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I have a 2009 27” Mac and just bought a 24” 2021 MAC. I see that the best way to transfer is to use my Time Machine backup and connect it before turning on new MAC. However, what if I don’t want all the apps from the old MAC? Can I choose which ones to transfer? I have some 32 bit ones which I have replaced.
iMac Line (2012 and Later)
MA and SA are all or nothing, I'd suggest migrating using them and then uninstalling the apps you do not want after the migration. This is the most simple method.
Also, please remember that only 64 bit apps will work on the new Mac!!!! You may have a some 32 bit apps on the 2009 machine. To learn which of your 2009 third party apps are 32 bit and which are 64 bit please use https://roaringapps.com/ to do a little research.
The 32 bit apps on the 2009, simply leave them as-is on the 2009 and they will not migrate. This only affects your 3rd party apps, not Apple's Pro apps!!!!
MA and SA are all or nothing, I'd suggest migrating using them and then uninstalling the apps you do not want after the migration. This is the most simple method.
Also, please remember that only 64 bit apps will work on the new Mac!!!! You may have a some 32 bit apps on the 2009 machine. To learn which of your 2009 third party apps are 32 bit and which are 64 bit please use https://roaringapps.com/ to do a little research.
The 32 bit apps on the 2009, simply leave them as-is on the 2009 and they will not migrate. This only affects your 3rd party apps, not Apple's Pro apps!!!!
When you buy a new Mac the easiest, quickest and most reliable method to migrate from the old Mac to the new Mac is to simply connect the old Mac's Time Machine External Hard Disk to the new Mac using a USB cable before you turn on the new Mac. You will likely need a USB A to USB C adapter, you can find them on Amazon for $10 or less. When you start the new Mac for the first time it will startup Setup Assistant (SA), SA will get to a point where it asks if you are migrating from another computer, select Yes and follow the on-screen prompts and it's done! It is THAT simple.
If you have already done SA on the new computer then simply connect the Time Machine External Hard Disk using a USB cable and launch Migration Assistant (MA) which is located in Applications - Utilities - MA. Then follow the on-screen prompts.
The ONLY difference between MA and SA is MA will create a new user account that you need to log into.
Both SA and MA migrate applications (not 32 bit apps), data files & settings. They do not migrate Mac OS itself. Some professional apps such as Adobe and Microsoft apps may require re-installing their apps as they will not allow them to be migrated. As long as you kept the security keys for installing their apps, it is not an issue.
Finally, please NEVER EVER use WI-FI to migrate, this will fail in almost 100% of the situations in my experience. WI-FI was never intended to move large amounts of data at one time.
I have some apps that I do not want to migrate to the new MAC. Using the TimeMachine backup will restore everything. Can I choose the apps or is it better to uninstall on the old and make a new backup?
Migrate from 2009 MAC to 2021 MAC
