Setting up new MacBook Air from scratch

jayfromyoungstown Said:

"You have misunderstood my question. I don't want to transfer anything from the old MacBook Pro to the new MacBook Air. I want to back up and start the initialization of the new machine without ANYTHING transferring from iCloud or the old machine."

--------

Thank you for Clarifying:

Use a USB Bootable Installer & Don't Log in to iCloud:

When setting up your Mac, do not associate it to an Apple Id; just skip that. You would just use a USB Bootable Installer, and choose not to log in to iCloud. Go Here: How to create a bootable installer for macOS - Apple Support

jayfromyoungstown Said:

"Setting up new MacBook Air from scratch: I just picked up my new MacBook Air. I don't want to transfer anything from my old MacBook Pro. I just want to set it up clean and then put exactly what I want on it, then wipe the old one clean and give it to my Spousal Equivalent.[...]I started setting up the new one and then it downloaded everything from iCloud on it. I don't want to have to get a new ID."

-------

Transfer the Data & Apps:

On the Old Mac, Create a Time Machine Backup, and then transfer it all over to the new Mac using Migration Assistant. You might need to contact the developer of each installed application, if needed.

Contact the Application Developer(s):

If not first-hand transferrable, contact the developer, informing them that you are transferring the installed licensed applications to a new Mac. As an alternative to storing it on another computer, download everything from iCloud, then export it to an external hard drive. In order to use iCloud on both Macs, both need to be associated to the same Apple ID.

Note: The new user may need to wait up to 90 days to be able to associate the Mac with a different Apple ID. So, to avoid that, transfer it all using drag-and-drop or a USB Data Transfer Cable (USB-A to USB-A) or USB-C.

Once Transferred:

On the old Mac, reinstall it. Go Here: What to do before you sell, give away, or trade in your Mac.