How to migrate a single person to an additional Mac

Migration Assistant has extended furnished a uncomplicated way to transfer your macOS set up from a person Mac to a different. As an alternative of executing a fresh new setup and copying data files, Migration Assistant can transfer more than all your files, buyers, apps, and tastes. Restart immediately after migrating, and the encounter is usually just like your old Mac.

But what if you want to transfer just a single user over? Mac 911 receives email messages from readers who are consolidating from a number of desktops to a solitary 1 and want to retain separate accounts for relatives users “joining” the shared Mac.

The good news is, Migration Assistant tends to make this straightforward, far too. Ahead of starting up, make guaranteed each Macs are as up-to-day with macOS as feasible, at minimum inside of their existing model. Apple repeatedly enhances Migration Assistant, so getting the most the latest model of macOS obtainable on the two Macs can offer a cleaner practical experience.

Now hook up the two Macs through a Thunderbolt cable if at all achievable for most effective effectiveness. A gigabit ethernet cable is usually the second-quickest strategy, whilst remaining on the very same Wi-Fi network is the third. The time difference can be so large that it could be truly worth ordering a Thunderbolt cable and waiting around for it to arrive. (See this past Mac 911 column on examining the relationship technique Migration Assistant has chosen.)

You can now begin migration. Launch Migration Assistant. The application is effective in possibly path, so you can start off from possibly equipment:

• On a Mac you want to migrate an account to, pick out “From a Mac, Time Equipment backup or Startup disk.”
• Or, on a Mac you want to migrate an account from, pick out “To an additional Mac.”

Click Carry on. Select the other Mac when prompted and click Go on.

You can find what to migrate. Because you just want to migrate one or a lot more accounts, uncheck anything except the shown consumer or customers you want to transfer over. Simply click Go on and hold out for completion.

When Migration Assistant has finished you can log out of the present-day account on the Mac you migrated an account (or accounts) to and then log in to the migrated account with the password made use of for the account on the other Mac.

You can also enable quickly-consumer switching in Technique Tastes > Customers & Groups by clicking Login Possibilities. Examine “Show speedy user switching menu as,” and this appears in the technique menu. Pick out a migration account to log into it.

This Mac 911 short article is in response to a concern submitted by VFAB reader Johnnie.

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