Mac Mini Set-Up using secondary storage with old MacBook Pro Mid 2012-13" time machine, how to set-up properly?

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Mac Mini Set-Up using secondary storage with old MacBook Pro Mid 2012-13" time machine, how to set-up properly?

Newly got the Mac Mini M4 to replace my MBP (mid 2012-13") and it also has time machine backed up. With my Mac Mini M4 I'd like to use my newly bought WD Black m.2 with OWC enclosure to store most of my storage.

I'm asking how I will migrate if in the set-up phase there's no prompt to add secondary storage yet? Do I set-up Mac Mini without Migration Assistant in the set-up? (This will cause me to have three profiles, Profile setting up the Mini and the two profiles from old MBP) [would like to avoid this if necessary].
Which is the best way to Migrate linking my old MBP with Mac Mini via ethernet or using the external HDD I had for time machine backup?

My old MBP ran the last macOS 10.15 Catalina and used time machine with old external HDD

Mac mini (M4, 2024)

Posted on Dec 21, 2025 11:52 PM

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Answer 1

den.thed

Level 10

91,036 points

Dec 22, 2025 6:51 AM in response to Stoyamix

The additional storage drive complicates things. If I understand correctly...

1) Migrate your User and Settings directly from the MBP to the new M4 Mac mini.

2) Connect your MBP's added storage drive to the Mac mini using a USB-C to USB-A adapter.

3) Clone the MBP's added storage drive to the WD Black M2 and test before repurposing the MBP's added drive.

4) Connect the MBP Time Machine backup drive to the Mac mini and resume the backups or start new Time Machine backups.

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