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Adding a second iMac to my iCloud account while still being able to access all the data from the previous deceased user

I have my late father's 2021 24-inch M1 iMac which I would like to use as a second desktop with my 2020 27-inch iMac. I would like to use Universal Control between the two screens and need to change the iCloud login to my own on my father's iMac however I need to ensure I keep all his documents and spreadsheets accessible. They are mostly backed up to his iCloud but he also has a few saved in OneDrive. How can I best back all these up while keeping them accessible even though I will be logged into my own iCloud account. Thank you so much for any suggestions.

iMac 27″, macOS 15.0

Posted on Oct 3, 2024 5:16 PM

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3 replies

Oct 3, 2024 5:39 PM in response to mrmacus

Get the data off the Mac. You can manually copy it, use Time Machine, whatever.


Then reset the Mac:

What to do before you sell, give away, trade in, or recycle your Mac - Apple Support


Otherwise, it’ll all (apps and OS and the rest) be forever tied to the other Apple Account.


iCloud is not a backup for macOS. Time Machine can provide that, as can other tools.

Back up your Mac with Time Machine - Apple Support


If you wanted to get fancy, perform Time Machine, reset the Mac, install using your Apple Account and create your own login, then after your environment is as you want it, use Migration Assistant to add a new user from the Time Machine backup. The user “Danny Rico” would be your father’s login in the following Migration Assistant example:

Transfer to a new Mac with Migration Assistant - Apple Support


Then enable fast user switching:

Switch quickly between users on Mac - Apple Support


Adding a second iMac to my iCloud account while still being able to access all the data from the previous deceased user

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