Unable to use Migration app to new system due to size and lack of HD space on new system.

Hello and thank you for any help




I am running a late 2015 Mac with an external SSD set up as the boot operating system and startup disk, running that boot and startup disc on an external greatly increased my system speed over the years. 




I recently upgraded to a Mac studio but didn’t spend the money on a large enough internal hard drive and I’m really regretting it




I removed all the large files I can think of off of my existing system, music, movies, photographs and put them all on an external drive but when I try to do the migration assistant it still shows my existing system as having about a terabyte of data in my library folder… I don’t know what it is or where it could be at this point.  When I click get info on my library folder in the SSD external boot drive it says that folder is only 2 GB, I also checked the folder of the McIntosh internal hard drive as well. 




I’ve been struggling to create the same type of external SSD boot Drive system for my new Mac Studio.  If that’s a reasonable option.   Or wonder if a symbolic folder system set up would be better? 




Does anyone have a suggestion how I can either run the new Mac studio off of an external SSD boot and hard drive  OR set the new system hold the majority of data on an external? 




I’ve spent days trying to figure this out on my own and I’m at a total loss.  I’m open to any solution




Thank you for your time!! 



iMac 21.5″, macOS 12.7

Posted on Nov 23, 2023 9:56 AM

Reply
2 replies

Nov 23, 2023 10:23 AM in response to MacNoWorkie

The smart thing to do is return the new machine and buy one with the same or more space as the old computer. Then please read the correct way to migrate below:


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, never EVER use Wi-Fi when doing Setup Assistant or Migration Assistant. Why, it simply fails in most cases. Please read and follow the directions in Setup Assistant and Migration Assistant. If you do not have a Time Machine backup of the older Mac then create one! If you are not aware of Time Machine, please read Back up your Mac with Time Machine and finally if you need an External Hard Disk to use as a Time Machine External Hard Disk then many experience users on these forums prefer the OWC Mercury Elite Pro due to it's reasonable price, high level of quality and ease of use. 


Nov 23, 2023 10:19 AM in response to MacNoWorkie

To install any app it will be placed in the operating system's Applications folder. Therefore, install an OS on the external drive and you can then install any apps there if desired. Then you may choose to also store files there. You can also designate that external drive as a startup drive in System Settings. Just be sure that the external drive is properly formatted and is an SSD since they are much faster than mechanical drives.

Unable to use Migration app to new system due to size and lack of HD space on new system.

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple ID.