How do I migrate the data from one macOS user to another?

If she has a separate user account, what is done on that account is independent of what you do on your account. It is like if you each had your own iPhone. You can't have multiple accounts signed into an iPhone or iPad but you can on a Mac if each person has their own user account.

It isn't complicated (I have seen multiple accounts on computers for the past 30 years, both Macs and PCs, and I am just an everyday user) but I think you are over-processing this and that is making it appear complicated.

I haven't set up a separate user account on my computer (I am the only user) in many years but it wouldn't surprise me if when you set it up for her, you simply signed into your Apple Account in her computer user space. You now need to sign out of your account on her space and have her sign in with hers. You should both be there to do this since it will require your account information to sign out.

Read this document to learn how to sign out of iCloud on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple TV, or Mac --> Sign out of iCloud on your devices - Apple Support

Read this support article to learn how to sign in with your Apple ID on various kinds of devices --> Sign in to your Apple Account - Apple Support

Now it gets a bit complicated since iCloud populated her user space with your information when you signed into that area with your account. When you sign out of your account from her user space (this does not affect your user space), it will ask you if you want to keep the data that are there. If this is purely your data, then tell it not to keep the data (meaning your photos, your contacts, etc.) If in the past you have been jointly using your account, you can elect to keep the data and she will have to sort through it all and delete the things she does not want. That's the only "complicated" bit.

armtmurp wrote:

Yes.

She has icloud photos set up on her phone.

When she logs into her Apple Account and then iCloud Photos, it will set up a new Library syncing to that iCloud Photos Library.

She can open the old Library by holding down the Option key while opening Photos.

Import photos from another library in Photos on Mac - Apple Support

, but from her desktop going to the System Settings page

if you mean from her logged in account on that Mac you go to settings and you see your user Apple ID logged in?

If so, you need to sign out of your Apple ID and then sign in with her Apple ID.

Well, if you are signed in with your AppleID, anything that is sync’d with iCloud will go away, Desktop & Documents, Contacts, Photos, Music, etc.

For most, but I don’t know about all, you will be offered a choice on keeping the Data or not. I know that for Desktop & Documents that is true. I don’t know about the rest.

You should check to see if Photos in iCloud is enabled in iCloud System Settings or iPhoto Settings. If not, they will remain on the Mac.

If they are in iCloud, I’m not sure what happens. You can log into iCloud.com (your AppleID) and download them to be safe.

For Contacts in iCloud, select all contacts and export them as a vCard (File>Export>as vCards).

I’m not certain about other things.

armtmurp wrote:

Ahhh, it’s all starting to make sense. So, I can log out of my Apple account and turn into a ‘regular’ user on my Mac, thereby losing access to all the iCloud stuff until I log back in to that account to regain access to iCloud.

My wife could do the same, but probably won’t if she can keep access to all the things she uses on our local drive.

It depends on what features of iCloud you have enabled. If you log into her account and list all the things you have enabled in iCloud, we can give more details.

I know, as you said, I’m overthinking all this. But can we both be logged on to our Apple accounts at the same time?

Yes, each their own Apple Account.

If she has been using her own Apple Account all along then things should be simple. You sign out of iCloud on her computer user space and tell it not to save your data in her space (it will remain in your iCloud). Have her sign into her computer account and activate the iCloud services to her Apple Account she wants to use and the data in her user space on the computer will repopulate with what she has been storing in iCloud.

It's only when people have been sharing an account that things get really messy. they can also become partially messy if when you sign out of her space you tell it to keep your data in her space.

What is confusing is there are similar terms used for multiple things - "accounts" and different passwords, plus passcodes and verification codes, etc.

armtmurp wrote:

I'm back to a problem with what to call things. More thought on my part needed.

Yes. What you have done is set her up with a user account on the Mac that uses your Apple Account (née AppleID). That data is in the cloud (iCloud Drive) attached to your Apple Account, not hers. There is no way to transfer between Apple Accounts. Do you also use those services on your Apple Account in your Mac user account?

You need to exfiltrate her data from your account in the cloud, sign out of your Apple Account in her Mac user account, sign into her Apple Account, then import all of the exfiltrated data.

Two ways to do that:

1) when disabling the service

2) from iCloud.com

I don't know how many services will offer to save the data locally when you disable it. I know Desktop & Documents will do that. That is the option I would choose for that as it will leave the data in your Apple Account. You can then delete what is hers from your account after you have determined all of her data is transferred to her Apple Account.

From her Mac User Account, login to your Apple Account at iCloud.com. Download all of the data from each of the other services (except Mail--I don't know what to do with that, yet). You may need an external drive if you don't have enough room on your startup drive. If she doesn't use the iCloud.com email address, then you should not have any problem with that.

You have to create new Mac Account in System Settings > User's & Groups. After login to created profile user should be able to log into his Apple Account(ID). It the files are not associated with her Apple ID you have to transfer it manually

She should just sign into her Apple Account in the user she already has. Turn on all the features she wants to use along with iCloud Photos.

Im not sure if I’m missing something such that you don’t think you should do that.

armtmurp wrote:

Limnos - Thanks again! The only place she has been using her Apple Account (AppleID) has been on her phone. So, just to belabor the point ;-)... after I log my Apple Account out of iCloud while in her user space (on her 'desktop') not saving my data, I should be able to immediately log on with her Apple Account. All the 'stuff' she's been creating in her 'user space' on the Mac HD should still look and act the same even though she is now connected to iCloud with her own account - correct?

No. That is not correct. All of "her" data is actually your Apple Account's data. When you turn off each service, it may ask if you want to save the data. If it does, do so. If it doesn't, keep it on and download the data before signing out of iCloud.