Transfer to a new Mac with Migration Assistant
Use Migration Assistant to copy some or all of your content from one Mac to another Mac.
What does Migration Assistant do?
Migration Assistant transfers documents, apps, user accounts, and settings from one Mac to another. It doesn’t delete information from your old Mac or replace the operating system (macOS) on your new Mac.
Migration Assistant can also transfer from a Time Machine backup or transfer from a Windows PC.
Get ready
Install the latest software updates on both computers.
To transfer wirelessly, make sure that both computers have Wi-Fi
turned on and are near each other. If either Mac is using OS X El Capitan or earlier, connect them to the same Wi-Fi network.
If antivirus, firewall, or VPN software is in use on either Mac, turn off that software until you're done.
Use Migration Assistant
Migration Assistant is included with your Mac—both as an app and as part of the setup assistant that opens when you first start up a new Mac.
On your new Mac
Open Migration Assistant:
If your Mac starts up to a setup assistant, which asks for details like your country and network, skip to the next step, because migration is part of that setup.
If you already completed initial setup of your new Mac, open Migration Assistant. You can find it in the Utilities folder of your Applications folder. Or use Spotlight to find and open it. If asked for permission to make changes, enter your administrator password.
When asked how you want to transfer your information, select the option to transfer from a Mac, Time Machine backup, or startup disk. Click Continue.
On your old Mac
Open Migration Assistant, then click Continue.
When asked how you want to transfer your information, select the option to transfer to another Mac. Click Continue.
On your new Mac
When asked to select a Mac, Time Machine backup, or other startup disk, select the icon of other Mac. Click Continue.
On your old Mac
If you see a security code, make sure that it's the same code shown on your new Mac. Click Continue.
On your new Mac
Migration Assistant calculates how much storage space is used by all of your information, including apps, user accounts, files, folders, and settings. Select the checkbox next to each category of files that you want to transfer. Or click the disclosure arrow
next to a category and select specific items within it. Click Continue.
In the example pictured, Danny Rico is a user account. When you transfer your own account or other accounts, you’re asked to create a new password for each account.
For each administrator account, click Set Password and enter a secure password. Remember the password: You will need it to log in to the account on your new Mac.
For each standard account, a temporary password is assigned and appears onscreen. Write down this password. When that user first logs in, they must enter this password, then enter their own new password when prompted.
If an account with the same name already exists on your new Mac, you’re asked to choose:
Replace the account on your new Mac with the account from your old Mac. You might also have the option to keep a copy of the replaced account’s data by moving it to the Deleted Users folder, where you can access that data later.
Or rename the old account before transferring it to your new Mac. This keeps both accounts, so that you can log in to them separately on your new Mac.
If asked for the password of an existing user who is already authorized on your new Mac, click Authorize, then enter that account's password.
Large transfers might need hours to complete, and might seem to pause occasionally. After Migration Assistant is done, quit Migration Assistant on both computers, then log in to the migrated account on your new Mac.
Learn more
Migration Assistant transfers your email, but to access it you might first need to set up your email account again in your email app.
In macOS Ventura 13 and later, you can also open Migration Assistant as follows: Choose Apple menu > System Settings, click General in the sidebar, click Transfer or Reset on the right, then click Open Migration Assistant.
If you're not keeping your old Mac, learn what to do before you sell, give away, or trade in your old Mac. Those steps include the option to erase your old Mac and reset it to factory settings.