Mac Migration Assistant: A Beginner's Guide
Migration Assistant is the right tool for moving to a new Mac — if you set it up correctly.
Plug both Macs in. Migrations can take hours and a sudden battery dip will corrupt the transfer. Use a wired connection if you can — Thunderbolt or USB-C between the two machines is dramatically faster than Wi-Fi.
On the new Mac, open Migration Assistant from the Utilities folder. On the old Mac, open it too. Pick the source and follow the prompts. Choose what to migrate — applications, accounts, documents, and settings.
If both Macs are on Apple Silicon, the transfer is usually clean. If you're moving from Intel to Apple Silicon, expect some apps to need reinstalling because they don't have native versions. Make a list before you start.
Don't migrate from a backup that's full of broken apps. If your old Mac was misbehaving, those problems will follow. In that case, a clean install plus selective file copy is wiser. I do this routinely for clients who want a real fresh start.
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