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dual boot migration to mini M1

I have a MacBook Pro that has Mojave and Catalina configured with dual boot. I have an App I use a lot that is not Catalina compatible. I have not migrated any non-Apple apps from Mojave to Cat yet (I continue to use Mojave). I will soon be migrating to a new Mac Mini with Big Sur.


What is the proper order to migrate my MBP to Big Sur?I want to migrate MBP Mojave to Mini Big Sur but migrate the legacy app and its files to a Mojave boot on the Mini. I will, of course, backup my MBP to begin.


  1. Does Migration account for dual boot? Do i have to create a dual boot on the new Mini first?
  2. Should I (can I) use the Mojave boot to migrate to the new Mini? How do I migrate my legacy app and its data files to a dual boot Mojave on the mini after creating the dual boot?
  3. Should I (can I) migrate Mojave (and its apps and files) to Catalina on my current MBP first? If so, how?
  4. Since both computers have USB-C connectors, is the best way to connect them during Migration is to use a USB-C to USB-C cable?

Mac mini 2018 or later

Posted on Dec 12, 2020 6:11 AM

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Posted on Dec 12, 2020 3:59 PM

If there is nothing in the Catalina volume you need, you may as well delete it. As far as upgrading Mojave to Big Sur, I can't think of a reason you can't do it before or after you migrate your info over to the M1.

Move your content to a new Mac - Apple Support

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5 replies

Dec 12, 2020 12:08 PM in response to dialabrain

Thanks for the response. So, I can't create a volume on the 2020 Mini to install Mojave, right? You didn't answer how to approach migration.


I think I should delete the volume containing Catalina on my MBP since I didn't do anything except test a few apps. Then do a normal upgrade to Big Sur before migrating to the new Mini. Is this the right approach?


I still have an old Macbook Air that runs High Sierra that I can use with my legacy app.

Dec 12, 2020 1:29 PM in response to Don2062

Don2062 wrote:

Thanks for the response. So, I can't create a volume on the 2020 Mini to install Mojave, right? You didn't answer how to approach migration.

You're welcome. Correct. I thought I did answer your question since it seemed to be about migrating Mojave over to a new M1 mini, which you can't do. No legacy apps will run on an M1 Mac.

Dec 12, 2020 3:41 PM in response to dialabrain

I had several other paragraphs to my previous response that your quote "Don2062 wrote: ..." doesn't include.

I think I should delete the volume containing Catalina on my MBP since I didn't do anything except test a few apps. Then do a normal upgrade to Big Sur before migrating to the new Mini. Is this the right approach?


I still have an old Macbook Air that runs High Sierra that I can use with my legacy app.


Initially, I thought I could create a Mojave partition and wondered how I would migrate to it. My current issue is how to migrate files from my current MBP Mojave (and not Catalina) to the new Mini. As I stated in my previous reply, I will use an old MacBook Air for the legacy app and not use a bootable Mojave Volume on the new Mini.

dual boot migration to mini M1

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