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What is the best way to transfer the contents of my old 2010 iMac running High Sierra to my new Mac Mini running Mojave?

What is the best way to transfer the contents of my old 2010 iMac running High Sierra to my new Mac Mini running Mojave? My understanding is that if I restore from a Time Machine backup of my old iMac, the old Mac OS High Sierra would be installed and then I would have to upgrade the Mac Mini to Mojave--am I correct and is there an easier way to approach this?

iMac 27″, macOS 10.13

Posted on Mar 6, 2023 2:11 PM

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Posted on Mar 6, 2023 2:56 PM

No, you are not correct.


The best way to transfer your content from an old to a new Mac would be to use Migration Assistant and a Time Machine backup of the data on the old Mac. This will NOT result in the installation of the old Mac OS onto the new computer. Only the user accounts and user data would be transferred.


Please see: Move content to a new Mac - Apple Support

Also see: Back up your Mac with Time Machine - Apple Support



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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Mar 6, 2023 2:56 PM in response to xerboverlosangeles

No, you are not correct.


The best way to transfer your content from an old to a new Mac would be to use Migration Assistant and a Time Machine backup of the data on the old Mac. This will NOT result in the installation of the old Mac OS onto the new computer. Only the user accounts and user data would be transferred.


Please see: Move content to a new Mac - Apple Support

Also see: Back up your Mac with Time Machine - Apple Support



Mar 7, 2023 4:50 AM in response to xerboverlosangeles

One important thing to note since you are using Mojave, any apps that you are currently using could be 32 bit and will not run on the new MacMini. In addition, some apps may simply not work with the latest macOS Ventura.


You will need to do a bit of homework to determine which apps will work or require upgrades or even replacement with a different but similar app.

What is the best way to transfer the contents of my old 2010 iMac running High Sierra to my new Mac Mini running Mojave?

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