I'm getting my old Macbook fixed, but it will take a few weeks for it to be replaced. How do I backup my entire Macbook for migration to the new Macbook using an external hard drive?

Hello!
I've had my Macbook for about 2 1/2 years now with insurance from PC World here in the UK. I was hesitant at first to hand in my Macbook earlier to be replaced using the insurance as it takes 2 weeks to be fixed (terrible, I know).
But now that it's the end of the summer holidays and I'll be returning to the university, I think that it's the perfect time to hand it in for repair.
I have an external hard drive capable of containing everything (apps, files etc.), but what is the best way of backing up the files, and how would I go about uploading the data onto the new Macbook? I remember on startup that there was an option to extract files from an external hard drive?
Thanks,
Adam.

You can use Time Machine to back up your files and then use the Migration assistant to bring back your files from the Time Machine backup. Other applications such as Carbon Copy Cloner may also do the job for you.

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