The USB 3.0 transfer cable lets you transfer files between two computers including Windows to Windows, Windows to Mac, Mac to Windows, and even Mac to Mac. Here's an easy way to transfer files from your old computer to your new one.
- The data transfer cable supports Mac OS 10.7.5 to 10.10, Windows XP, Vista, 8 and 7, and Windows 8.1 (with PCLinq). The USB3LINK data transfer cable comes in a convenient 2 m (6 ft.) length, and is backed by a StarTech.com 2-year warranty and free lifetime technical support.
- Data transfer cable for easy file transfer between PC to PC or Mac to PC systems. The USB transfer cables make life easier with driver-less operation when networking two computers for the purpose of data retrieval. The network data cables are very portable for plug and play use anywhere.
- Quickly and easily transfer all of your Windows or Mac files to your new computer over USB 3.0 (5 Gbps) - Mac and PC compatible - Windows 8 Transfer Cable - Mac OS X data transfer cable - Windows XP and Windows Vista easy transfer cable - Compatible with Windows Easy Transfer software for migrating to newer version of Windows (including Windows 8) - PC-Linq software compatible with Windows 8.1.
- Networking StarTech.com USB 3.0 Data Transfer Cable for Mac and Windows - Fast USB Transfer Cable for Easy Upgrades including Mac OS X and Windows 8 (USB3LINK) - direct connect adapter Specs & Prices.
Migration Assistant copies all of your files to your new Mac so that you don't have to copy your files manually.
- If your files are currently on a Windows PC, follow the PC migration steps instead.
- If your new Mac is using OS X Mountain Lion v10.8 or earlier, follow the Mountain Lion migration steps instead.
Check software, settings, and power
- Install all available Apple software updates on both Mac computers. Install any updates for your third-party apps as well.
- Make sure that your old Mac is using OS X Lion or later.
- Make sure that your old Mac has a computer name: Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, then click Sharing and check the Computer Name field.
- Connect both computers to AC power.
Connect the computers to each other
- If both computers are using macOS Sierra or later, just make sure that they're near each other and have Wi-Fi turned on. If either is using OS X El Capitan or earlier, connect them to the same network using Wi-Fi or Ethernet.
- Or connect them using target disk mode and the appropriate cable or adapter. Then start up your old computer in target disk mode.
- Or connect your new Mac to a Time Machine backup of your old Mac.
Use Migration Assistant
On your new Mac:
- Open Migration Assistant, which is in the Utilities folder of your Applications folder.
- 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.
- Click Continue.
On your old Mac:
If you started your old Mac in target disk mode or are migrating from a Time Machine backup, skip these four steps.
- Open Migration Assistant.
- Click Continue.
- When asked how you want to transfer your information, select the option to transfer to another Mac.
- Click Continue.
On your new Mac:
- When asked to select a Mac, Time Machine backup, or other startup disk, click the appropriate icon.
- Click Continue. You might see a security code.
On your old Mac:
If you started your old Mac in target disk mode or are migrating from a Time Machine backup, skip these two steps.
- If you see a security code, make sure that it's the same code as on your new Mac.
- Click Continue.
On your new Mac:
- Choose the backup to transfer information from.
- Click Continue.
Continuing on your new Mac:
- Select the information to transfer from the backup.
- Click Continue to start the transfer. If you have a lot of content, the transfer might take several hours to finish.
In the example above, John Appleseed is a macOS user account. If you transfer an account that has the same name as an account on your new Mac, you're asked to rename the old account or replace the one on your new Mac. If you rename, the old account appears as a separate user on your new Mac, with a separate home folder and login. If you replace, the old account overwrites the account on your new Mac, including everything in its home folder.
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.
Connecting two Macs in order to migrate data (user files, applications and settings) from one to another is pretty much straightforward and uncomplicated process.
As long as you can find the right cable that links two Macs together, you can start moving files in a few clicks.
Before you start, make sure the storage space in the target computer is large enough to hold the data from the old computer otherwise the migration process will fail.
How to start data transfer to your new Mac
STEP 1.
Find the right cable that fits both, your old computer (source) and new computer (target). I will discuss different cables and adapters in greater details later in this post.
STEP 2.
Power up your new computer. I assume your computer has a freshly installed OS and it boots to the OS X Setup Assistant as shown on the following picture.
If the user account on your new Mac has been configured already, you can force it to re-run the OS X Setup Assistant and start fresh.
Alternatively, you can make a bootable USB install drive and reinstall Mac OS from scratch.
STEP 3.
Power up your old computer in Target Disk Mode.
Hold down the 'T' key and push on the power button. Keep holing the 'T' key down until the Target Disk Mode symbol appears on the screen.
It can be a Thunderbolt or FireWire symbol depending on the type of cable in use.
STEP 4.
Now go to the target Mac and follow the OS X Setup Assistant until you get to the 'Transfer Information to This Mac' page.
Select 'From a Mac, Time Machine backup, or startup disk' option which is NOT selected by default.
On your new Mac:
- When asked to select a Mac, Time Machine backup, or other startup disk, click the appropriate icon.
- Click Continue. You might see a security code.
On your old Mac:
If you started your old Mac in target disk mode or are migrating from a Time Machine backup, skip these two steps.
- If you see a security code, make sure that it's the same code as on your new Mac.
- Click Continue.
On your new Mac:
- Choose the backup to transfer information from.
- Click Continue.
Continuing on your new Mac:
- Select the information to transfer from the backup.
- Click Continue to start the transfer. If you have a lot of content, the transfer might take several hours to finish.
In the example above, John Appleseed is a macOS user account. If you transfer an account that has the same name as an account on your new Mac, you're asked to rename the old account or replace the one on your new Mac. If you rename, the old account appears as a separate user on your new Mac, with a separate home folder and login. If you replace, the old account overwrites the account on your new Mac, including everything in its home folder.
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.
Connecting two Macs in order to migrate data (user files, applications and settings) from one to another is pretty much straightforward and uncomplicated process.
As long as you can find the right cable that links two Macs together, you can start moving files in a few clicks.
Before you start, make sure the storage space in the target computer is large enough to hold the data from the old computer otherwise the migration process will fail.
How to start data transfer to your new Mac
STEP 1.
Find the right cable that fits both, your old computer (source) and new computer (target). I will discuss different cables and adapters in greater details later in this post.
STEP 2.
Power up your new computer. I assume your computer has a freshly installed OS and it boots to the OS X Setup Assistant as shown on the following picture.
If the user account on your new Mac has been configured already, you can force it to re-run the OS X Setup Assistant and start fresh.
Alternatively, you can make a bootable USB install drive and reinstall Mac OS from scratch.
STEP 3.
Power up your old computer in Target Disk Mode.
Hold down the 'T' key and push on the power button. Keep holing the 'T' key down until the Target Disk Mode symbol appears on the screen.
It can be a Thunderbolt or FireWire symbol depending on the type of cable in use.
STEP 4.
Now go to the target Mac and follow the OS X Setup Assistant until you get to the 'Transfer Information to This Mac' page.
Select 'From a Mac, Time Machine backup, or startup disk' option which is NOT selected by default.
Click Continue.
STEP 5.
On the next page you should see the source hard drive detected by the target computer.
Click Continue.
Note: If the source hard drive is not detected, there could be a problem with the source hard drive or file system on the source drive.
STEP 6.
On the next page you should see all the information available for transfer to your new computer (user files, applications, computer and network settings, other files and folders).
If you want your new Mac to be configured exactly as the old one, select everything and click continue.
Now just wait until the data transfer is completed.
Now I will discuss different ways to connect one Mac to another.
As an example I will explain how to connect different laptop models but you can use it for iMacs and MacMinis because they have similar ports.
Connecting two MacBook Pros (2008-2010)
The only port available for linking two laptops to each other is the FireWire 800 Port.
In this case you should use FireWire 800 to FireWire 800 cable shown on the following picture.
This cable available here: https://ebay.to/2HSfp1I
Connecting MacBook Air (2011-2017) to MacBook Pro (2008-2009)
In this case we run into mismatching ports. One of the laptops has the Thunderbolt port and the other one has the FireWire 800 port.
In order to link these computers to each other you will have to use a FireWire 800 to FireWire 800 cable and FireWire 800 to Thunderbolt adapter.
Apple Thunderbolt adapter A1433 available here: https://ebay.to/2PqJNV9
Connecting two MacBook Pros (2011-2012)
In this case we have two different options available because each laptop has two different ports.
I would suggest using the faster connection link which is Thunderbolt to Thunderbolt cable.
Apple Thunderbolt A1410 cable available here: https://ebay.to/2TiQr0D
Connecting MacBook Pro (2011-2012), MacBook Air (2011-2017) and MacBook Pro Retina (2012-2017)
All newer laptops have at least one Thunderbolt port (version 1 or 2) available.
Thunderbolt to Thunderbolt cable is the best way to go.
This cable available here: https://ebay.to/2TiQr0D
Connecting MacBook Pro Retina (2012-2015), MacBook Air (2011-2017) and MacBook Pro (2016-1017)
In the latest MacBook Pro (2016-2017) models Apple introduced Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports.
In order to connect the latest model to the previous models you'll have to use a Thunderbolt to Thunderbolt (version 1 or2) cable and USB-C (Thunderbolt 3) to Thunderbolt 2 adapter.
Apple USB-C adapter A1632 available here: https://ebay.to/2Vj9jiZ
Connecting two latest MacBook Pros (2016-1017)
Mac Transfer To New Mac
If you are transferring data between two latest MacBook Pros (2016-2017), you should use the Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) cable. This cable supports Thunderbolt 3 data transfer up to 40 Gbps.
Do not confuse it with USB-C Charge Cable which looks identical and also works for data transfer but does it at a much lower speed.
Apple USB-C cable A1739 available here: https://ebay.to/2SYXpcd
Migrating data into new Mac from old hard drive
If your old computer failed but the hard drive is still available and healthy, you can migrate data directly from the hard drive removed from the old Mac.
It's the exact same data migration procedure as I described at the very beginning of this post (going though OS X Setup Assistant) but you'll have to use an external hard drive enclosure or adapter instead. Take a look at the following pictures as an example.
Migrating data from 3.5″ iMac hard drive using USB enclosure
Data Transfer Mac To Pc
External enclosures for 3.5″ hard drives available here: https://ebay.to/2w9cY8d
Migrating data from 2.5″ HDD/SSD using USB enclosure
External enclosures for 2.5″ hard drives available here: https://ebay.to/2wINhvC
Data Transfer Cable For Macs
Migrating data from MacBook Pro/Air SSD using USB enclosure
If the source SSD has been removed from a newer MacBook Pro/Air laptop, you can use OWC enclosures for Apple SSDs.
Connecting external SSD to latest MacBook Pro (2016-2017)
You cannot connect an external USB enclosure directly to the latest MacBook Pro (2016-2017) with USB-C ports.
You will have to use a USB-C to USB adapter, for example this USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter.
This USB-C adapter A2119 available here: https://ebay.to/3a8x3dS
