Migration Assistant for Mac is built into all Macs running OS X 10.6.3 and above. An older version of Migration Assistant available in operating systems prior to 10.6.3 (Snow Leopard) but only allows migration from one Mac computer to another — no form of. Steps to transfer data and applications to new Mac without Migration Assistant. Connect the new Mac to the old machine and launch EaseUS Mac cloning software. In the From drop-down list, select the old Mac disk that you want to clone. In the To drop-down list, select the new Mac hard drive as the destination disk where you want to save.
Migration Assistant copies all of your files from your old Mac to your new Mac so that you don't have to copy them manually.
- If your files are currently on a PC, follow the PC migration steps instead.
- If you're moving content from a Time Machine backup, follow the steps to restore your Mac from a backup instead.
Get ready
- Install all available software updates on both computers. If your old Mac isn't using OS X Lion or later, and your new Mac isn't using OS X Mavericks or later, follow the Mountain Lion migration steps instead.
- If both computers are using macOS Sierra or later, place them near each other with Wi-Fi turned on. If either one is using OS X El Capitan or earlier, make sure that both are on the same network.
- On your old Mac, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, then click Sharing. Make sure that a name appears in the Computer Name field.
Use Migration Assistant
Mac Migration Assistant Download
You're now ready to use Migration Assistant to move your files from the old Mac to the new one.
On your new Mac
- Open Migration Assistant, which is in the Utilities folder of your Applications folder. Then click Continue.
- When asked how you want to transfer your information, select the option to transfer from a Mac, Time Machine backup, or startup disk. Then click Continue.
On your old Mac
- Open Migration Assistant, then click Continue.
- When asked how you want to transfer your information, select the option to transfer to another Mac. Then click Continue.
On your new Mac
When asked to select a Mac, Time Machine backup, or other startup disk, select the other Mac. Then click Continue.
On your old Mac
If you see a security code, make sure that it's the same code shown on your new Mac. Then click Continue.
On your new Mac
![Mac migration assistant stuck Mac migration assistant stuck](/uploads/1/1/8/3/118302889/203687937.jpg)
- Select the information to transfer.
In this example, John Appleseed is a macOS user account. If it has the same name as an account already on your new Mac, you're prompted to either rename the old account or replace the one on your new Mac. If you rename, the old account will appear as a separate user on your new Mac, with a separate home folder and login. If you replace, the old account will delete and then replace the account on your new Mac, including everything in its home folder. - Click Continue to start the transfer. Large transfers might need several hours to complete.
- After Migration Assistant is done, log in to the migrated account on your new Mac to see its files.
If you're not keeping your old Mac, learn what to do before you sell, give away, or trade in your old Mac.
For users who need to move from an old Mac to a new Mac, the best choice is to migrate over a wifi connection or wired connection using Migration Assistant. Unfortunately, not all users can complete the transfer job successfully.
User story - Apple Migration Assistant stuck at one minute
'I just purchased an iMac and was trying to migrate from my early 2011 MacBook Pro to the new machine, using Migration Assistant over wifi. But the migration has been stuck at 'Less than a minute remaining' since 8:00 PM yesterday. And until now, it has been in progress for about 15 hours. Is there any fix?'
Different Migration Assistant stuck scenarios
Just like the above case, there are always some users report that Migration Assistant stuck while starting up, at the end or midway with different messages saying 20+ hours remaining, less than a minute remaining, looking for source, looking for applications and documents to transfer, preparing transfer user documents or looking for other computers.
Simple steps to fix Migration Assistant stuck and frozen
If you have happened to encounter a similar situation where Migration Assistant stuck and stopped working, here are some troubleshooting steps that you can try to get rid of this issue.
1. Try to use Target Disk Mode on the old Mac.
2. Unplug the ethernet cable from both machines and re-inserted it. Some users said the operation made the migration process resumed, re-synced, and finally completed.
3. Try to migrate everything except Applications, and then manually reinstall those you want on the new Mac.
4. Run a hardware diagnostics to check if there is a hardware issue on your Mac computer.
5. Try to migrate from a time machine backup if you have an available one.
Mac Migration Assistant Download
Try reliable Migration Assistant alternative to fix stuck issue
Sometimes, you might fail to fix Migration Assistant stuck issue even after trying every possible solution. At this moment, we recommend you try EaseUS Mac backup software to manage the migration job from one Mac to another by disk cloning. It's an easy and practical approach to deal with Migration Assistant stuck problem.
1. Connect the new Mac to the old machine and launch EaseUS Mac cloning software.
2. In the From drop-down list, select the old Mac disk that you want to clone.
3. In the To drop-down list, select the new Mac hard drive as the destination disk where you want to save the duplicate.
4. Set up the disk cloning properties. Here, you are allowed to exclude files or folders if necessary.
5. Finally, click the Start button to execute the cloning operation.