Where did my migration files go to

OK It has been 10 years since I have gotten a new laptop. Went from late 2013 15" macbook pro to 2023 16" macbook pro. With the hard drive writing ability no longer available I seem to have lost all my files that I had on the 2013 hard drive.

Any one able to direct me to the migrated files?



MacBook Pro 16″, macOS 14.1

Posted on Oct 28, 2023 8:02 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Oct 28, 2023 2:34 PM

dnorth12 wrote:

OK I have copied all my pertinent files from the 2013 hard drive to my current desktop. Is there not any way to unlock the hard drive? Used to be able to do that with csrutil, but not anymore.

👏🏽🙂

No. MacOS now lives on a secure, locked down volume to prohibit tampering and malware.


I still need to know where the migration assistant put all those files so I can delete them and reclaim the space I lost by duplicating them with the copy I just did.

Migration assistant would have put your files into a user account on the new Mac. You can navigate to the "Users" folder from your Home folder and see if there is another user account Home folder there. You may also see another additional user account listed in the System Settings > Users & Groups, and would be accessible at the Login window, assuming your Mac does not automatically log you in at restart.


Thank you.

You're welcome. 🙂

I hope you have continued success.

7 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Oct 28, 2023 2:34 PM in response to dnorth12

dnorth12 wrote:

OK I have copied all my pertinent files from the 2013 hard drive to my current desktop. Is there not any way to unlock the hard drive? Used to be able to do that with csrutil, but not anymore.

👏🏽🙂

No. MacOS now lives on a secure, locked down volume to prohibit tampering and malware.


I still need to know where the migration assistant put all those files so I can delete them and reclaim the space I lost by duplicating them with the copy I just did.

Migration assistant would have put your files into a user account on the new Mac. You can navigate to the "Users" folder from your Home folder and see if there is another user account Home folder there. You may also see another additional user account listed in the System Settings > Users & Groups, and would be accessible at the Login window, assuming your Mac does not automatically log you in at restart.


Thank you.

You're welcome. 🙂

I hope you have continued success.

Oct 28, 2023 10:43 AM in response to dnorth12

dnorth12 wrote:
...Do I at this point just copy all these files to the desktop of the new MacBook and ignore trying to get them on the hard drive?

Yes. You can simply drag and drop the entire content of the user's folder still on the 2013 drive into a folder on your desktop. Those files will now be copied onto your internal drive > your user folder > your desktop folder.


After that, you can deal with organizing them as you see fit at your own convenience.


If you are using iCloud sync to keep your desktop files in the cloud, maybe you don't want to copy all those files to the desktop, but instead into another folder within your Home folder. Create one just for the purpose.

Oct 28, 2023 9:44 AM in response to D.I. Johnson

I used the TM backup from the 2013 that is dead in the water. I did have to create a new user name which is 2019Laptop. (don't ask why the name - it is unimportant).


I do have the 2013 2TB hard drive in an enclosure where the files are accessible. Do I at this point just copy all these files to the desktop of the new MacBook and ignore trying to get them on the hard drive?


Oct 28, 2023 1:41 PM in response to D.I. Johnson

OK I have copied all my pertinent files from the 2013 hard drive to my current desktop. Is there not any way to unlock the hard drive? Used to be able to do that with csrutil, but not anymore.

I still need to know where the migration assistant put all those files so I can delete them and reclaim the space I lost by duplicating them with the copy I just did.


Thank you.

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Where did my migration files go to

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