Clone rMB 2015 to rMB 2017

[leeuk321]

Hi all, I own a 2015 Macbook and have just purchased a 2017 Macbook. I'd like to somehow clone my 2015 to the 2017, so then I don't have to manually reinstall all of my programs, reconfigure settings, mail folders, etc etc. Once I've got my 2017 rMB set up I'm going to reset my 2015 rMB and sell it on. I've heard about people using Carbon Copy Cloner to clone a drive, which also clones the recovery partition, which sounds great. I've got an external drive that I could clone to, so:

1) Could I launch CCC on my 2015 rMB and clone the current drive, or does it have to be cloned from another computer in target disk mode or something?
2) How would I then clone the external drive to the 2017 rMB?

Sorry if what I'm doing has already been answered or sounds daft.

Cheers,
Lee

 

[Weaselboy]

Just make a Time Machine backup or CCC clone and when you first start the new MacBook tell it you want to migrate in data from another Mac, then point it to the TM or CCC disk and off you go.

 

[mj_]

Or if you don't have an external drive at hand simply choose "Transfer data from another Mac" during the initial migration setup and point it to your old MacBook.

 

[leeuk321]

Hi, thanks for both of your replies. I took your advice and did a time machine backup and then used the Migration Assistant on my new Macbook. I didn't realize that was possible, to migrate from a time machine backup. Also, I'd heard about migration assistant, but thought that it was purely for migrating files & folders over, and didn't realize that it also moved applications and settings (having my mailboxes and smart filters copies over was invaluable).

Worked a treat, cheers!

 

[MSastre]

Even with TM, it's still a good idea to have a clone of your main system drive, using CCC or SuperDuper.