But when you set up a new Mac, should you migrate your old files or do a clean installation? Your Library Folder: there is a special folder in your home folder called Library. You should have a current backup before you begin the Migration Assistant process. It gives you the opportunity to rid your Mac of unnecessary bloat. Apple includes a useful tool as part of macOS: Migration Assistant. Apple is said to be working on all kinds of things, including something akin to the G4 Cube! Get the latest Mac security news direct to your inbox. Maybe you just bought or built a new computer, or maybe you didn't take care of your computer as well as you thought and you have to do a clean install. Launch AnyTrans > Connect your iDevice to the computer as an external drive > Choose iTunes Library on the left main menu. Sound alerts, display options, keyboard settings – all of it will be reset to factory settings. With us, you will see how simple and easy you can do this and what advantages you will get. Connect the new Mac to a hard drive where you have cloned your startup volume (using an app like Intego Personal Backup, which is part of, Connect the Macs using target disk mode; see. Any apps you previously downloaded on Mac can be redownloaded right from the Mac App Store. This article explains how to move your Apple Mail data to a new Mac or to a new clean install of the operating system. It might seem redundant, but the file you need may not have been backed up before you switched over. To do this, choose View > As List, then right-click the window header – where you see columns like Name and Size – and enable Date Modified. First, you need to access this hidden folder on the new Mac. Apple points out in the support article on migrations that all you … In that case, as long as you still have the Mac OS Installer, you can skip the backup step. The simplest is to run the macOS Big Sur installer, which will install the new files over your existing operating system. So, even though your apps may not be on your cleanly-installed Mac, you can usually get them back without much effort. Everything is clean and fresh and ready for a new start. All of the tweaks and adjustments you've made over the years to your computer will be gone. If you go this route, you then need to manually copy files from your old Mac, or from a backup. If so, don’t copy them. A clean install is not preferred, that is someones opinion but it is far from preferred. On the Mac to which you want to move Alice, choose the From a Mac, Time Machine, or startup disk option and click Continue. When you set up a new Mac, the Setup Assistant offers to copy your files. It gives you the opportunity to rid your Mac of unnecessary bloat. By default, this folder is hidden, but it contains many files that you should copy. That being said, if you mainly use your computer for browsing the internet, checking mail, or other non-work heavy activities, you might want to try a clean install. Once the installation is complete, you can use Migration Assistant to transfer data from your old drive to the new one. This can be a disadvantage because if you have been upgrading your Macs over the years by installing new versions of macOS over old ones, or migrating data from old Macs to new ones, you’ll have hundreds, even thousands of old files that you no longer need taking up space. A clean install means erasing all data on a hard drive, and then installing a fresh new installation of MacOS Mojave to that Mac. When you buy a new Mac, it might be a good idea to do a clean installation; starting from scratch, with a brand-new operating system, and adding the files that you need manually. I do, however, suggest that you go through that folder and copy over any files or folders for apps that you do use, especially if, when you launch them, their setup is different. Sign up for a Free Mac Security Newsletter to stay updated. Download the relevant macOS or OS X installer from Apple, then use Terminal to create a USB installer you can boot up from. You will already be signed in to all of your apps and you won't have to redownload pictures from iCloud. If you have the patience and some free time, a clean installation of macOS Big Sur can be somewhat cathartic in its own right. I got a new MacBook Air and used the migration assistant to migrate my apps, files and settings from my 2008 MacBook Pro. Get that satisfying click for less with the Sonix Magnetic Link wireless charger for your iPhone 12 or 12 Pro. You may find dozens of apps that you rarely use. Everything is new and you get to decide where to put the furniture. When you get a new Mac, it might be a good idea to do a clean installation; starting from scratch, with a brand-new operating system, and copy the files that you need from your old Mac manually. When you get a new Mac, it might be a good idea to do a clean installation; starting from scratch, with a brand-new operating system, and copy the files that you need from your old Mac manually. During setup, you'll be asked if you want to restore your new Mac from a Time Machine backup of another Mac through Migration Assistant. This feature is similar to Setup Assistant, which only runs during the setup of a new Mac; therefore, if you have set up your Mac is new, you will have to use Migration Assistant to copy files from either a backup or a different Mac. Now, open CleanMyPC.exe and follow the instructions to install the application on your computer. You may need to go back into that folder and copy some other files to the new Mac. Give the author +30 points! Gone. Moving Music and Photo libraries has never been an issue in the past. As it is I've put together I doc I use each time I have to do it - transfer mac mail, etc. (Though you might also just want to download the latest versions, in case yours aren’t up to date.) No spam, we promise. The advantage is that once the upgrade is complete, your Mac is ready to go, with all of your personal data … Migration Assistant is good, but it will bring too many old, outdated files with it. Setting Up a New Mac: Should You Migrate or Do a Clean Installation? Updated November 2020: Updated for macOS Big Sur. Thanks to services like Dropbox and iCloud, you can easily track down files and documents that you've kept backed up in the cloud. Everything is new and you get to decide where to put the furniture. Download AnyTrans now on your Windows PC or Mac and follow the below steps to know how to transfer the iTunes library to a new Mac. Be sure to subscribe to make sure you never miss the latest episode. Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2016) etc. … If you have purchased apps from the Mac App Store, you’ll need to re-download them; they won’t work if you copy these apps from one Mac to another. These include Safari, Mail, Calendar, Music, Photos, and the iWork apps (Pages, Numbers, and Keynote). What are your plans for macOS Big Sur? In many cases, a clean install can improve the performance of a sluggish Mac. Although you’ll be wiping your old Mac, it will … The exception: if you just performed a clean install of the Mac OS and haven’t made any changes yet. The upgrade install is the easiest way to upgrade your Mac to macOS Sierra. It's like moving to a new house, with a fresh coat of paint and new flooring. Question: Q: Clean Install to Migrate Assistant My computer is pretty screwed up- and time machine isn't saving the day on this one. The moral of the story is: When you get a new Mac, or when you do a clean installation of macOS, the optimal time to migrate your old stuff (in order to keep account names intact) is right away, during that first run of Setup Assistant, instead of later, using Migration Assistant. Here are some of the folders that you want to copy from the old Library folder to the new one; though if you sync a lot of data with iCloud, then many of the folders below will already be populated with your up-to-date data: There’s a lot of important data in the Application Support folder. Follow Intego on your favorite social and media channels: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube (click the  to get notified about new videos). All of those downloads you never did anything with? In another Finder window, navigate to the old Library folder. etc. And this is a good time to decide which of the many apps in your Applications folder you want to keep. I would like to receive news and offers from other Future brands. Also, if you see folders with names for apps that you know you no longer use, then don’t copy them. Sign up now to get the latest news, deals & more from iMore! But if you do not want to do extra work, cloning disk or migrating system might be the better choices. A clean install also means you lose everything. But don’t assume you’ll just be able to pick up exactly where you left off, since there are quite a few apps and services that require additional post-migration attention. Backup the Mac, Files & All: Remember that performing a clean install erases everything on the Mac. Do you usually do a clean install or standard installation? In the Finder, press the Option key, and choose Go > Library. Similar to moving to a new house, there may have been a box in the garage that you never opened, but once you move, if you didn't take it with you, it's gone. Install macOS or OS X from Internet Recovery Mode, which you can boot into by holding option+command+R while your Mac powers up. In addition to the above folders, it’s a good idea to copy any folder whose modification date is in the past year or so. Here are iMore's favorite accessories that we saw come out of CES 2021. A fresh backup never hurt anyone. This method preserves all of your current user data, documents, and apps while upgrading the existing operating system on your Mac's startup drive to macOS Sierra. But for apps you’ve purchased directly from developers, it can easier to copy them manually. She also fancies herself a bit of a rock star in her town and spends too much time reading comic books. If you don't have CleanMyPC installation file, download it from our website first. But when you set up a new Mac, should you migrate your old files or do a clean installation? Clean install is always the best option. This is because many apps store invisible files on your Mac for registration purposes, and you haven’t copied these. You’ll also want to subscribe to our e-mail newsletter and keep an eye here on The Mac Security Blog for updates. (Type the appropriate names for the backup disk and your user name.) At first, you'll have to reenter passwords in Mail, sign back into iCloud and readjust your settings, redownload pictures in the Photos app (or redownload iCloud versions of them if you store the originals somewhere else), and a lot of other small, but time-consuming things. Resetting CleanMyMac X license Drivers for third-party devices should be updated before migrating. When you download and install macOS Big Sur without starting from scratch, all of your apps, settings, files, and documents will be in the exact same spot that they were before. - transfer Mac Mail, Calendar, Music, Photos, and choose go > Library a method confirm... 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