Can I migrate from old to new Mac using a cable?

lorenmadsen wrote:

Thanks, good to know. I have the appropriate cables/adapters to go from USB (my 2017 iMac) to my new MacBook Pro, USB C. What now? Thanks in advance.

It gets interesting because newer Macs can't do it without a proper Thunderbolt (and not just USB-A or USB-C) cable, which can get pretty pricey. Do you have an actual Thunderbolt cable? It's something that's actually rare for most people to have since they get really pricey.

Transfer files between two Mac computers using target disk mode - Apple Support

If you have two Mac computers with USB, USB-C, or Thunderbolt ports, you can connect them so that one of them appears as an external hard disk on the other. This is called target disk mode.

Note: If either of the computers has macOS 11 or later installed, you must connect the two computers using a Thunderbolt cable.

If you have a Mac with Apple silicon, see Transfer files between a Mac with Apple silicon and another Mac.

From what I can see from the back of a 2017 iMac, it would require a Thunderbolt (1 or 2) cable (and not mini-DisplayPort which is the same connector) and a Thunderbolt 2 to Thunderbolt 3 adapter. If it was two Macs with Thunderbolt 3 or 4, it would require a proper Thunderbolt 3 or 4 cable.

https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MQ4H2AM/A/thunderbolt-3-usb%E2%80%91c-cable-08-m

Well yes, but it can be complicated depending on the source and the target. The FireWire and ethernet days were easy. Now it may get really tricky to get a direct connection. I'd generally recommend using Setup Assistant from a clone or a Time Machine backup rather than a set of adapters/cables that would only be used once.

... we are in a rural area with iffy and very slow wi-fi.

I suspect you are confusing your Internet connection with your wireless connection. If you live in a sparsely populated area your wireless environment is unlikely to be affected by any competing wireless networks, and your wireless connection will be very fast — close if not equal in speed to a wired connection.

To see your wireless connection speed, hold an option key while clicking the Wi-Fi icon in your Mac's menu bar.

Migration Assistant does not use an Internet connection.

lorenmadsen wrote:

y_p_w Thanks for the info and links. I do not have a Thunderbolt cable and went shopping. Yikes. Pricey indeed. I think I'll just use the wi-fi migration assistant and hope for the best. It's a bit dicey as we are in a rural area with iffy and very slow wi-fi. Thanks again.

Over Wi-Fi doesn't mean internet access. It frankly wouldn't require any connection to the internet other than even a slow speed one to activate and connect to an Apple server for a connection to the Apple ID.

If you have reasonably fast Wi-Fi connection, it shouldn't be painful. It would really just be wireless ethernet, where it's connecting the equipment to each other through your wireless equipment. The limitations should be the speed of the equipment and not the connection to the internet. It's not likely to be as fast as a gigabit ethernet connection, but it might be faster than a USB 2.0 connection depending on what you have.

lorenmadsen wrote:

You are right, I'm confused. And now reassured. Thanks for the clarification.

It's not that hard to understand. Most people have modern Wi-Fi equipment that's reasonably fast. The wireless system basically replaces wires. It connects from the computer, to the router, and then to another computer. That would be all your equipment, which tends to run reasonably fast.

The internet to your house is what's typically slow as the connection ultimately has to share the same main connection - or there could be other speed limitations like DSL with slowdowns depending on how far it is to the transmitter. That's typically the chokepoint for internet speeds. But that doesn't have anything to do with how fast computers can communicate with each other using your own equipment.

Yes you can. It's the most foolproof method.

You may need an appropriate adapter.