Best (quickest and most reliable) way to transfer from old iMac to new M1-iMac

[swandy]

I have a 2019 iMac running Big Sur (11.4) and awaiting - somewhat patiently - the arrival of a new M1-iMac.
As the title states - what is the fastest and most reliable way to transfer from my old iMac to the new one? I plan on transferring everything that is on the old HD. (My Music library and Photos Library are on an external HD. Documents are in iCloud in addition to being on the old iMac HD.)
I have read several suggestions - even went so far to purchase a Thunderbolt/USB3 to TB/USB3 cable as both computers have USB3 ports. What is way to go? Thanks.

 

[ipsedixit]

Why not update your 2019 iMac to Big Sur and then use Migration Assistant when the new M1 iMac arrives?

 

[swandy]

Why not update your 2019 iMac to Big Sur and then use Migration Assistant when the new M1 iMac arrives?

Uh. I wrote it is already at Big Sur and was planning on using Migration Assistant. Want to know the best way to get the two iMacs to communicate with each other.

 

[ipsedixit]

Sorry, my bad. USB-C is the best in my experience.

 

[swandy]

Sorry, my bad. USB-C is the best in my experience.

Thanks. No problem

 

[smirking]

I recently had to migrate a 2018 MBP to a M1 MBP. The direct transfer using a TB3 cable didn't work so great for me. Something was wrong. I tried twice and both times it was very slow so I ended up restoring from a bootable HDD backup I made using a beta version of Super Duper. I had to use the beta version because there wasn't a full proper release version that works with Big Sur yet. I had no problems though. The cloned hard drive was restored to my new M1 MBP quite handily.

If you try a direct Mac to Mac transfer, make sure you're aware that you have to open both Macs to Migration Assistant or it won't work. Apple didn't do a very good job of explaining how the direct transfer works. It's easy to fall under the impression that you connect the cable and the new Mac will detect the old one. Nope. There are extra steps.

 

[SegNerd]

I always use Migration Assistant with a Time Machine backup.

 

[wilberforce]

Although it is not the fastest, I have found directly interconnecting the two iMacs with an ethernet cable as fast enough. 500GB takes about an hour (asuming both are Gigabit). Very reliable, and no configuring needed. If you need to transfer more than a TB, that will probably be too slow for you.

 

[Fishrrman]

Fishrrman's "you can do it!" routine for migrating to a new Mac:

If you follow my instructions below, I guarantee a success rate of 98%:
PRINT OUT these instructions and check them off as you go along.

1. BEFORE you do anything else, run a "final" backup on your old Mac. Use an external drive for this. It can be either TM or a cloned backup using CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper. I prefer CCC.
I STRONGLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU DO NOT USE TM AS YOUR "MIGRATION EXTERNAL DRIVE". INSTEAD, USE EITHER CCC OR SD. Things will go better this way!
2. Shut down the old Mac and disconnect the external drive
3. Take the new Mac out of the box and set it up on the table. DO NOT PRESS THE POWER ON BUTTON until step 8 (read on). You don't want to begin setup until "the right moment".
4. If you're using an external display, connect the display using the usb-c/VGA adapter/cable that you have
5. Connect the keyboard and mouse if you use them. I STRONGLY SUGGEST that you connect them DIRECTLY to the Mac.
6. If you use a hub, leave it DISCONNECTED for now
7. Connect your backup drive -- use a usb-c adapter if needed.

OK, we're ready-to-go, so let's get goin':
8. Press the power on button for the first time.
9. The new Mac may ask for help "finding" the keyboard, just follow instructions.
10. Begin setup. At the appropriate moment, setup assistant will ask if you wish to migrate from another Mac or drive. YES, you want to do this.
11. "Aim" setup assistant at the external backup. Setup assistant will need a little time to "digest it all". BE PATIENT and give setup assistant the time it needs.
12. You will now see a list of things that can be migrated, such as applications, accounts, settings and data.
13. I suggest that you select ALL of them.
14. Let setup assistant "do its thing". It's going to TAKE A WHILE to move things over. Again, be patient. If you have a lot "of stuff", it will take a lot of time!
15. When done, you should see the login screen. Go ahead and login.
16. Once logged in, things should look pretty much as they looked on your old Mac.
17. You should check all your apps. Some may not run, and may require upgrading.
18. You can set aside the old backup, or ... "repurpose it" to become the backup for the new Mac. I'd keep the old one around for a week or so, at least.

 

[swandy]

Fishrrman's "you can do it!" routine for migrating to a new Mac:

If you follow my instructions below, I guarantee a success rate of 98%:
PRINT OUT these instructions and check them off as you go along.

1. BEFORE you do anything else, run a "final" backup on your old Mac. Use an external drive for this. It can be either TM or a cloned backup using CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper. I prefer CCC.
I STRONGLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU DO NOT USE TM AS YOUR "MIGRATION EXTERNAL DRIVE". INSTEAD, USE EITHER CCC OR SD. Things will go better this way!
2. Shut down the old Mac and disconnect the external drive
3. Take the new Mac out of the box and set it up on the table. DO NOT PRESS THE POWER ON BUTTON until step 8 (read on). You don't want to begin setup until "the right moment".
4. If you're using an external display, connect the display using the usb-c/VGA adapter/cable that you have
5. Connect the keyboard and mouse if you use them. I STRONGLY SUGGEST that you connect them DIRECTLY to the Mac.
6. If you use a hub, leave it DISCONNECTED for now
7. Connect your backup drive -- use a usb-c adapter if needed.

OK, we're ready-to-go, so let's get goin':
8. Press the power on button for the first time.
9. The new Mac may ask for help "finding" the keyboard, just follow instructions.
10. Begin setup. At the appropriate moment, setup assistant will ask if you wish to migrate from another Mac or drive. YES, you want to do this.
11. "Aim" setup assistant at the external backup. Setup assistant will need a little time to "digest it all". BE PATIENT and give setup assistant the time it needs.
12. You will now see a list of things that can be migrated, such as applications, accounts, settings and data.
13. I suggest that you select ALL of them.
14. Let setup assistant "do its thing". It's going to TAKE A WHILE to move things over. Again, be patient. If you have a lot "of stuff", it will take a lot of time!
15. When done, you should see the login screen. Go ahead and login.
16. Once logged in, things should look pretty much as they looked on your old Mac.
17. You should check all your apps. Some may not run, and may require upgrading.
18. You can set aside the old backup, or ... "repurpose it" to become the backup for the new Mac. I'd keep the old one around for a week or so, at least.

Thanks for the instructions. I have CCC but never did a full backup of my internal HD. Would have to find a large enough external as my internal has about 500GB being used.
Also why the recommendation not to use TM out of curiosity. Also is this better than connecting the old iMac to the new one via a TB3 cable and why better. Thanks again.

 

[Fishrrman]

"why the recommendation not to use TM out of curiosity"

My guess -- and it's ONLY a guess:
A tm backup contains many versions of the same files.
A CCC cloned backup [normally] contains only ONE VERSION of each file.

During a migration, I reckon that setup assistant has to check EVERY version of the tm backup, check every file on each version to be sure it's migrating the latest file.

Of course, setup assistant DOES NOT HAVE TO DO THIS with a cloned backup.

I've never used tm and never will use it.
I have read reports from other users that suggest migrations from cloned backups "go quicker" than those from tm backups.
A common issue I read about during migrations is that as the migration nears completion, the computer will "hang" for hours, usually with the msg "only a minute remaining" (or something to that effect).
My guess is that this is because (again) migration assistant is trying to go over each version of the tm backup, to ensure that every file that has been "migrated" is the correct one.

That's how I see it.
I could be wrong.

But you asked for my explanation, and that's it.

 

[swandy]

"why the recommendation not to use TM out of curiosity"

My guess -- and it's ONLY a guess:
A tm backup contains many versions of the same files.
A CCC cloned backup [normally] contains only ONE VERSION of each file.

During a migration, I reckon that setup assistant has to check EVERY version of the tm backup, check every file on each version to be sure it's migrating the latest file.

Of course, setup assistant DOES NOT HAVE TO DO THIS with a cloned backup.

I've never used tm and never will use it.
I have read reports from other users that suggest migrations from cloned backups "go quicker" than those from tm backups.
A common issue I read about during migrations is that as the migration nears completion, the computer will "hang" for hours, usually with the msg "only a minute remaining" (or something to that effect).
My guess is that this is because (again) migration assistant is trying to go over each version of the tm backup, to ensure that every file that has been "migrated" is the correct one.

That's how I see it.
I could be wrong.

But you asked for my explanation, and that's it.

Thanks for the explanation. Just curious - any reason you think/know this is better than actually connecting the two iMacs to each other via a TB3 cable? I have read that is also a good way to go (and to avoid doing the migration via Wifi). Thanks again.

 

[Allyance]

Although it is not the fastest, I have found directly interconnecting the two iMacs with an ethernet cable as fast enough. 500GB takes about an hour (asuming both are Gigabit). Very reliable, and no configuring needed. If you need to transfer more than a TB, that will probably be too slow for you.

Ethernet is a great way to transfer data, but cable must be connected to a switch or router with multiple ports. You can not just run a standard ethernet cable between two computers, unless you have a crossover cable where the two pairs are switched (transmit & receive).

 

[wilberforce]

Ethernet is a great way to transfer data, but cable must be connected to a switch or router with multiple ports. You can not just run a standard ethernet cable between two computers, unless you have a crossover cable where the two pairs are switched (transmit & receive).

Actually you can, for migration assistant, because I have done it and it follows Apple instructions. The two Macs automatically create an ad hoc network between the two machines. It does not need a crossover cable. From Apple:


I actually did it during a migration assistant transfer. I was transferring via wifi which was painfully slow, so I just plugged an ethernet cable directly between the machines, while the transfer was happening (which may not have been the wisest time to do so.) Immediately it detected the direct connection and the transfer rate went from about 10MB/s to over 100MB/s, and I was done in about 40 minutes.

 

[smirking]

"why the recommendation not to use TM out of curiosity"

My guess -- and it's ONLY a guess:
A tm backup contains many versions of the same files.

You could also just do a one time Time Machine backup and use that as the restore source. Above, I mistakenly said I cloned my system with SuperDuper and restored it to my M1 Mac.

That's what I normally do, but SuperDuper was only in beta for Big Sur and I didn't want to take any chances so I made a fresh Time Machine backup to a formatted drive and used that as my restore source.

The Time Machine backup took a bit longer than a SuperDuper clone job, but wasn't drastically longer and the restore from Time Machine was easy and I don't think it took any longer than a restore from a bootable drive.

This wasn't my preference, mind you. It was Plan C. I was pleasantly surprised that it worked without any hiccup.

 

[mollyc]

Ethernet is a great way to transfer data, but cable must be connected to a switch or router with multiple ports. You can not just run a standard ethernet cable between two computers, unless you have a crossover cable where the two pairs are switched (transmit & receive).

Actually you can, for migration assistant, because I have done it and it follows Apple instructions. The two Macs automatically create an ad hoc network between the two machines. It does not need a crossover cable. From Apple:

View attachment 1805382
I actually did it during a migration assistant transfer. I was transferring via wifi which was painfully slow, so I just plugged an ethernet cable directly between the machines, while the transfer was happening (which may not have been the wisest time to do so.) Immediately it detected the direct connection and the transfer rate went from about 10MB/s to over 100MB/s, and I was done in about 40 minutes.

I have used an ethernet cable between two computers.

 

[RUQRU]

I recently had to migrate a 2018 MBP to a M1 MBP. The direct transfer using a TB3 cable didn't work so great for me. Something was wrong. I tried twice and both times it was very slow so I ended up restoring from a bootable HDD backup I made using a beta version of Super Duper. I had to use the beta version because there wasn't a full proper release version that works with Big Sur yet. I had no problems though. The cloned hard drive was restored to my new M1 MBP quite handily.

If you try a direct Mac to Mac transfer, make sure you're aware that you have to open both Macs to Migration Assistant or it won't work. Apple didn't do a very good job of explaining how the direct transfer works. It's easy to fall under the impression that you connect the cable and the new Mac will detect the old one. Nope. There are extra steps.

Yes, I am doing the same thanks. Already created the clone using SD Beta 3.5.

 

[swandy]

Thanks for all the suggestions and advice. Ended up using a Time Machine backup. Took about 4 hours (but I have about 400GB on my iMac drive to copy). But everything seems in place. Testing the new iMac before I bring in my old one for trade in.

 

[Fishrrman]

"Crossover" ethernet cables haven't been required with Macs for many years now...

 

[colodane]

Ethernet is a great way to transfer data, but cable must be connected to a switch or router with multiple ports. You can not just run a standard ethernet cable between two computers, unless you have a crossover cable where the two pairs are switched (transmit & receive).

Actually, I believe you can just connect between the two Macs. I used this approach when migrating to my current iMac from my last one.

Only note I will add is that to make sure you are using at least a CAT-5 cable to get fast transfer speeds.

 

[Allyance]

I stand corrected, my networking business was long before I got my iMac, I did not realize Macs could to that. It was always standard procedure to use a crossover cable or hub/switch between two machines. I will use ethernet to transfer my data when I get my new iMac in the next couple weeks. Learn something new every day.