Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Migrating to a new mac- time machine or clean install ?

I

igilphoto

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 2, 2018
36
28
Hello everyoneת
First of all sorry for posting so much in the past few days - new mac so a lot of questions .

I'm waiting for my new 2019 iMac to arrive and thinking what is the best way for migrating .
I have a 2011 iMac ,backed up to time machine so it seems like the logical way but I'm afraid to transfer some viruses or other damaging files/garbage to my brand new machine .

I don't remember something specific that can cause problems ,but its an old machine with heavy use so probably have a lot of junk here .

Am I over thinking it ? Or is it better/safer to just select manually what to transfer ?

What do you think ,do you have experience with this ?

Thank you in advance .
 
I would do a clean install if its the original from 2011 you will have a lot of Cr*p build up. Sync the main stuff through iCloud so your bookmarks/keychains etc move over and start fresh and move over what you want.

Manual mail migration etc is fairly easy.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mike The Soundguy
Thank you for the fast response !
I will check the syncing option ,sounds easy enough .

Honestly the main thing that seemed like a headache with doing it manually is to loose all of the passwords / bookmarks and all other quality of life stuff .
 
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!
IMPORTANT: CCC and SD are FREE to download and use for 30 days. Doing it this way will COST YOU NOTHING except a little extra time. It will be worth it!
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.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mike The Soundguy and JohanCruyff
Fishrrman said:
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.
Click to expand...

Does this not also transfer a lot of the crap accumulated over years of use?
 
  • Like
Reactions: vannix
"Does this not also transfer a lot of the crap accumulated over years of use?"

Yes, it probably will.
I see 2 ways to handle this.
You can either "clean out the old stuff" BEFORE you migrate...
or
You can do the migration and do the cleanup afterwards.

Of course, one can do a "manual migration", but it's more complicated and you've got to know what you're doing. I've done things manually myself.
 
If you've owned a Mac for a lot of years, you may find a clean install impossible. Even though a lot of old apps still work, their installers may not.

There is no reason why Migration Assistant from Time Machine won't work. There is not a single reason why you need CCCCCCC, SuperDuperDuper!!!!! or even TechTool Pro to accomplish the task. Yes, the cloning fan boys don't like to read that but it's true. "Cloning" isn't (it's copying) and can be done from Disk Utility. It can be useful for archival but is the wrong tool here.

Migration Assistant sets up your new Mac properly and pulls your files from the backup/TM volume or old Mac.

In many cases, using Migration Assistant from the old Mac is a little faster than from Time Machine over ethernet but not much. I've timed it. From a Time Capsule Tower that supports 802.11ac it's faster. If you can connect the two Macs via Thunderbolt or your backup is on a TB drive instead of ethernet, that's fastest.
 
mikehalloran said:
If you've owned a Mac for a lot of years, you may find a clean install impossible. Even though a lot of old apps still work, their installers may not.

There is no reason why Migration Assistant from Time Machine won't work. There is not a single reason why you need CCCCCCC, SuperDuperDuper!!!!! or even TechTool Pro to accomplish the task. Yes, the cloning fan boys don't like to read that but it's true. "Cloning" isn't (it's copying) and can be done from Disk Utility. It can be useful for archival but is the wrong tool here.

Migration Assistant sets up your new Mac properly and pulls your files from the backup/TM volume or old Mac.

In many cases, using Migration Assistant from the old Mac is a little faster than from Time Machine over ethernet but not much. I've timed it. From a Time Capsule Tower that supports 802.11ac it's faster. If you can connect the two Macs via Thunderbolt or your backup is on a TB drive instead of ethernet, that's fastest.
Click to expand...

so ... just a casual user here getting ready to set up a new iMac. Is it possible to have a SuperDuper backup on a external HD hooked to the new iMac and just drag applications, files etc. to the new computer? Just transfer what you want ..... ?
 
drewaz said:
so ... just a casual user here getting ready to set up a new iMac. Is it possible to have a SuperDuper backup on a external HD hooked to the new iMac and just drag applications, files etc. to the new computer? Just transfer what you want ..... ?
Click to expand...

For some applications perhaps. Some applications may put files in the system libraries and may be hard to find to move over. I plan to backup my machine using Time Machine, I don't see the advantage to using another program. Start the new machine and just do the basic setup for the first time, user ID, time zone, wifi, etc. When satisfied with what I have, I will hook the Time Machine backup and then move items over. It should be easy moving the files from Documents, Downloads, Pictures, etc. Moving the apps will take longer. Some may as be simple as moving the .app file over, other applications may system files buried someplace, for those I will download the app and doing a clean install. I will still need to tweak the preferences in the apps.
 
"just a casual user here getting ready to set up a new iMac. Is it possible to have a SuperDuper backup on a external HD hooked to the new iMac and just drag applications, files etc. to the new computer? Just transfer what you want ..... ?"

Yes, of course.

But you need to do something in order to prevent permissions and ownership problems.

Here's what to do (it's easy):
1. Mount your backup on the desktop, but don't open it (yet)
2. Click ONE time on the drive icon to select it
3. Type "command-i" (eye) to bring up the get info box
4. At the bottom of get info, click the lock and enter your password
5. In "sharing and permissions" put a checkmark in "ignore ownership on this volume"
6. Close get info

You can now copy files from the backup to your internal drive, and the copied files will come under the ownership of your new account.
 
  • Like
Reactions: sjgator
Fishrrman said:
"just a casual user here getting ready to set up a new iMac. Is it possible to have a SuperDuper backup on a external HD hooked to the new iMac and just drag applications, files etc. to the new computer? Just transfer what you want ..... ?"

Yes, of course.

But you need to do something in order to prevent permissions and ownership problems.

Here's what to do (it's easy):
1. Mount your backup on the desktop, but don't open it (yet)
2. Click ONE time on the drive icon to select it
3. Type "command-i" (eye) to bring up the get info box
4. At the bottom of get info, click the lock and enter your password
5. In "sharing and permissions" put a checkmark in "ignore ownership on this volume"
6. Close get info

You can now copy files from the backup to your internal drive, and the copied files will come under the ownership of your new account.
Click to expand...

Nice!

I have about 10 years of bloat on my current machine from applying new OS versions and migrating to new computers over the years and I am in the mood to start fresh. This sounds like the way for me to go.

How easy is it to move Mail and it's contents over?
 
mikehalloran said:
If you've owned a Mac for a lot of years, you may find a clean install impossible. Even though a lot of old apps still work, their installers may not.

There is no reason why Migration Assistant from Time Machine won't work. There is not a single reason why you need CCCCCCC, SuperDuperDuper!!!!! or even TechTool Pro to accomplish the task. Yes, the cloning fan boys don't like to read that but it's true. "Cloning" isn't (it's copying) and can be done from Disk Utility. It can be useful for archival but is the wrong tool here.

Migration Assistant sets up your new Mac properly and pulls your files from the backup/TM volume or old Mac.

In many cases, using Migration Assistant from the old Mac is a little faster than from Time Machine over ethernet but not much. I've timed it. From a Time Capsule Tower that supports 802.11ac it's faster. If you can connect the two Macs via Thunderbolt or your backup is on a TB drive instead of ethernet, that's fastest.
Click to expand...

Following this thought, is it better to use “migration assistant” or “system set up” on the new Mac, not that I really understand the difference?
 
"How easy is it to move Mail and it's contents over?"

It's been a while since I did this.
So, take what follows as a general guideline from memory. I can't offer any promises that this will work with the latest OS, but I don't see why it wouldn't.

What I would try is to get Mail.app (on the new Mac) set up and running to your account(s).

Then, I would mount the backup drive in the finder using the guidelines in post 10 above.

Then, open Mail and chose "import mailboxes" from the file menu.
In the box that opens, I'd select "Apple Mail" and then click continue.

This will present you with a file open dialog.
You want to go to your backup drive, then go to your home folder and navigate to the "Mail" folder which I believe is in
home/library/mail
Select the "Mail" folder and import from there.

You'll end up with a "Mailbox" in Mail.app with all the imported mail in it.
From there, you can create new mailboxes in the "on my Mac" area, and move stuff around as required.
Yes, if you have A LOT of email, it might be some work.

But again, that's what I'd try.
 
I do a clean install every time I get a new Mac. From installing and uninstalling various things over the years, along with multiple macOS updates and the small things that can sometimes go wrong with that, and random corruptions of underlying settings through bugs and non-ECC RAM, it just causes more problems than it is worth vs. the time to just set it up from scratch. It's nice to have a clean start anyway because then you can really focus on what you need to put on your new machine vs. archived on external drives. Do you really need all those apps? It always helps me to focus on what I need to use most and I end up with fewer processes running on an even more powerful machine. It's like an extra speed boost!
 
  • Like
Reactions: gvmelbrty and derryhumma
Fishrrman said:
"How easy is it to move Mail and it's contents over?"

It's been a while since I did this.
So, take what follows as a general guideline from memory. I can't offer any promises that this will work with the latest OS, but I don't see why it wouldn't.

What I would try is to get Mail.app (on the new Mac) set up and running to your account(s).

Then, I would mount the backup drive in the finder using the guidelines in post 10 above.

Then, open Mail and chose "import mailboxes" from the file menu.
In the box that opens, I'd select "Apple Mail" and then click continue.

This will present you with a file open dialog.
You want to go to your backup drive, then go to your home folder and navigate to the "Mail" folder which I believe is in
home/library/mail
Select the "Mail" folder and import from there.

You'll end up with a "Mailbox" in Mail.app with all the imported mail in it.
From there, you can create new mailboxes in the "on my Mac" area, and move stuff around as required.
Yes, if you have A LOT of email, it might be some work.

But again, that's what I'd try.
Click to expand...

I have Mail uploaded to iCloud .... if my new computer is connected to iCloud how much of Mail will be restored? Accounts, mail boxes, mail ... ?
 
I just install MacOS fresh then I use migration assistant from time machine so it just grabs the stuff I want. I'll reinstall most of my programs so I know they aren't all cluttered up too and I have the latest versions.

While I never inspected ultra carefully "reinstall MacOS" from recovery installs a clean OS without data loss. Like I said though I never inspected to carefully to verify every trace of everything was gone.
 
Hi guys thank you for the replies .
Just received my new iMac so will get to it .

Personally I would prefer a clean start but I'm only scared to forget synch something important or to loose passwords and such .All the files are backed up .
 
I have my new iMac for some days now and I choose for a clean start following the article I mentioned. I reinstalled all the apps I use often. Then I only copied the files I want to keep from the Time Machine of my old iMac. For me this included most of the folders in my user directory. I skipped the user library because most of the data this folder contains you can retrieve by logging into your accounts.

If you use iCloud keychain you simply login with your Apple ID and you have all your passwords back. If you use Chrome, simply logging in migrates all your bookmarks and internet passwords to your new machine.

I re-entered all data for my e-mail accounts and all my e-mail was downloaded from the server. Since I'm using Google calendar all that data was back to.

For the past few days I didn't miss any data thus far. But I will always keep my Time Machine backup in case I do miss something.
 
  • Like
Reactions: TorontoSS, Kfamily and jsmitty
100% do a clean install, you will have so much crap in your library that you don't need, so many stupid helper apps from printers or freeware or whatever that open and run and have no business doing so. Do yourself a favour and just clean fresh install. If you use CCC on an external drive you can always boot from it in target mode if you forgot something. Clean install all your apps. Next version of MacOS is going to kill a lot of old apps anyway and they won't work so get new installers for your versions.

Mail is the only tricky one, can't remember what I did last time but had to change from just drag and dropping but it did work, am sure there are enough threads or blog posts on how to migrate mail over.

On my last iMac thought I would just use MA but was a total dog when it started up and used it. A ton of useless processes in activity monitor. Wiped drive, did a fresh install and was way snappier, big notice in performance. (That is after spotlight did its thing. )
 
ferencav said:
I have my new iMac for some days now and I choose for a clean start following the article I mentioned. I reinstalled all the apps I use often. Then I only copied the files I want to keep from the Time Machine of my old iMac. For me this included most of the folders in my user directory. I skipped the user library because most of the data this folder contains you can retrieve by logging into your accounts.

If you use iCloud keychain you simply login with your Apple ID and you have all your passwords back. If you use Chrome, simply logging in migrates all your bookmarks and internet passwords to your new machine.

I re-entered all data for my e-mail accounts and all my e-mail was downloaded from the server. Since I'm using Google calendar all that data was back to.

For the past few days I didn't miss any data thus far. But I will always keep my Time Machine backup in case I do miss something.
Click to expand...

Hi there - sorry to bother you about this, but how did this method work in the long term? I’m keen to do the same so i don’t transfer over junk. Did your photos and music sync over ok? Any issues with icloud and this?

Thanks!
 
Hi! I am very glad I went for a clean install. I think it prevents a lot of junk being copied to your new machine. After a year I haven't missed any data. For photos I just copied the Photos library from the Time Machine to the new iMac. I did not copy my music but re-importing that should be easy.

I just want to recommend to keep the Time Machine from your old machine at all times. After a year of not missing anything I have formatted the old Time Machine. And now you mention music and I just realised that's something I'm not getting back 😬So keep your old Time Machine and go for a clean install 😀
 
ferencav said:
Hi! I am very glad I went for a clean install. I think it prevents a lot of junk being copied to your new machine. After a year I haven't missed any data. For photos I just copied the Photos library from the Time Machine to the new iMac. I did not copy my music but re-importing that should be easy.

I just want to recommend to keep the Time Machine from your old machine at all times. After a year of not missing anything I have formatted the old Time Machine. And now you mention music and I just realised that's something I'm not getting back 😬So keep your old Time Machine and go for a clean install 😀
Click to expand...

Thank you so much! You have no clue how much this has driven me insane! I haven‘t found info anywhere on this. I just wonder how it will affect apple music or iCloud. I am going to do what you did. Move what’s inside the main folders, and keep time machine backups!

One question though - did you transfer photos from Time Machine AFTER you set up your mac? And this was fine even though you probably had a new account on the new mac?

There’s so much junk accumulated over years!
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back