I have a 24" iMac desktop and I'm thinking about replacing a Chromebook that I use when traveling with the new MacBook Air. I'm not sure how to go about transferring the information on the iMac to the Air. I will continue to use the iMac of course.
Will everything automatically show up on the Air when I login or do I use migration assistant or something like that?
Thanks for any help with this.
I have an M3 24" iMac as my primary machine and an M4 MBA for when I need to be mobile.
I've found the simplest solution is to use iCloud Drive with Desktop and Documents turned on. This allows access to all of my data without the need to copy anything back and forth or worry about which machine has the current version of a document.
You'll need to install the apps you need on the laptop from the App Store instead of migrating, but once that's done, you're golden.
KiltedTim is referring to this:
Add your Desktop and Documents files to iCloud Drive - Apple Support
Note that you cannot place a Photos library on iCloud Drive. If you want to synchronize your photos through iCloud, you do that by turning on iCloud Photos. The Photos library is a "package" that looks like a single file in the Finder – but that contains huge numbers of files inside, and presumably iCloud Photos can do the necessary synchronization much more efficiently than uploading/downloading the entire library every time one small part of it changes.
Thanks Tim.
I don't know if I have iCloud turned on but will look into that and then make sure that Desktop and Documents are turned on. I assume I will want this turned on on both machines?
Thank you, I should be all set now.
Setting up a new M4 MacBook Air
