How long should it take to transfer files from time machine to a new iMac

May I add a helpful addition, Bob?

Contacting Apple Customer and Support Service

1. Apple Store Customer Service at 1-800-676-2775 or visit online Help for more information.
2. Primary support help at Contact Support.
3. To contact product and tech support:  Contacting Apple for support and service including international calling numbers.

Make an appointment at the Apple Genius Bar for service. If you need to find an Apple Store - Find a Store - Apple. Also, see How to find your nearest Apple Authorized Service Provider (AASP) or Distributor (AAD). 

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As Kappy mentions, we can't provide you with an accurate answer without more specific information. You have not told us......

1) How much data you will be transferring

2) Whether you will be using a wired or wireless connection

So as it stands now, it is as if you are asking how long a car trip might take without telling us how far away the destination might be and at what average speed you will be traveling.

If the files are being transferred over a wired Ethernet connection from the back up disk to the new iMac......on average.....data will usually transfer at a rate of about 30-35 GB per hour.

So, if the backup of your "old" Mac contains about 100 GB of data, the transfer might take about 3-4 hours.

Things will be slower if you are transferring files over WiFi, but without knowing what your specific WiFi connection speed might be, it is not possible to provide you with much more than a guess.

In general......you can expect transfers over WiFi to take 2-3 times longer than transfers over a wired connection, so a very rough guess if you are using WiFi and you have about 100 GB of data to transfer, things would take about 8-12 hours.

Is the system downloading?

No, it is not.

Since you have a new iMac, you have 90 days of free phone support from Apple. Contact Apple Support and get with a product specialist who can walk you through the transfer process on the phone and check your progress in real time.

Depends on the type of connection, amount of data involved, etc. We can't provide any type of estimate without the essential data you've failed to provide.

Thanks, meant to say "Contact Apple Support by clicking on the Contact Support link at the upper right corner of this web page"