Migration Assistant or Time Capsule for transferring data to new Mac?

[mk313]

Any advantage to using either Migration Assistant or Time Capsule to transfer my data over to a new Mac? I looked on Apple's site & they just list both as options, but don't say if one method is better than another.

I'm going from an Intel Mac to an M2 one if that matters.

Thanks in advance.

 

[FreakinEurekan]

Minor benefits either way. The primary reason both options exist, so that (a) people who don't have a Time Machine backup have an option, and (b) people whose old computer is broken/damaged/missing have an option.

Generally speaking, I recommend using Migration Assistant directly from the Mac - BUT - boot the source Mac into Safe Mode before you start.

Bottom line is either method is fine, sometimes it just comes down to personal preference.

 

[mk313]

Minor benefits either way. The primary reason both options exist, so that (a) people who don't have a Time Machine backup have an option, and (b) people whose old computer is broken/damaged/missing have an option.

Generally speaking, I recommend using Migration Assistant directly from the Mac - BUT - boot the source Mac into Safe Mode before you start.

Bottom line is either method is fine, sometimes it just comes down to personal preference.

Thank you!

 

[Fishrrman]

My standard advice:

Use an EXTERNAL DRIVE.

It should have a backup made with either:
- CarbonCopyCloner
- SuperDuper
or
- time machine
(I recommend SuperDuper as the easiest -- it's free to download and use for this job)

When the new Mac arrives:
Take it out of the box and set it up, but DO NOT PRESS THE POWER ON BUTTON YET (shouting intentional)
Before you do that, run "one last backup" on the old Mac.
Connect the backup to the new Mac.
NOW press the power on button for the first time.

Begin setup.
When setup assistant asks if you wish to migrate from another drive, YES, you do.
"Point the way" for SA to find the external drive.
Give SA time to "digest" everything.
SA will present you with a list of stuff to migrate. I suggest you migrate it all.
EXCEPTION: for a Mac that is quite old, you might UNCHECK "applications", but migrate everything else.

Then... turn SA loose and let it do its job.
When done, you should see your old login screen, just as before.
So... log in and "look around".

 

[mk313]

My standard advice:

Use an EXTERNAL DRIVE.

It should have a backup made with either:
- CarbonCopyCloner
- SuperDuper
or
- time machine
(I recommend SuperDuper as the easiest -- it's free to download and use for this job)

When the new Mac arrives:
Take it out of the box and set it up, but DO NOT PRESS THE POWER ON BUTTON YET (shouting intentional)
Before you do that, run "one last backup" on the old Mac.
Connect the backup to the new Mac.
NOW press the power on button for the first time.

Begin setup.
When setup assistant asks if you wish to migrate from another drive, YES, you do.
"Point the way" for SA to find the external drive.
Give SA time to "digest" everything.
SA will present you with a list of stuff to migrate. I suggest you migrate it all.
EXCEPTION: for a Mac that is quite old, you might UNCHECK "applications", but migrate everything else.

Then... turn SA loose and let it do its job.
When done, you should see your old login screen, just as before.
So... log in and "look around".

Thanks. That sounds great. I’ll give it a try.

 

[ChrisA]

Any advantage to using either Migration Assistant or Time Capsule to transfer my data over to a new Mac? I looked on Apple's site & they just list both as options, but don't say if one method is better than another.

I'm going from an Intel Mac to an M2 one if that matters.

Thanks in advance.

Migration Assistant will ask you if you have a Time machine backup. If you do then the two methods are a lot alike.

 

[mk313]

Thanks everyone. I followed fisherman’s directions and it worked great.

 

[VitoBotta]

If you have a thunderbolt cable and your macs have thunderbolt ports, then the absolute fastest way to migrate from the old mac to the new one is with Migration Assistant and the thunderbolt cable.