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How to move files from an old Mac to a new Mac without Migration Assistant

To move only the folders you want, connect the two Macs with a Thunderbolt cable and copy them over File Sharing, or start the old Mac in Share Disk mode. Migration Assistant suits a full clone, but it also brings old apps, settings and years of clutter.

Why this is harder than it should be

  • Migration Assistant is all or nothing. You can choose broad categories, but not only the folders you want. Neither Mac can be used while it runs.
  • iCloud Drive is slow for big folders and limited by your storage plan. Everything uploads from one Mac and downloads to the other.
  • AirDrop struggles with large projects. Big folders take a long time and fail if either Mac sleeps.
  • File Sharing needs setup. You share folders, find the cable’s address, sign in, and connect again after every sleep or unplug. Folders of small files copy slowly.
  • Share Disk takes the old Mac out of action while you copy.
  • An external drive copies everything twice.

Decide what to bring across

  • Your home folders: Documents, Desktop, Pictures, Movies, Music and any project folders.
  • Libraries for apps such as Photos and Music, copied as single items with the app closed on both Macs.
  • Not the apps themselves: reinstall them on the new Mac so you get current versions.

To use a copied Photos library, hold the Option key while you open Photos on the new Mac, and choose the library.

Option 1: File Sharing over a Thunderbolt cable

Both Macs stay usable, and you drag across only what you want. You need a Thunderbolt cable and the user name and password of your account on the old Mac.

On the old Mac: share your folders

  1. Connect the two Macs with a Thunderbolt cable.
  2. Open System Settings, choose General, then Sharing, and turn on File Sharing.
  3. Click the info button next to File Sharing. Under Shared Folders, click the Add button (+) and choose the folders you want to copy. Check that your account has Read & Write or Read Only under Users, then click Done.
  4. In System Settings, choose Network, then Thunderbolt Bridge. Click Details…, then TCP/IP, and note the IP address. It usually starts with 169.254.
  5. Optional: on a laptop, keep it plugged in to power. In System Settings, choose Battery, click Options…, and turn on Prevent automatic sleeping on power adapter when the display is off.

On the new Mac: connect and copy

  1. In Finder, choose Go > Connect to Server…
  2. Type smb:// followed by the old Mac’s address, for example smb://169.254.10.20, and click Connect.
  3. Select Registered User, type the user name and password of your account on the old Mac, and click Connect.
  4. Select the shared folders and click OK. They appear under Locations in Finder’s sidebar.
  5. Drag the folders you want onto the new Mac.

When you’ve finished, turn off File Sharing on the old Mac.

What can go wrong

  • The copy runs over Wi-Fi. Connecting by name, or by clicking the old Mac under Network in Finder, can reach its Wi-Fi address instead of the cable. Connect by the 169.254 address, or turn off Wi-Fi on the old Mac while you copy.
  • The connection is refused. If the old Mac’s firewall is set to block all incoming connections, File Sharing can’t accept one. Check in System Settings under Network > Firewall > Options…
  • Small files copy slowly. Finder copies one file at a time from a network share and waits on the old Mac for each one. Code projects and folders of photos take far longer than one large file of the same size. Compressing a folder on the old Mac first, then copying the single archive, helps.
  • The share drops. After sleep, a restart or unplugging the cable, the shared folders disappear from Finder. Connect again with Connect to Server… The address can change after you reconnect the cable, so check it again if the old one fails.

More detail on the cable link is in transferring files with Thunderbolt.

Option 2: Share Disk or Target Disk Mode

These modes share the old Mac’s whole disk without File Sharing, accounts or addresses. The old Mac can’t be used until you’re done.

If the old Mac has Apple silicon, use Share Disk:

  1. Connect the two Macs with a Thunderbolt cable.
  2. Shut down the old Mac, then press and hold the power button until “Loading startup options” appears.
  3. Click Options, then Continue.
  4. Choose Utilities > Share Disk, select the disk, and click Start Sharing.
  5. On the new Mac, open Finder, click Network in the sidebar, double-click the old Mac, and connect as Guest. Your files are in the Users folder.

If the old Mac is an Intel Mac with Thunderbolt, shut it down and start it up while holding T. It appears on the new Mac as an external disk. See using a laptop as an external drive for both modes.

Option 3: an external SSD

Copy your folders to a fast SSD, then copy them from the SSD to the new Mac. It needs no setup, but you copy everything twice. A Mac can read a drive formatted for Windows (NTFS) but can’t write to it, so use an APFS or exFAT drive.