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How to move from Windows to Mac

In This Article

In This Article

Here is the definitive guide on how you can move your files over from your Windows PC to an Apple Mac in just a few steps.

If you’re thinking about transferring over from a Windows PC onto a Mac, it can feel a little daunting. Luckily, the process isn’t all too complicated, and as long as you take a few things into account then you should be able to transfer over with ease.

We’ll be walking you through the few considerations that are involved, as well as guiding you on how you can easily transfer over all of your data and information so you can get started on a new Apple computer.

What to consider beforehand

What to consider beforehand

There aren’t too many issues that stand between you can a data transfer, but it’s important to keep these factors in mind before you make the leap.

The hardware differences between Mac and PC and pretty significant, though it’s unlikely that you will experience any issues on this front unless you take a hard drive out of your PC and install it into an external drive connected to your Mac.

Aside from that, the only other consideration in terms of hardware is that Mac’s tend to have fewer ports in general, so you might want to make sure that you have enough ports to connect all your desired peripherals, such as your keyboard, mouse or headset. You can also solve this by acquiring a dongle or Thunderbolt dock.

The last thing to keep in mind is your data; most data will be readable on a Mac from a PC as long as the file has been copied over correctly and the Mac has an application that can open it. For most files, such as Word, you should have very few issues.

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How to transfer from Windows to Mac

Thankfully, there is an application called Windows Migration Assistant, which makes the process of transferring a lot easier. You’ll want to make sure that you’ve downloaded Migration Assistant onto your Windows PC, and you’ll need to make sure it’s the correct version.

These are the various versions of Windows Migration Assistant that are avalable, you simply need to pick the one that’s right for you:

After you have installed the correct Migration Assistant, follow the instructions below:

Gemma joined Trusted Reviews as a staff writer after graduating from Leeds Beckett University with a Journalism degree. She’s worked with national outlets, covering breaking news stories to reviews fo…

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Founded in 2003, Trusted Reviews exists to give our readers thorough, unbiased and independent advice on what to buy.

Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, and assess more than 1,000 products a year.

Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.

We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.