Move your data from a Windows PC to your Mac

Use Windows Migration Assistant to transfer your pictures, documents, and other data from a Windows PC to your Mac.

Windows Migration Assistant transfers your contacts, calendars, email accounts, and more from a PC. It migrates this data to the appropriate places on your Mac. After migrating data to your Mac, authorize your computer for iTunes Store purchases. It’s important to authorize before you sync or play content that you download from the iTunes Store.

If you’re migrating from one Mac to another Mac, follow the steps to move your content to a new Mac.

Before you begin

To prepare for a smooth migration:

• Make sure that Windows is up to date. Migration Assistant works with Windows 7 and later.
• Make sure that you know the name and password of an administrator account on your PC.
• Connect your Mac and PC to the same network, such as your home Wi-Fi network. Or connect an Ethernet cable between the ports on your Mac and PC to create a direct network connection. Some Mac models require an Ethernet adapter, such as the Belkin USB-C to Gigabit Ethernet Adapter or Apple Thunderbolt to Gigabit Ethernet Adapter.
• If you’re using Microsoft OneDrive on your PC, follow Microsoft’s instructions for uninstalling OneDrive before continuing. You can reinstall OneDrive after migration is complete.

Then use the check disk (chkdsk) utility on your PC to make sure that your Windows hard drive doesn’t have any issues:

1. Right-click the Start button, then click Run.
2. Type cmd and press Enter. Command Prompt opens.
3. At the prompt, type chkdsk and press Enter.
4. If the utility reports that it found problems, type the following, where drive is the letter that represents your Windows startup disk, such as D:
5. Press Enter.
6. At the prompt, type Y , then restart your PC.
7. Repeat this process until the check disk utility reports no issues. If the utility can’t fix every issue that it finds, you might need to have your PC serviced. Then migrate your data to your Mac.

Move your data

This section guides you through migration, post-migration, and what to do if the steps don’t work for you.

How to move your information from a PC to your Mac

1. On your PC, download and install the appropriate Windows Migration Assistant, based on the version of macOS on your Mac:
   • Windows Migration Assistant for macOS Big Sur
   • Windows Migration Assistant for macOS Mojave and macOS Catalina
   • Windows Migration Assistant for macOS Sierra and High Sierra
   • Windows Migration Assistant for OS X El Capitan or earlier
2. Quit any open Windows apps.
3. Open Windows Migration Assistant, then click Continue.
   
4. Start up your Mac. Setup Assistant automatically opens the first time you turn on your Mac. If you’ve already set up your Mac, open Migration Assistant, which is in the Utilities folder of your Applications folder.
5. On your Mac, follow the onscreen prompts until you get to the migration pane of the assistant. Select the option to transfer your information “From a Windows PC,” then click Continue.
   
6. When prompted, enter an administrator name and password.
7. Click Continue to close any other open apps.
8. In the migration window on your Mac, select your PC from the list of available computers. Then wait for the PC to show the same passcode that your Mac shows.
9. When both computers display the same passcode, click Continue on your PC and Mac.
10. Your Mac scans the drives on your PC to build a list of information to migrate. When the scan completes, select the information that you want to migrate to your Mac and click Continue. Learn about some of the data that you can transfer.
    

You can watch the progress and estimated time remaining on both the PC and your Mac. They tell you when migration is complete.

After you move your data

When migration completes, close Windows Migration Assistant on your PC. Then log in to the new user account on your Mac. The first time you log in to a user account migrated from your PC, you’re asked to set a password. You can use the same password that you used on your PC, or create a new password.

After logging in to the user account that you migrated, authorize your computer for iTunes Store purchases. It’s important to authorize before you sync or play content downloaded from the iTunes Store.

If you have issues moving your data

• Quit all open apps on your PC, then try migrating your content again. For example, you can press Alt-Tab to choose an open application, then press Alt-F4 to quit it.
• If your PC doesn’t appear in the Setup Assistant or Migration Assistant window on your Mac, make sure the computers are connected to the same network. You can create a network by connecting a single Ethernet cable between your Mac and PC. If that doesn’t help, check for firewall software on your PC and turn it off. After migration completes, you can turn firewall software on again.
• If Migration Assistant doesn’t open on your PC, turn off any antivirus software on your PC. Then try to open Migration Assistant again. After migration completes. You can turn that software on again.
• If you still can’t migrate your information successfully, you can use an external drive or file sharing to manually copy important data to your Mac.

What data can I transfer?

Migration Assistant lets you choose the data to move to your Mac. Here’s what moves over for specific apps and data types:

Email, contacts, and calendar information
Email messages, email-account settings, contacts, and appointments move based on which version of Windows you’re using and which accounts you have.

Outlook 1
Data from 32-bit versions of Outlook in Windows 7 and later move as follows:

• People move to Contacts 2
• Appointments move to the Calendar app
• IMAP and Exchange settings and messages move to the Mail app
• POP settings and messages move to Mail 2

Windows Live Mail
Data from Windows Live Mail in Windows 7 and later moves as follows:

• IMAP settings and messages move to Mail
• POP settings and messages move to Mail 2

Windows Mail
Data from Windows Mail in Windows 7 and later (excluding Windows 8) move as follows:

• IMAP settings and messages move to Mail
• POP settings and messages move to Mail 2
• People move to Contacts

Bookmarks
Bookmarks from Internet Explorer, Safari for Windows, and Firefox move to Safari.

System settings
Language and location settings, and custom desktop pictures move to System Preferences. Your web browser homepage moves to Safari preferences.

Pictures
Photos and other images move to your home folder. You can then add them to Photos, or open Photos and let it search your Mac for photos to import.

iTunes content
Migration Assistant transfers your iTunes media as follows: music to the Apple Music app, videos to the Apple TV app, podcasts to the Apple Podcasts app, and audiobooks to the Apple Books app.

Other files
Migration Assistant also moves these files:

• Files from the top-level folder of the currently logged-in user’s home directory
• Non-system files located in the Windows or Program Files folders
• Top-level folders located on the Windows system disk and other attached disks

1. Migration Assistant doesn’t support 64-bit versions of Outlook. You can manually migrate Mail, Contacts, or Calendars from Outlook 2013 or Outlook 2016 by signing in and entering the content on your Mac manually.

2. Migration Assistant transfers only the Mail or Contacts data that belongs to the logged-in Windows user. To transfer data from another user account, use Migration Assistant again while you’re logged in to another Windows account. Each time you migrate, your Mac creates a new user account.

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How to transfer files and data from Windows PC to Mac

A time may come when you wish to leave the world of Windows and venture down on the dark alley of the Apple Mac. The million-dollar question right now, is, how does one migrate their important files from Windows to a Mac? No need to fret and rip your hair out, because it is very much possible to do. We have seen how to send files from Mac to Windows PC. Now, this post shows you how to transfer or move your important documents, data & files from Windows PC to Mac using Windows Migration Assistant Tool.

Windows Migration Assistant Tool

It is not a simple 2 clicks of the mouse step, but that shouldn’t matter because your files are more important than the perceived difficulty. In all seriousness, it is not hard, but it not super easy either.

Step 1: Before Migrating from macOS Big Sur to Windows 10

1. Ensure that Windows is up to date.
2. Ensure that you know the administrator account credentials on your PC.
3. Connect your Mac and PC to the Wi-Fi network or connect your Mac and PC ethernet port.

Step 2: Use the check disk (chkdsk) utility

1. Run Command Prompt.
2. Type chkdsk and press Enter.
3. At the prompt, type Y, then restart your PC.

Step 3: Move data from a Windows PC to your Mac

1. Download Windows Migration Assistant for macOS Big Sur on Windows 10.
2. Quit any open Windows apps.
3. Open Windows Migration Assistant > Click ‘Continue.’
4. Start up your Mac.
5. Open Windows Migration Assistant.
6. On your Mac, follow the onscreen prompts.
7. Select the option to migrate data “From a Windows PC.”
8. Click ‘Continue.’
9. Enter an administrator name and password.
10. Click Continue to close any other open apps.
11. Select your PC from the list of available computers.
12. Click Continue on your PC and Mac when both computers display the same passcode.
13. Your Mac scans the drives on your PC to build a list of information to migrate.

When migration completes, log in to the new user account on your Mac.

We have given additional details where required.

First, off the bat, you’ll need to download the Windows Migration Assistant tool from Apple. It works on macOS Big Sur too. The application should be able to migrate files from Windows 10 and earlier versions.

After installation, the migration application should launch automatically. Keep in mind that the migration tool will only transfer your contacts, calendars, and email accounts, and more. Furthermore, we should point out that the Windows 8 and Windows 10 mail app are no supported.

Also, both your Mac and Windows PC need to be connected to the same network via “Ethernet.”

Transfer files and data from Windows PC to Mac

After installing the tool on your Windows PC, turn on your new Mac for the first time. When it is booted, you should see “Transfer Information to This Mac” window. If when the Mac is turned on the relevant windows have not appeared, follow these simple instructions.

Go > Utilities, or press Shift–Command–U. Double-click Migration Assistant.

From here, you will be required to select the “From a Windows PC” transfer option, then click Continue.

The Mac should highlight a passcode; this same passcode should also appear on your Windows computer. Click continue to proceed with the process.

On your Mac, you should now see a window that gives the option of where to transfer files from. Click the correct boxes then click on Transfer at the bottom and watch the transfer bar as files slowly migrate.

We’re not sure why you would want to leave the world of Windows to a Mac since Windows 10 is arguably the best desktop operating system available today. But hey, each person is free to make their own choices, so if you want to switch to a Mac, then go for it.

PS: Planning to switch from Mac to Windows? These tips on switching from Mac to Windows PC will help you get started.

How to transfer your data from your old PC to your new Mac

Welcome to the fold. You’re anxious to use your Mac, but you’ve amassed years of data on that PC. Switching platforms doesn’t mean starting over: You can still use those old files. Apple makes it easy with a free utility called Windows Migration Assistant. Here’s how to transfer data from PC to Mac using the Windows Migration Assistant from Apple.

What is Migration Assistant, and how do I get it?

Migration Assistant is a utility Apple includes in the Utilities folder of every Mac. You’ll see it when you first start up your Mac when your Mac asks you if you want to transfer data over from another Mac, a Time Machine backup, or a PC. Apple makes the app freely available for download for transferring to your Mac. You’ll need specific software, depending on what macOS or OS X operating system you’re transferring to. You’ll need to download the Migration Assistant software to your PC before you begin. Below are the following software links, depending on the Mac operating system to which you’re migrating.

Migration Assistant will help you transfer files from a PC running Windows 7, Windows 8, or Windows 10 operating systems. The Mac and the PC both have to be running Migration Assistant.

Both should be on the same network in order to find each other. The data migration may take several hours depending on what’s being transferred and what means are used: Wi-Fi is slower, a wired Ethernet connection is faster. But one way or the other, your patience will be rewarded.

What actual data gets transferred will depend on which version of Windows you’re using and what programs created your data. Bookmarks from Internet Explorer and Firefox will be brought into Safari, for example. iTunes content and image files should make it over as well. System settings will get pulled over. You’ll be able to specify what other files you’d like to bring over, too.

Email, contacts, and calendar information are where it gets a bit tricky. The bottom line is that Migration Assistant will pull over your email account information, and if you’re using Microsoft Outlook, it should pull over your email messages, your contacts, and your calendars. Other programs may vary. Apple has posted a detailed chart of what gets migrated over to help you understand.

Even though you’re transferring all your Windows data to your Mac, it doesn’t mean you should only have the data on your computer. We highly suggest that people know how to back up their Macs and that they do so often. Plus, we also suggest that you invest in one of the best external hard drives for Mac, so you can have an extra copy of any of your important documents and files. Be data smart, y’all!

What you need before you transfer data from PC to Mac

Before you get too excited and try to start transferring your PC’s data to your new Mac, you’ll need to have a couple of things at the ready.

• You must have the administrative username and password associated with the PC.
• Both computers must be on the same network, either through Wi-Fi or Ethernet.
• You should perform a drive performance check before running Migration Assistant, or you may not be able to use the software properly.

1. Click on Start on your PC.
2. Click on Run.
3. type cmd into the Run window.
4. Press Enter.
5. type chkdsk into the Command window.
6. Press Enter.

If your drive performance check uncovers issues, you’ll need to run a drive repair process.

1. Type chkdsk drive: /F (Change the name «drive» to whatever the name of your Windows startup disk is) into the Command window.
2. Press Enter.
3. Press Y when prompted.
4. Restart your PC.

You will need to repeat the steps above until the drive performance check returns without any issues. You can then use Migration Assistant to move your data to your Mac.

Here’s how to transfer data from PC to Mac

First, connect your Mac to your PC either through Ethernet or by making sure both computers are on the same local Wi-Fi network.

On your new Mac:

1. Launch a Finder window.
2. Click on Applications in the sidebar.
3. Double-click or control-click on the Utilities folder.
4. Click on Migration Assistant.
5. Click Continue.
6. Click From a PC. when prompted to select how you want to transfer your information.

Click Continue.

Make sure you’ve downloaded and installed Migration Assistant on your PC.

Launch Migration Assistant on your PC.

• Launching Migration Assistant on the PC is a one-way trip: It’s only designed to transfer data from your PC to a new Mac. After launching it, Migration Assistant for Windows will try to connect to its Mac counterpart. A security code will display on the screen.

Confirm that the code on your PC is the same on your Mac.

Click continue.

There are other ways to move files between Macs and PCs. Thumb drives will work on both machines, so you can manually transfer whatever files you want to use, for example. But Migration Assistant provides an elegant, convenient, and absolutely free way of managing the transition to becoming a Mac user, as long as you have the time to use it.

Have any questions?

Put them in the comments, and I’ll help you out.

Updated December 2020: Updated for macOS Big Sur.