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Migration question

EDK9Trainer

EDK9Trainer

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 16, 2022
54
4
Virginia
My new 2022 MBP will be here this week and I need to migrate everything from my 2018 MBP. I do get a 30-minute session with Apple to help with this but I've never done a migration before. Does everything move over from one to another as Apple claims? I use programs such as Lightroom as well as MS Office but otherwise I basically suck as this technology stuff. Should I prepare to lose some things or will it all come over?
 
EDK9Trainer said:
My new 2022 MBP will be here this week and I need to migrate everything from my 2018 MBP. I do get a 30-minute session with Apple to help with this but I've never done a migration before. Does everything move over from one to another as Apple claims? I use programs such as Lightroom as well as MS Office but otherwise I basically suck as this technology stuff. Should I prepare to lose some things or will it all come over?
Click to expand...
What macOS on your 2018 MBP?
if it has an extremely old app, which is not updated anymore. it cannot move over to the new MBP.
But assuming you use Catalina or newer, I think it should move everything.
 
The first time I have ever done a Mac to Mac migration was this year--I went from M1 MacBook Air to M1 Pro 14" MacBook Pro. It worked flawlessly and there was very little I personally had to do. I use Time Machine for backups, so it was just a matter of plugging my Time Machine drive into the new Mac, clicking "Yes" or "OK" on a couple of things, and about 20 minutes later, my new Mac was set up just like my old Mac. It does ask if you want to "claim" all the older Time Machine backups as backups to the new computer. I said yes to that, but you don't have to if you want to start with a fresh set.

It really couldn't be easier, and is SO MUCH faster than it used to be, according to what I've read and heard.
 
OP:

Do you keep a backup drive of the 2018 MBP?
What do you use as a backup app?

Standard way to do it is to do this:
- take new MBP out of box, put it on table
- connect backup drive
- open lid, new MBP will start automatically
- choose your language and begin setup
- setup assistant will ask if you wish to migrate from old drive.
- YES you want to do this
- "Point the way" to the backup drive
- Give setup assistant time to "digest everything" (takes a little while)
- Setup assistant will present "a checklist" to you of things to migrate
- I suggest you accept "everything" and just let it go
- When the transfer is done, you should see your [old] login screen, just as before.

If you DON'T have a backup, you should be able to connect the two computers via a USBc cable, and setup assistant may work that way.
But the migration will probably go more slowly.
 
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My Adobe apps did not "come over" at all well, and I did a standard vanilla migration, with no "creative" tricks.
Spent about an hour with Abobe tech trying to resolve it, and even Adobe's CC Cleaner tool did not resolve it. I finally had to wipe the drive and did a clean install of all my software from scratch (i.e., not migrating). Took days. Hope you have better luck than I did. I don't know what to suggest to make it easier, unfortunately, as I did the migration the easiest and most obvious way possible, exactly following Apple's instructions. Good luck.
 
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Should be a smooth experience overall, but as others said a few things to watch out for:
- You will need to re-activate some 3rd party software suites (MS Office, Adobe...). Make sure you know your license keys etc. before migrating
- Any legacy apps that are not supported on the new hardware/OS (e.g. old 32-bit apps running on an older version of macOS) will be moved but you will not be able to launch them. Nothing you can do here.
 
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alien.ID said:
What macOS on your 2018 MBP?
if it has an extremely old app, which is not updated anymore. it cannot move over to the new MBP.
But assuming you use Catalina or newer, I think it should move everything.
Click to expand...
Monterey and I keep it updated.
 
I finally got my new MBP and I have to say that I am a little nervous taking this on. I do have Apple Care and I guess a 30 minute session with one of their personnel on the phone. But I see I am supposed to set the session up and I did not. So now whether to tackle it alone or not is the question. I know there are plenty of people in their 60's who are good with technology but I am not in the "good" category. Need a dog trained to find explosives or accelerants and I'm the man for you and will come out of retirement.
 
I migrated my MacBook Air M1 with a bit over 200GB of data to a new MacBook Pro M1Pro over Thunderbolt (TB4 cable plugged in to each machine) in about 25 minutes. Just worked. Almost took longer to update the MBP’s version of macOS out of the box first than it did to transfer everything.

Doing it over Thunderbolt was orders of magnitude faster than trying to do it over wifi or ethernet.
 
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OP:

Print out the instructions I gave you in reply 5 above and try that.
You may be pleasantly surprised at how smoothly it goes.
 
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Fishrrman said:
OP:

Print out the instructions I gave you in reply 5 above and try that.
You may be pleasantly surprised at how smoothly it goes.
Click to expand...
Oh I've read and reread all these replies and printed your material out. Had my freezer out in the garage quit working in the last few days I'd be tackling this. Now? Running thawed meats and foods to the landfill and cleaning the freezer. (CFI down the wall tripped and the freezer still works)
 
Apologies for these additional questions but I really do not want to mess this migration up. Us the included cable should I be attaching this from my older MBP to the new one or does this make no difference at all?
Apple cable.jpg
 
That is a magsafe power cable and will do nothing in terms of data transfer. Use a Thunderbolt 3 or 4 cable between the machines for the fastest and most stable transfer possible. Not an ordinary USB-c cable, a Thunderbolt 3 or 4. If you don‘t have/can’t get one, the machines will set up wifi connections to each other, but that will take longer, usually.
 
Toratek said:
That is a magsafe power cable and will do nothing in terms of data transfer. Use a Thunderbolt 3 or 4 cable between the machines for the fastest and most stable transfer possible. Not an ordinary USB-c cable, a Thunderbolt 3 or 4. If you don‘t have/can’t get one, the machines will set up wifi connections to each other, but that will take longer, usually.
Click to expand...
Thanks. I could have sworn I let Apple talk me into getting one of these to assist in the migration but do not see it on my order. Guess I need to find one.
 
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I'm afraid to order off Amazon as you have no clue if they are junk or not. Would I be wise to order from Apple and just wait?
 
Anker is known good quality and you can get the genuine Apple one overnight from Amazon, just be sure to order one that ships directly from them.

Or, just try the over the air migration. It “usually” goes fine. You won’t lose anything even if it doesn’t.

I strongly suggest that you charge up both machines and run them on adapter power while doing the migration as well.
 
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Fishrrman said:
OP:

Do you keep a backup drive of the 2018 MBP?
What do you use as a backup app?

Standard way to do it is to do this:
- take new MBP out of box, put it on table
- connect backup drive
- open lid, new MBP will start automatically
- choose your language and begin setup
- setup assistant will ask if you wish to migrate from old drive.
- YES you want to do this
- "Point the way" to the backup drive
- Give setup assistant time to "digest everything" (takes a little while)
- Setup assistant will present "a checklist" to you of things to migrate
- I suggest you accept "everything" and just let it go
- When the transfer is done, you should see your [old] login screen, just as before.

If you DON'T have a backup, you should be able to connect the two computers via a USBc cable, and setup assistant may work that way.
But the migration will probably go more slowly.
Click to expand...
Fisherman, I have a 2015 MacBook Air and just ordered a MacBook Pro 14". On my MacBook Air I have a WD HD plugged in with a USB A cable for Time Machine, and a Samsung SSD with both a USB A and USB C cable running CCC. When you say "- connect backup drive" what should I be using here? To use the WD HD, I will have to get an adapter first. I believe I should be able to migrate over WIFI, but the WIFI where I live can be flakey; think I would rather not use it.
 
jparker:
DON'T OVER-THINK THIS.

If you have a CarbonCopyCloner backup on an SSD, NOTHING will be better.
USE THAT.

Just have it connected and ready to go BEFORE you open the lid on the new MBP for the very first time.
You want it this way because the new MBP will automatically go into setup mode and you want your backup there, too.

(all shouting above is intentional)
 
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Well I did get it done. Took some calls to Apple Care though. I used a Thunderbolt 4 vs going the Time Machine route. From the start I had issues and needed Apple Care's help. The first service advisor seemed new and was slow in helping. I felt like she was reading trying to figure things out. But she did finally ask me to go into the old Mac and read things off to her. My Monterey was updated to 12.4 and as it turns out 12.5 came out this month. (Well July now). I had to update it and call back. 2nd service advisor was very good. He got me started and as it turned out the new MBP also needed updating and without that it would not move forward. So I did this very slow update and called back. 3rd person was better than #1 but not as good as #2. But all this said I did get it done. I did ask them how someone would know that the new MBP would need updating as can't are not in the system yet. He did say that is a flaw in the system. No matter. Got it all working and I am thrilled. Thanks all.
 
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