sierra machine to Big Sur machine?

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Level 1

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Use Migration Assistant to go from High Sierra machine to Big Sur machine?

I'm thinking of getting a new MacBook Air (M1) running, of course, Big Sur. My current computer is a 2017 MacBook Air (13") running High Sierra. I was hoping to use Migration Assistant to transfer my data, but I saw this on the Apple support page for Migration Assistant:

"Before you begin, upgrade to the latest version of macOS on both Mac computers."

Does that mean that I have to have Big Sur on my current computer or just have the latest version of High Sierra? Any work-arounds if the answer is that I need Big Sur on both computers? Thank you.

MacBook Air 13″, macOS 10.13

Posted on Jan 15, 2021 12:10 PM

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Answer 1

6x6

Level 6

18,531 points

Jan 15, 2021 12:53 PM in response to hesson11

You do no need to upgrade the old Mac: Apple is quite clear on this: if you have macOS 10.9 to 10.13. it will be as smooth ride. Here is the article referencing it: macOS - How to Upgrade - Apple

Now before you start the upgrade, do make sure you have a backup in case things go wrong. This is rare but you want to have this backup.

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Answer 2

hesson11 Author

Level 1

14 points

Jan 15, 2021 2:07 PM in response to 6x6

Thank you very much 6X6. The article you linked to says you can upgrade a Mac from High Sierra to Big Sur, but it doesn't address using Migration Assistant to go from an old Mac to a new one. So I'm still a bit curious about why the Migration Assistant support page says, "upgrade to the latest version of macOS on both Mac computers." Thanks again.

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Use Migration Assistant to go from High Sierra machine to Big Sur machine?

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