Restoring from Time Machine - backup too big?

I never had this problem but perhaps when using Migration you could exclude one of the categories to migrate which may make enough room. Then later you could copy the category (like files) manually to your new Mac.

aegpaver wrote:

I recently had to wipe my drive and reinstall Mac OS, so am trying to restore from a time machine backup. But the size of the backup is somehow a couple of hundred gb bigger than my MacBook’s SSD, so I can’t use migration assistant as it keeps telling me there’s not enough space.

this is weird because before the wipe, I had about 60gb of space left free on the SSD, so something has gone wrong when creating the backup - maybe it’s been duplicating some files.

does anyone know why this might have happened (so I can avoid it again) and how I can get around it? I want to essentially restore my old machine because I have so many settings and licensed applications for work that are a pain to set up.

Genius at my local store told me I’d have to click and drag folders one by one - I’d rather avoid this because I don’t know where the problem lies, so trying to copy my user folder results in the same error!

TIA

How to reinstall macOS

Recovery (both M1 and Intel) — How to reinstall macOS - Apple Support

#1 you have options to reinstall the macOS on top of your existing macOS

#2 alternative —the erase/reformat/initialize the drive as new, Recovery>Disk Utility>Show All Devices > erasing the "parent" drive here.

restore items backed up with Time Machine

Restore items backed up with Time Machine on Mac - Apple Support

Restore items backed up with Time Machine on Mac - Apple ...

The most trouble free way to move to a new machine, is using the Setup Assistant on the initial boot of a brand new machine— you have one shot here. Set up your MacBook Pro - Apple Support

The second best way is use the Migration Assistant.

How to move your content to a new Mac Move your content to a new Mac - Apple Support

" ... can't .... manually drag and drop the files because they're too big."

If you can't drag and drop, you have something else going on besides MA not working. The fact that they're big has no bearing, unless your target disk is just far too small or already full.