How do I migrate from one Mac to a New Mac?

What's the best way to migrate from an older (G5) Mac to a new iMac that I just purchased? I want to transfer all my data files over as well as my music and pictures and applications.

I would use Time Machine (if the OS on your older Mac supports that). You can do a full restore from the Utilities menu in the OS X Installer on the new machine or you can do a clean install on the new machine and use Time Machine then to restore some of your data (user folder etc.). Just use an external USB or FW harddisk for the backup.
Firewire connection between the two computers (or having them in the same network) should work too. Just install the new Mac, the go to Applications, Utilities and use the Migration tool.

Similar Messages

  • HT4889 Can I choose what to migrate from one mac to another mac?

    Can I choose what to migrate from one mac (Powrebook G4) to another mac (New iMac)?  I do not want everything to be migrated, as some programs are not compatible with Mountain Lion or an intelIntel mac!
    As it is a brand New iMac I would also like to keep it clean of unnecessary files that have become  imbedded in the Powerbook over its time.Therfore it would be nice if I can pick and choose what is to be transferd. If you can give me a heads up on if and how it would be appreciated!!!
    Thanks
    PicMac

    Thanks for your input!… I have now come across an Article from Apple 
    Migration Assistant tips and tricks
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3231?viewlocale=en_US
    Controlling what is migrated
    With Migration Assistant you control the data that is migrated from another Macintosh computer. By clicking the triangle next to a user's name, you can select which User Accounts to migrate and choose which folders to migrate. You can also choose whether to migrate Applications, Network and Computer settings, or Volumes. Migrating only what you need can reduce the time it takes to complete your migration.

  • How do i migrate from one computer to another ?

    how do i migrate from one computer to another ?

    Hi, what are the 2 OS versions involved?
    It's generally best to do it on 1st boot of the new one, but we need more info about OSes & exact model Macs.

  • How to transfer Signatures from one Mac to another

    In Mail, if I go to Preferences > Signatures, I see in the left column *All Signatures*, and signatures for various accounts.
    How would I transfer the signatures in *All Signatures* from one Mac to another?
    The names of files in the folder ~/Library/Mail/Signatures are all cryptic.
    Moreover, since each signature is tied to a certain account, I don't think that I can just copy these files into the Signature folder of the 2nd Mac.

    Simply moving these cryptic files did not work, in the sense that these signatures did not show up in the right-most column of the Signatures pane.
    I made sure that I did not move the SignaturesByAccount.plist file in the ~/Library/Mail/Signatures folder.
    So, would someone please share with me how to transfer signatures from one Mac to another, with both running Mail?

  • I just migrated from one Mac to another and I got a msg to contact Adobe tech support and report error code 150:30. What do I do?

    I just migrated from one Mac to another and I got a msg to contact Adobe tech support and report error code 150:30. What do I do?@

    Reinstall the software properly. Migration is useless due to the specifics of the activation system.
    Mylenium

  • How can I migrate from one user to another within the same computer?

    My main user account in my desktop is becoming buggy after to many migrations from different computers and long time usage. I would like to migrate from one user to another user within the same computer to see if this improves my current problems.
    How can I do it in a reasonably safe and quick way?
    Thank you very much, cheers, Rui
    iMAC, OS 10.6.8... and yes, I love Snow Leopard light and handy... and all my programs work on it...

    Move small groups of files to the /Users/Shared/ folder or another location and see if the problems disappear. Moving everything to a new user account will in all probability transfer the problems.
    (119885)

  • Migrating from one Mac to Another

    [Short Version
    Problem:
    Need to move photos from G4 ibook to Intel macbook. Both run 10.5, so I assume iphoto 09. I don't know, because I don't use iPhoto. I use photoshop.
    I would be happy to settle for extracting image files that can be imported into the new computer... but this process seems to fail each time.
    attempted solutions:
    copy "iPhoto Library" from pictures folder to hard drive, import on new computer.]
    Detailed version:
    I'm sure this has been asked before, as people tend to upgrade computers from time to time.
    However, I've searched the boards and google for a half hour or so with mixed results.
    A friend of mine has an old G4 ibook that she has recently replaced with a new intel macbook. Both run Leopard.
    She would like to get rid of the G4, but can't figure out how to move her iPhoto library (or even the pictures without albums, etc.) from one mac to another.
    She attempted to copy the iPhoto library in the G4 to an external drive, then attempted to import the library into the new macbook. This didn't work, files show up in the database, but will not open. They appear to be .jpg files, or at least have that extension.
    My suggestion was that she use the File > Export command, but she can't seem to get that to work either. I'm not sure if she selected the correct options, both during export from the old system and import from the new system.
    Another option that we haven't tried is to "Option + start iPhoto" trick, similar to my current iTunes setup (home LAN vs away) to access two libraries. To specify, holding option while launching iphoto then selecting the old iPhoto library that has been copied to an external.
    Has anyone had success moving photos from one mac to another?
    thanks in advance for the help.

    1 - OS version and iPhoto versions have little to do with each other - OS X 10.5 will run iPhoto 4, iPhoto 5, iPhoto 6, iPhoto '08 and iPhoto '09 - you have to look at the program and see what version it is
    2 - If you move the entire iPhoto library intact as a single entity between the same version of iPhoto or to a newer version everything is automatic - you can not go backwards (iPhoto '08 can not read an iPhoto '09 library)
    3 - you can always select the photos and export them (file menu ==> export)
    4 - you can get the originals by right clicking (control clicking) on the iPhoto library and selecting show package contents (iPhoto '08 and '09 - not knowing the version involved makes this much more difficult) and copying the originals folder and moving it
    Has anyone had success moving photos from one mac to another?
    Thousand (probably millions) of people - if you know the versions involved you just drag it over and launch iPhoto
    Another option that we haven't tried is to "Option + start iPhoto" trick, similar to my current iTunes setup (home LAN vs away) to access two libraries. To specify, holding option while launching iphoto then selecting the old iPhoto library that has been copied to an external.
    This does not copy a library - it repoints iPhoto to a different library if the version are compatible (and may convert it to a newer version)
    Basically you have not described the most critical piece of information - the iPhoto version on each computer
    LN

  • How to transfer playlist from one Mac to another?

    I have my music library on external hdd (by this I can take with me to the office and back home), but I don't know how to transfer playlists from my home mac to the office mac. I hope that it is clear what I wanted to ask.
    thank you very much in advance.

    This should help you:
    iTunes: How to backup and restore playlists
    http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=93763

  • How do I migrate from one user to another to resolve sleep/permissions issues?

    My MacBook Pro's been having several issues, mainly with waking from sleep. I've tried Repairing Permissions, Repair Disk, running tools like OnyX and Drive Genius, but they can't find any issues. I checked the Console log, and there was some sort of denial from displaying the login window after I woke up from sleep.
    Initially I thought this had to do with some of my peripherals being plugged in when I already had the lid closed; the Mac would wake up, not realize the lid was closed, and never go back to sleep. Nothing--keyboard or trackpad touches--would wake the machine up. I'd have to hard reset by holding the Power button on.
    I had an Apple Genius suggest that I create a new user and test it out with the (same) default sleep settings as the buggy user account. It wakes up from sleep lightning fast, and has thus far never had any issues.
    I'm leaning toward sticking with this new user and migrating over my things bit by bit, to try and avoid potential permissions issues. But since I don't know where the source of this sleep problem lies, how should I go about it?
    I've read through Pondini's Transfer Guide here http://pondini.org/OSX/Transfer.html, but I'm just wondering where people would start, knowing that the machine has had permissions issues with some files. (The permissions issues, btw, I believe were caused by a mangled Time Machine restore. I replaced my internal HD with another one, but the Time Machine/Migration Assistant restore wasn't complete. I did it a second time from within the user account that got created, then tried to delete the malformed one and rename the complete one, but that's when the issues started.)

    I wasn't intending to move the entire home folder, rather, moving things like what's inside my Documents folder in chunks.
    From what I read, tracking down the origin of sleep/wake problems on a computer is notoriously hard, especially if Disk Utility and similar tools don't give any clues during Repair Disk or Repair Permissions. Creating the new user seemed to help, but I don't know why that alone would "fix" anything, so I haven't moved any files as of yet nor done anything with the new user account.
    Trying to move the things from my Library folder to my desktop also seems a bit risky; it's hidden in Lion and Mountain Lion because a lot of system files are there, right? Wouldn't moving them cause problems, not just help me find what file/folder (if any) could be the culprit?

  • Main icons are missing on Dreamweaver cs5.5 after migrating from one mac to another

    Can someone help me? My icons are missing after migrating dreamweaver cs5.5 using migration assistance on a mac. I have no idea how to fix this...

    Migration Assistant is not recommended for transferring DW to another system.
    Uninstall DW in full and do a fresh re-install of DW from the installer (either CD/ DVD or a .DMG file).

  • Migrate from one Mac to another

    Just got a mac book air. Want to transfer to if from 2008 macbook pro. Got them cable together, went to utilities, got the migartion assistance to send from old to new, but they can seem to find each other. Help

    If you are connected via thunderbolt, the old computer needs to be put into target disk mode by holding down T as you boot it up. Then you need to open migration assistant on the new computer and follow the instructions. This is all explained in the link that lllaass posted.

  • How to move programs from one mac to another

    Hi guys, I was wondering if I can move all my programs on my iMac (adobe cs5, aperture, final cut studio, etc) to a macbook pro using time machine or migration assistant. I bought my iMac used and do not have have the serial numbers for adobe cs5 and final cut pro. Any thoughts/suggestions would be appriecated.
    Thanks

    Yes, you can do that. However, some commercial programs know they have been moved to a different machine and will require that you re-enter the license key. It may be better to try cloning one machine to the other.
    Just connect them by Firewire cable. Boot the computer you want to copy TO into Target Disk Mode. Boot the one you will copy FROM normally. The computer in TDM will show up on the Desktop as just another hard drive.
    Now use Disk Utility to clone them:
    Clone using Restore Option of Disk Utility
      1. Open Disk Utility in the Utilities folder.
      2. Select the destination volume from the left side list.
      3. Click on the Restore tab in the DU main window.
      4. Select the destination volume from the left side list and drag
           it to the Destination entry field.
      5. Select the source volume from the left side list and drag it to
          the Source entry field.
      6. Double-check you got it right, then click on the Restore button.
    Destination means the TO computer. Source means the FROM computer.

  • How to copy songs from one mac profile to another mac profile

    I have 3 profiles on my Imac. One for myself and 2 for my daughters. My daughter has purchased songs to her profile. I would like to listen to them also.  They do not show up in my profile.   How do i copy them to my profile. We use one apple ID and  all purchase music through the same apple ID.
    thanks.

    Are they connected via a network? If so, copy the windows music folder to public and the mac should be able to copy them off there. If not, you will need a flash drive/cd/hard drive to transport them to the other.
    If you have a scattered library like most, you will need to go to tools>options>library and click on the setting to rearrange media files according to rip settings. This should consolidate them much like iTunes does in your music folder so you don't have to go searching for them all.

  • I migrated from one mac to another with Migration Assistant

    Now my Creative Cloud doesn't work. Uninstalling failed, fresh install failed. I hate this. Why can't this be an ordinary application downloadable through the app store?
    How do I get this to work again?

    uninstall, clean and properly reinstall per, Use the CC Cleaner Tool to solve installation problems | CC, CS3-CS6
    migrating/moving/transferring adobe products often fails.

  • HOw to Move music from one iPod to a New iPod

    Hi
    Two questions actually;
    1) My wife wants an iPod, and wants hers to have all the same music as mine, is that possible?
    If not
    2) Our current iPod is only 30G and I want to upgrade to a 120G. I have not been able to find any info about how to move all the songs to my new iPod.
    I tried searching this site but a lot of unrelated 'stuff' comes up.
    Thanx.

    If you're both syncing from the same computer, on the same user account this will be incredibly easy. Just plug the iPod in, and it will automatically sync with the library, just make sure the preferences are alright.
    If the songs are all on the computer, merely plugging in your new one and syncing will transfer all the songs.

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