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What cable do I need to migrate data from MACBOOK pro 2015 (Yosemite) to new 2021 iMac?

What cable do I need to migrate data from MACBOOK pro 2015 (Yosemite) to new 2021 iMac?


Wi-Fi is way too slow.

MacBook Pro

Posted on Jun 3, 2021 12:07 PM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Jun 3, 2021 12:11 PM

When you buy a new Mac the easiest, quickest and most reliable method is to simply connect the old Mac's Time Machine External Hard Disk to the new Mac using a USB cable before you turn on the new Mac. You will likely need a USB A to USB C adapter, you can find them on Amazon for $10 or less. When you start the new Mac for the first time it will startup Setup Assistant (SA), SA will get to a point where it asks if you are migrating from another computer, select Yes  and follow the on-screen prompts and it's done! It is THAT simple.

 

If you have already done SA on the new computer then simply connect the Time Machine External Hard Disk using a USB cable and launch Migration Assistant (MA) which is located in Applications - Utilities - MA. Then follow the on-screen prompts.

 

The ONLY difference between MA and SA is MA will create a new user account that you need to log into.


Both SA and MA migrate applications (not 32 bit apps) , data files, settings, it does not migrate Mac OS itself. Some professional apps such as Adobe and Microsoft apps may require re-installing their apps as they will not allow them to be migrated. As long as you kept the security keys for installing their apps, it is not a big deal.

 

Finally, NEVER EVER use WiFi to migrate, this will fail in almost 100% of the situations in my experience. WiFi was never intended to move large amounts of data at one time.

3 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Jun 3, 2021 12:11 PM in response to bucketlistlady

When you buy a new Mac the easiest, quickest and most reliable method is to simply connect the old Mac's Time Machine External Hard Disk to the new Mac using a USB cable before you turn on the new Mac. You will likely need a USB A to USB C adapter, you can find them on Amazon for $10 or less. When you start the new Mac for the first time it will startup Setup Assistant (SA), SA will get to a point where it asks if you are migrating from another computer, select Yes  and follow the on-screen prompts and it's done! It is THAT simple.

 

If you have already done SA on the new computer then simply connect the Time Machine External Hard Disk using a USB cable and launch Migration Assistant (MA) which is located in Applications - Utilities - MA. Then follow the on-screen prompts.

 

The ONLY difference between MA and SA is MA will create a new user account that you need to log into.


Both SA and MA migrate applications (not 32 bit apps) , data files, settings, it does not migrate Mac OS itself. Some professional apps such as Adobe and Microsoft apps may require re-installing their apps as they will not allow them to be migrated. As long as you kept the security keys for installing their apps, it is not a big deal.

 

Finally, NEVER EVER use WiFi to migrate, this will fail in almost 100% of the situations in my experience. WiFi was never intended to move large amounts of data at one time.

What cable do I need to migrate data from MACBOOK pro 2015 (Yosemite) to new 2021 iMac?

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