I recently purchased a new Mac Mini M4 and am upgrading from an older iMac 2017 retina computer. I would like to transfer the data from the old iMac to the new Mac Mini and then use the old iMac as a display. What do I need to do (hardware, software needed)?
[Re-Titled by Moderator]
iMac 27″ 5K, macOS 13.7
Thank you for reminding me. I have been considering adding that disclaimer to the User Tip, or perhaps eliminating the reference altogether.
It's obviously no substitute for a real display, and probably no better than Screen Sharing, whose limitations are addressed in the subsequent sentence anyway.
Thank you for reminding me. I have been considering adding that disclaimer to the User Tip, or perhaps eliminating the reference altogether.
It's obviously no substitute for a real display, and probably no better than Screen Sharing, whose limitations are addressed in the subsequent sentence anyway.
You can't do that, because newer Mac's do not support Target Display Mode.
Use your iMac as a display with target display mode - Apple Support
Get an external display or two for the new Mac mini.
Connect a display to Mac mini - Apple Support
Then after you have migrated from the 2017 iMac to the new Mac mini.
Transfer to a new Mac with Migration Assistant - Apple Support
Sell, give away or re-purpose the 2017 iMac for other family members to use.
What to do before you sell, give away, trade in, or recycle your Mac - Apple Support
An addendum to John Galt's excellent User tip he liked. He correctly states:
Alternatives to using Target Display Mode exist. The most popular option requires using a product known as Luna Display. It's a hardware and software product, and this author has no experience with it.
I do not have experience either but, to me, this prominent statement on Luna's Support Home page:
The red emphasis is Luna's, not mine.
For me that makes it abundantly clear that, per its devloper, it is NOT for making an iMac into a primary display for a Mini or Mac Studio.
+1 Den Thed is 150% correct on everything stated.
Please remember that iMacs are computers, they are not external displays for other devices.
As far as migrating from the old iMac to the new M4 please follow the steps in Setup Assistant and Migration Assistant. Hopefully you were wise and bought an M4 with at least the same amount of storage or data that was on the iMac. If you were not please return the MM and buy the correct configuration otherwise you will not be able to migrate easily, it will be an absolute nightmare. Yes, I am attempting to scare you because it really will be an awful experience.
👍 That exactly why I've moved away from suggesting any of those third-party products.
👍🏻
How do I use an old iMac as a monitor for a new Mac mini M4?
