How do I move everything to a new computer?

The files are the easy part. What gets missed is browser bookmarks and saved logins, email that was stored locally, software licence keys, and two-factor authentication apps — the last of which can lock you out of accounts if you wipe the old phone or machine first.

What you'll need

• Both computers
• External drive or cloud storage
• Ethernet cable or fast wifi (optional)

Step by step

1. Take a full backup of the old machine before touching anything.This is your safety net for the entire process. Do not skip it because you are also copying files across.
2. Make an inventory of what you need.Documents, photos, email, browser data, software and licence keys, two-factor authentication apps, anything stored only on the desktop.
3. Deal with two-factor authentication apps first.Move or export authenticator codes before you decommission anything. This is the single most common way people lock themselves out.
4. Deauthorise licensed software on the old machine.Some licences allow a limited number of installations. Deauthorising first avoids a support call later.
5. Use the built-in migration tool.Mac: Migration Assistant, over a cable or network. Windows: sign in with the same Microsoft account and sync via OneDrive. Both handle far more than a manual copy.
6. Sign into your browser to restore bookmarks, passwords and extensions.If you were not syncing, export bookmarks and passwords from the old browser first — this is a very common omission.
7. Check for locally stored email.Webmail is automatic, but a desktop mail client may hold years of messages stored only on that machine. Check where its data lives before wiping anything.
8. Keep the old machine intact for at least a month.Do not wipe or sell it until you are certain. Something always surfaces two weeks later.

Tips

• A wired connection between the machines is dramatically faster than wifi for a large transfer, and much less likely to be interrupted.
• This is a good moment to not transfer things. A new machine is an opportunity to leave a decade of clutter behind.
• Photograph or note down any desktop layout, application settings or window arrangements you rely on before you switch.

Common mistakes

• Wiping the old machine straight away — Something is always missed. Keep it for a month; it costs nothing and saves a great deal.
• Forgetting two-factor authenticator apps — Losing access to your codes can lock you out of email and banking, which is far worse than losing files.
• Assuming everything is in the cloud — Desktop files, local email stores and application data frequently are not. Check rather than assume.

Questions people ask