Will Migration assistant write over files when transferring from newer to older computer

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Level 1

8 points

Will Migration assistant write over files when transferring from newer to older computer

I have had an M1 Mac mini since late 2020 for my office only. I have retired now, and I want to transfer the files from that Mac mini to an older Apple laptop. I can do it manually if I have to, but my question is whether migration assistant will overwrite my old laptop with new data from the Mac mini work computer. I don’t want that to happen. I have seen two answers online: yes it overwrites the target computer and no it simply copies. If the first proposition is correct, I don’t want to use migration assistant. If the second proposition is correct, then how do I prevent duplicates? Thanks for any and all thoughts

Posted on Aug 29, 2024 1:12 PM

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Answer 1

den.thed

Level 10

81,742 points

Aug 29, 2024 3:56 PM in response to legaljamm

How old is the Apple laptop and what macOS version is it running?

If the macOS version is older, then the old macOS will not digest the migrated data from the newer macOS.

Even if the macOS versions are the same, it would create a second user account on the laptop which would take a lot of space.

Personally I would copy what I wanted from the work Mac mini on to an external drive and then manually move what I wanted to the older Mac laptop.

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Answer 2

legaljamm Author

Level 1

8 points

Aug 29, 2024 4:14 PM in response to den.thed

The laptop is maybe 8 years old. I upgraded the memory and it runs the current software. I don’t want another profile so maybe it is best to just copy and transfer via external hard drive.

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Answer 3

den.thed

Level 10

81,742 points

Aug 29, 2024 7:04 PM in response to legaljamm

Yes it is best to use an external drive in this case. Plus then you can pick and choose what you want to bring over and still be able to access whatever is left on the external drive at any time.

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