Moving from M1 MacBook Air to M5

[dcmaccam]

Hi, Looking for a bit of info. I recently purchased an M5 MacBook Air to replace my M1 MacBook Air which I have now sold. I setup the new machine from a Time Machine backup of the M1. Every seems working fine.
However I am thinking this would have brought over a lot of unwanted old files. So wondering if I should wipe it and set it up from new would have been a better option. As this in not my main machine the is not much on it. Mail,Calendar etc plus Lightroom.
Now if I decide to wipe and start over I know I can export my Contacts and Calendar files but how would I Export/Import all my Mail folders I have on my machine.
Also is is it worth going down this route or should I leave as is.
Note. I do not use iCloud on this or my Mac Studio.

 

[Bigwaff]

However I am thinking this would have brought over a lot of unwanted old files.

Key question: How much of your internal storage is used? If you can’t explicitly identify a file as an “unwanted old file”, don’t worry about it.

 

[Bazza1]

I always set up as new.

I don't want to inadvertently migrate over any old issues to a new machine. Also gives me the opportunity to consider the apps I currently have and do I want / need them on new one. Yes, that might mean reinserting the license numbers to purchased apps, but I'm okay with that.

It's also one of the reasons I do removable local backups of folders I create that do not rely on any proprietary software - by Apple or anyone else. Documents, Music, Video, Photos, etc. They need only be copied over to the new User folder. I choose how to access them thereafter.

As far as, say, Mail - are you sure your stuff is 'On My Mac' and not in outside services like Gmail / Outlook, etc?
If the latter, re-enabling these accounts on your new Mac should have them migrate over. If the former, I know I have done it in the past (copy to external drive, do the move, copy to new device), but I forget just offhand how. I'm sure a online search will pull up the procedure...

ADDENDUM: https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/mail/mlhlp1030/mac