Buying a new Mac is a holiday! But immediately after the solemn unpacking, the holiday is slightly overshadowed by the impossibility of immediately fully working on a new machine - you need to transfer data. This can be done in at least two ways.
Fast but...
1. Transfer all data from one machine to another using the utility built into OS X Migration Assistant- The easiest way. To do this, you need to connect both Macs to the same WiFi network or via Ethernet. Unnecessary files and folders can be excluded from the process. The same result will be if you make a backup copy of the system on the old computer using the utility Time Machine and "roll" the backup to a clean OS X new Mac using the same Migration Assistant.
The advantage of this method of transferring data is its simplicity - the user needs to make just a couple of clicks, OS X will do the rest for him. But if you do not want to send all the trash that has accumulated over the years of using the old Mac to a clean system, it is better to selectively transfer the necessary settings, files and programs manually.
How to manually transfer settings and files from one Mac to another
iTunes
So let's transfer the iTunes library. Where are we without music?
All information from iTunes is stored in a folder /Users/User_name/Music/iTunes(Hereinafter, User_name must be replaced with your username). Here you can find music purchased or transferred to iTunes (if the option to copy music to iTunes Media when added to the library is enabled) and applications from the App Store for iPhone and iPad. Copy the entire contents of the folder, or select only what you need and move it to the same location on your new Mac.
Advice: take a critical look at the contents of the folder Mobile Applications, which contains programs and games for the iPhone and iPad. It is very likely that some of them have not been used by you for a long time - feel free to delete before transferring.
Lightroom
If you are a photographer or just a hobbyist and use Lightroom batch processing software, there is important user data that needs to be migrated. It includes a photo catalog (stores information about the photo library, image processing parameters, etc.), presets (a set of image processing presets) and watermarks.
We take them here and transfer them with replacement to the same folders on the new Mac (previously, of course, you need to install Lightroom on the new system).
Catalog: /Users/User_name/Pictures/Lightroom/Lightroom 5 Catalog.lrcat
Presets: /Users/User_name/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Lightroom/Develop Presets
Watermarks: /Users/User_name/Libr/ary/Application Support/Adobe/Lightroom/Watermarks
Skype
Settings and chat history are located in the folder:
/Users/User_name/Library/Application Support/Skype/Nickname
We copy, transfer with overwriting to a new poppy.
Adium
Anyone else using old Adium? I am yes 🙂
/Users/User_name/Library/Application Support/Adium/Adium 2.0/Users/Default
I have 14 workers mailboxes. Everywhere everything is necessary and important, on the old Mac, mail took up more than 60 GB. By typing, I determined that there is no need to copy all mailbox files, just transfer one folder that stores information about your mail accounts. Namely:
/Users/User_name/Library/Mail/V2/MailData
On the new Mac, after overwriting the folder, open the Mail program and wait for a while until all the old letters are loaded. It is desirable to be in a nimble WiFi networks. After such an operation, the folder /Users/User_name/Library/Mail/ began to weigh 2-2.5 times less. Profit!
FileZilla
FileZilla is a decent and free FTP manager. You need to transfer the program settings and FTP data of your sites. We go into the Filezilla program, in the menu click on File-Export and save the settings to FileZilla.xml file.
On a brand new poppy, we do an import operation: File - Import and specify the path to the FileZilla.xml file.
Do not forget!
Calendars, Notes, Reminders, Contacts, bookmarks, and Safari settings are all synced and stored in your iCloud. You have it turned on, right? 🙂
There is also a third way
You can bring your Mac in and entrust all these operations to our specialists. Value your time and use only the best products!
If you have questions or want to know how to transfer data from programs that are not in this article, write in the comments.
It ended with a hint that you can change three to five laptops in a decade without really noticing it. In this I will talk about how to achieve such a smooth transition from one computer to another. And yes, by the way, we will talk about macs again - something similar is also possible in the world of windows, but with somewhat greater difficulties.
There are four main ways to move from one Mac to another.
Move disk from old to new mac
Good way, fast - earlier when the grass was greener disks in macbooks were the usual 2.5-inch ones - they often did this: ten minutes and you moved to a new computer. Unfortunately, today this method can not always be used - most macbooks have solid state drives and SSDs in the previous line are often incompatible with the new model range, and the replacement cost hard drive in iMacs can stop attempts to save time in the bud.
Use "Migration Assistant"
For many, many years, OS X has had a wonderful tool that is made specifically to move from one poppy to another without unnecessary complications. This tool is constantly evolving and now supports the transfer of data not only from one poppy to another, but also from a computer running Windows to OS X.
The transfer technique is extremely simple and is described step by step in the program itself - one way or another we connect the old and new computers among themselves - even a wireless network will do, but we would strongly advise against believing in new technologies so much, you will have to wait too long for the transfer to complete. It is best if the old and new computers contain a Thunderbolt port - data transfer using it will be as fast as possible, you will need the appropriate cable, or rent it. Not much worse alternatives are transfer using a FireWire port, a combined solution with and . Adapter and cable will have to or again use the help of rental friends. As a last resort, you can connect the old and new computers over a network. Better by wire - about our mistrust of magic wireless networks I wrote a little higher. In Windows, if data is transferred from it, you will need to install an additional program that you will be offered to download from the Apple website. Depending on the way the computers are connected to each other, on the poppy from which the data is being transferred, you will need to boot in external disk mode or, just like on a new computer, run the Migration Assistant program, in which you indicate that from this computer you transfer data to a new one.
Using the "Migration Assistant" is a great way and works in most cases. Problems can only be with some especially copy-protected applications, which will probably have to be activated in a new way. In addition, if the system on your previous computer is damaged, it may happen that you cannot use this method.
Using additional programs for transferring data
The most commonly used are SuperDuper or Carbon Copy Cloner. Both programs are shareware and perform our task without purchasing a license. They work only under OS X, data transfer from Windows is not supported.
Connecting computers to each other is physically carried out in much the same way as when using the "Migration Assistant", except that it will not be possible to use a wired or wireless network.
The advantage of this method is a complete copy of another system, with all hidden service files that can be used by software copy protection systems. That is, if you have a program that will not be easy to license for a new system, then you should pay attention to this method. Also good for cases when the previous system is damaged - in this case it is better to use Carbon Copy Cloner - it allows both selective copying and can warn that some files could not be copied and offer to decide what to do next - in in particular, non-copyable fragments can be skipped.
Please note that if the disk of your previous Mac had physical damage (for example, bad blocks, they are also bad sectors), then you should first perform a full data cloning from the damaged to a working media and only then transfer the data to the new system. Ignoring this rule can lead to the fact that data will be completely lost - say, if the head of a faulty hard disk jams during repeated attempts to read an unreadable one.
Also note that if your old Mac had a version of the system that is no longer supported on the new one, then after performing the data transfer in this way, you will need to “roll over” the system over the transferred data - in fact, install it in a new way from the recovery partition. Such an installation will not affect the data, but will update the system to the current version.
Manually!
Yes, that's also possible. Especially in cases where a very small part from the previous system is needed or so much is lost that it is easier and faster to scatter the necessary files over the new system by hand. Of course, in this case, most likely, you will have to manually install the picture on the desktop and reinstall all the programs.
To do this, connect the disk with the previous system to the new system, indicate that you are ignoring permissions on the previous disk, and copy the necessary files from the folders in your home folder to the desired places. Please note that the programs whose files you are copying must be closed.
In this way, you can transfer your data (photos, music, movies) and only those programs that do not require installation. Photoshop cannot be transferred like that, but here are the illustrations made with it - please. Keep in mind that this method is for advanced ones: you need an understanding of what can be copied and how to do it. Incorrect actions can lead to both the loss of old data and time if new system if it is manipulated incorrectly, it will refuse to boot.
What else should be considered?
Program versions. If the transition from computer to computer is carried out not in an emergency, but in working order, then before the transition it is worth checking whether the versions of the programs you use will work on the version of OS X that is on the new computer. If they don’t, or the transition is emergency and there is no choice, you will have to take care to update the programs. In the case of commercial software most often such an update will be paid
The amount of free disk space. At times, one has to deal with cases when, in order to save money or without thinking, the transition is made from a larger disk to a smaller one. This is acceptable, but it should be understood that for normal stable and fast operation of the operating system, the amount of free disk space must be at least a couple of tens of gigabytes. And it's better to leave a hundred free - there will be fewer difficulties. Therefore, if in the previous computer you had a 500GB disk, on which about or more than 200GB was occupied, it will not be possible to fit into the 250GB drive on the new computer without difficulties.
It will take time. Even in the case of using 500GB of data when transferring, it will take more than one hour to copy. Stock up on time and patience. Is there any way to speed it up? Unfortunately no.
And lastly, using most of the suggested methods, you will get an exact copy of your previous system - magic that is difficult to achieve in Windows when switching between different computers. “Exact copy” means that not only all your data will be transferred and you won’t have to worry “are those photos forgotten? Or you don't have to connect to the network.
For now OS X Lion it is useless to search on Apple servers - although the final release of the system is probably already flooded and ready for an unprecedented influx of people who want to download it, access to it is still closed. But access to another update is open, which has the most direct relation to Lion. It's about the updated Migration Assistant for Snow Leopard, which fixes bugs that could prevent the successful transfer of user information from a Mac (or Mac partition) running Snow Leopard to a Lion partition.
By the way, if you plan to install OS X Lion today or tomorrow, it's time for you to decide on installation method:
- Apple offers the simplest and most unpretentious method - roll OS X Lion over an existing system. But we don't recommend you do that. Firstly, it is not a fact that the final release of Mac OS X 10.7 will suit you as working system. Alas, practice shows that the first version of any new macOS is not without a couple (or even a dozen) annoying glitches, which are then hastily eliminated, releasing the first system update in a week or two. Secondly, although Mac OS X is not Windows, any major update will leave additional garbage in the system and will not have a very favorable effect on its performance. Thirdly (and this is the main thing), it is not a fact that your software will be compatible with the new operating system. In general, there is a risk with a direct upgrade, and the fact that it is impossible to rollback Lion back to Snow Leopard makes matters worse. The only hope in this case is to restore from a Time Machine backup.
- another method is installation in place of an existing system. This is an even more radical undertaking, which promises you the same problems as the first method, with the exception of speed problems. Any Mac OS X put on a blank partition just flies. Please note that for such an installation, you will have to modify the Lion image, hidden in a special installer, which will be available for download today in the Mac App Store.
- third method - installation on a new partition. In this case, Lion and Snow Leopard will coexist peacefully, and this is where the Migration Assistant comes in handy. You put Lion on another partition, then transfer information from Bars, check that everything is fine, and then (for example, after a week) delete the Snow Leopard partition or clone the Lion partition on top of it. This method is the safest and most rational, but it requires that you have enough free space on your hard drive (at least as much as Snow Leopard currently occupies you + another 5-10 gigs in reserve).
If you chose the third method, then it's time to download the updated Migration Assistant now.
Time Machine is a built-in feature Reserve copy macOS. It automatically backs up the contents of your computer to an external drive or network drive.
Time Machine is a file backup feature found in every modern version of macOS. By enabling Time Machine, you will protect yourself from accidental deletion or loss of files. Any files and folders, as well as their intermediate versions, can be restored.
Now I will tell you how to set up and use Time Machine.
How Time Machine Works
Time Machine backs up the user's folders: documents, downloads, applications, etc.
Backups are created automatically, every hour. All you have to do is specify the disk to which the system will backup.
After setting up Time Machine, you will always have access to:
- hourly backups for the last 24 hours;
- daily backups for the last month;
- weekly backups for all other months of work.
Time Machine doesn't backups most macOS systems. Therefore, if your system has completely crashed, you will first have to put macOS on a clean one from Recovery Mode, and then restore information from Time Machine using the Migration Assistant.
How to set up Time Machine
To turn on Time Machine - connect an external HDD and select it in:
▸ System Preferences… ▸ Time Machine ▸ Select Disk…
The first step is to select an external drive for Time Machine 
I previously formatted the drive using Disk Utility and named it Time Machine The system will ask you to format the disk specifically for Time Machine, so make sure that there is no important information on it.
Be sure to enable backup encryption so that no one else can access your files.
Which disc is better to choose
As for connecting the disk, there are two options: wired and wireless. Both have their advantages and disadvantages.
Wired Disk
The easiest and most affordable option. Mechanical HDD for 1 TB will cost $60-70. It is not as fast as an SSD, but the speed of a modern disk is more than enough to transfer several hundred megabytes to it once an hour.
🐢Western Digital My Passport USB-A 1TB: Rozetka/Citilink
The Samsung T5 SSD is fast, small, light and can be connected directly via USB-C The downside is that a wired connection is not convenient and not very reliable. If you can connect a disk to an iMac and forget about it, then you will have to constantly connect / disconnect the disk to a laptop. It's just too lazy to do it.
Over time, USB connectors, and especially USB-C, begin to become loose and the drive may “fall off” at the time of backup, which leads to file corruption in the case of mechanical drives.
Wireless Drive
With such a disk, a backup occurs when the computer is in the range of home WiFi. With a wireless connection, there is no accidental disconnection of the drive due to a dropped power wire, as is the case with wired drives, which means there is less chance of damaging some files when copying.
WD My Cloud connects to WiFi hotspot and MacBook sees it as a network drive As a rule, the drive is connected to your access point via an Ethernet cable, after which it appears in macOS as a separate network drive.
A network drive can be used to back up several home computers at once.
Time Capsule
Surely you have heard about the Time Capsule from Apple itself. This is an access point with a built-in network drive for several terabytes, which is tailored to work with Time Machine. Alas, Apple in 2018 curtailed the division responsible for the Time Capsule and AirPort access points, so it's better to take a closer look at the two previous options.
What disk size to choose
It is better to take a disk that is two or more times larger than your main one. For example, if in Macbook Pro if there is a 512 GB SSD, it is better to allocate a 1 TB disk for Time Machine backup. In this case, you will have a history of file changes for at least the last couple of months, not weeks.
What happens when the disk is full
Time Machine will automatically start deleting the oldest weekly backups that are older than one month. So the work of Time Machine will never stop.
How to limit the size of a Time Machine copy
Time Machine "captures" the entire disk that you specify for its needs. If your external drive is 4 terabytes, then TM will keep older backups until the drive is full.
The only way to “pacify” Time Machine is to create a separate smaller logical partition for it and make backups for it. You can do this through disk utility macOS.
If you have a large disk, it makes sense to create a separate smaller partition for Time Machine. To do this, the disk will have to be formatted and partitioned.
How to exclude folders from backup
Sometimes it is useful to exclude certain directories from backups, for example the folder Downloads or Films, in which files appear and delete frequently.
To exclude the desired folder, go to ▸ System settings▸ Time Machine ▸ Settings and add it to the list by pressing the + key.
Add folders you don't want to back up. For example Downloads and Videos How to recover files from Tim Machine
If you need to restore a file, launch Time Machine from the folder Applications:
Finder ▸ Applications ▸ Time Machine
You will see a Finder window in the form of a carousel. Let's say you need to recover a file from your desktop that was there last week. Go to your desktop in a Finder window and then use the on-screen arrows ⬆︎ ⬇︎ to move between backups until you see this file.
Click on the file and click Restore.
Restoring files via Time Machine If Time Machine was not enabled and you need to restore the files, then .
How to disable internal backups
If you set up Time Machine, but stopped connecting the backup drive, then after a couple of weeks you will notice a lack of free space on the main drive.
This is because while the external drive is not connected, Time Machine creates temporary backups on the system drive.
To clean up local backups, simply mount the drive that you set up to work with Time Machine. The system itself will transfer all local backups to this drive.
If you are unable to connect the drive to your computer, then delete the /.MobileBackups folder, which stores local backups.
If you want to completely disable local backups, then run in Terminal command:
sudo tmutil disablelocal
Enable local backups back:
sudo tmutil enablelocal
If you disable local backups, then Time Machine will only work when an external drive is connected to the computer.
🌿 Remember
- To turn on Time Machine, you will definitely need an external drive. FROM system drive or "cloud" this function does not work;
- I recommend buying an SSD. These discs are more reliable and faster than mechanical discs. And they are not afraid of falling;
- Be sure to enable disk encryption so that no one can access your files in the backup;
- Backup occurs automatically and every hour if the computer is connected to a power source;
- It is desirable that the disk size be twice as large as the disk of your MacBook or iMac. This way you can have backup copies of files from the last few months.
EaseUS MobiMover Free 3.0 – free program to transfer data for iPhone, iPad, Windows PC or Mac. In addition, it allows you to easily and conveniently manage files on iOS devices.
With this program, you can transfer photos, contacts, music, books, notes from / to devices with iOS 8/9/10/11. EaseUS MobiMover Free 3.0 is free, fast and simple. It supports many different formats and is also compatible with almost all device models.
Today we will use an example to show how easy it is to transfer data from a computer to a smartphone and vice versa in EaseUS MobiMover Free 3.0. In addition, you can transfer data from device to device, as well as simply sort data on the device.
Supported file types
- Audio: music, voice memos, ringtones, audiobooks, playlists
- Images: camera photo, media library, etc.
- Video: movies, camera videos, home videos, series, clips
- Other: Contacts, Messages, Notes, Books, Mail, Bookmarks, and Safari History
Transfer data from Mac or PC to smartphone
Step 1:
Step 2: Select Transfer to device, then select by folder(folders) or by files(files) .
Step 3: Select the folder or files you want to move. You can select several files of different types at once.
Step 4: Confirm file transfer by clicking Transfer.
The file transfer process will begin. It will take some time depending on the number and type of files you have selected.
Transfer data from smartphone to Mac or PC
Step 1: Connect your iOS device to your computer using a USB cable.
Step 2: Select Transfer to Computer and wait while the program reads data from your device.
Step 3: Select one or more file types to transfer and the desired location. For example, “My Documents” or drive D. After that, press Transfer.
The data transfer process will begin, which will take some time. Do not disconnect your device from your computer until the process is complete.
