How to migrate one user to another Mac

Migration Assistant has long provided an easy way to move your macOS setup from one Mac to another. Instead of doing a fresh install and copying files, Migration Assistant can move all your files, users, applications, and preferences. Reboot after migrating and the experience is often just like your old Mac.

But what if you only want to transfer one user? Mac 911 receives emails from readers who are consolidating from multiple computers to one computer and want to keep separate accounts for family members who “join” the shared Mac.

Fortunately, Migration Assistant also makes this easy. Before you begin, make sure that both Macs are as up-to-date as possible with macOS, at least within their current version. Apple is constantly improving Migration Assistant, so having the most recent version of macOS on both Macs can provide a cleaner experience.

Now connect the two Macs using a Thunderbolt cable if possible for best performance. A gigabit ethernet cable is often the second fastest method, while connecting to the same Wi-Fi network is the third. The time difference can be so great that it might be worth ordering a Thunderbolt cable and waiting for it to arrive. (See this previous Mac 911 column on checking the connection method Migration Assistant selected.)

You can now start the migration. Start Migration Assistant. The app works both ways, so you can launch from either machine:

• On a Mac you want to migrate an account untilselect “From a Mac, Time Machine backup, or startup disk”.
• Or, on a Mac you want to migrate an account fromselect ‘To another Mac’.

Click Get on† Select the other Mac when prompted and click Get on†

You can select what you want to migrate. Since you only want to migrate one or more accounts, disable everything except the listed user or users you want to transfer. Click Continue and wait for completion.

When the Migration Assistant is complete, you can sign out of the current account on the Mac to which you migrated an account (or accounts), and then sign in to the migrated account with the password used for the account on the other Mac.

You can also enable quick enable by users System Preferences † Users and groups by clicking Login options† Check “Show fast user switching menu as” and it will appear in the system menu. Select a migration account to log in.

This Mac 911 article answers a question from Macworld reader Johnnie.

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