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JohnR177 Author

Level 1

4 points

Transferring files between two MacBook Airs

I want to set up a new M1 MacBook Air by transferring my documents and photos from my current 2014 MacBook Air (Big Sur 11.4). (I don't want to transfer apps etc, so I can get a clean start - I'll download the latest silicon versions and leave behind legacy remnants of old or unwanted apps.)

My documents folder and photos are in iCloud, and have all the files I want to transfer. Is it sufficient to switch on iCloud on the new machine - will it then download a local copy to the new machine? Or do I need to use Migration Assistant to do the transfer, and then switch on iCloud? I have a time machine backup on a rotational HD (Mac OS Extended (Journaled)) or a Carbon Copy Cloner backup (APFS) on a USB stick which I could use as the source.

And I can I continue to use either machines to edit or file documents in future, and access the latest version of a file from either - will they stay in step?

Posted on Jun 22, 2021 8:47 AM

Top-ranking reply

KiltedTim

Level 10

206,808 points

Posted on Jun 22, 2021 8:56 AM

If all of your documents and photos are stored in iCloud, then yes, all you have to do is sign into your iCloud account and turn those features on.

Everything in iCloud will be synced to both machines and changes made on one will be synced to the cloud, then down to the other machine.

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Transferring files between two MacBook Airs

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