Migration Assistant did not transfer files

Question

Migration Assistant did not transfer files

Migrating older MacBook Pro to new MacBook Air. Saw a message that said some files couldn't be transferred and I should look in a folder called "relocated" on my new Mac's Desktop. There are ZERO files on my desktop. There are ZERO files in Documents. Likewise other main directories. Finder shows I have 435GB of 500 available. Should be more like 70GB. Some advice I've seen says maybe I'm logged into a different account. There's only one account.

MacBook Air 15″

Posted on Jan 19, 2026 7:18 PM

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Answer 1

Jan 20, 2026 1:19 PM in response to D.I. Johnson

Thanks, not least for the reminder to circle back here now that I have the answer. Turns out it was simply that I had Firewall enabled in Settings > Network > Firewall. Apparently it's a common enough glitch that it was like the 2nd question in the Apple support tech's diagnostic tree after "Update OS." So how come that isn't just a step in the Migration Assistant process? Would have saved me a lot of time.

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Answer 2

Jan 20, 2026 7:41 AM in response to William Bennett4

If you are certain that no files have been transferred, then you might look into moving your files another way. Migration Assistant usually works just fine, but now and then not so much.

You have options.

You can use the simple drag-and-drop method to copy folders and files to an external drive and carry them to your new MBA that way.

Or you can connect your old MBP to your new MBA by connecting the two with a USB or Thunderbolt cable and starting the MBP in target disk mode and transfer the files.

Transfer files between two Mac computers using target disk mode - Apple Support

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Migration Assistant did not transfer files

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