Migration Assistant

[camardelle]

Just picked up a new iMac. Can I use Migration Assistant to Mom be certain specific items from my old iMac to the new one.

Specifically my pics. Can I move individual or groups of pictures from one computer to another wirelessly, or am I using a memory stick for a few gigs st a time?

 

[Fishrrman]

Do you have the new one up-and-running already?
Or are you just getting ready to set it up?

Important that we know this first, before advising you further.

Also important:
Do you have an external drive of any kind?

 

[camardelle]

After researching more, I figured out I should have probably done this when I first booted up the new machine. Lesson learned I guess. The new one is up and running. I have an external drive hooked up to the old one and one on the way from Amazon shortly.

I was looking at my older iMac last night. Really all I want to do is move the pics. I don't have any vitally important documents or anything.

Not going to lie....My plan was to format the new drive and drag and drop the pics from one computer and upload them to the other. Then reformat and use the new drive as a backup drive.

 

[Fishrrman]

What you want to do is still possible, but it's important to have additional info first.

Where are the pics currently located?
In a folder of their own?
Or... do they exist as "part of a library" for an app on the old Mac, such as iPhoto?
What app were you using on the old Mac to view/edit them?

 

[camardelle]

I was using iPhoto. They are there inside the application.

 

[Fishrrman]

OP wrote:
"I was using iPhoto. They are there inside the application."

I think what you need to do is this:

First, I would recommend that you use either an external USB hard drive or a USB flash drive to "move over" the files. Either one will work provided it's large enough.

Then, do this:
1. copy the "iPhoto Library" from your home folder on the OLD Mac to the "transfer drive"
2. Power down the old Mac and disconnect the external drive. Connect it to the NEW Mac and let the icon appear on the desktop... but...
3. DON'T open the drive icon yet.
4. Click ONE TIME on the external drive icon and type "command-i" (eye) to bring up the get info box for the drive.
5. At the bottom of the box there's a lock icon. Click it and enter the password you're using on the NEW Mac.
6. In the sharing and permissions area, there should be a checkbox "ignore ownership on this volume". Put a check into that box, then close the get info box.
THE ABOVE IS IMPORTANT to prevent permissions errors between your old Mac and your account on the new one.

Now you need to open a couple of folders:
- On the external drive, open your old home folder, so that you can see the "iPhoto Library".
- On the NEW Mac, open your home folder so that you can see the Pictures folder, but don't open it.
- Now, "drag and drop" the iPhoto Library file over the Pictures folder, and "let it go".
- You should see a dialog asking if you want to replace the existing folder with the new one. YES, you want to do this.
WARNING: this presumes that if there's an iPhoto Library on the New Mac, that you don't need to save anything in it.
The iPhoto Library from the old Mac should replace the copy that was there.

BUT WAIT... THERE'S MORE!

If you have a new Mac, the older versions of iPhoto won't work with it any more.
New Macs come with Photos (instead of iPhoto).
Do you want to keep using iPhoto, or will you be using Photos?

Let us know what the answer is.
The ONLY VERSION of iPhoto that works with El Capitan, Sierra and High Sierra is version 9.6.1.
It can be "tricky to get ahold of".

I suggest you print this reply out and keep it handy.