How to Migrate from a Dying PC to a New One — Safely

'Migrate everything from my old laptop' is one of our most-booked services. Done wrong, it's a mess of missing photos, broken email and locked software. Done in the right order, it's straightforward. Here's the exact sequence.

1. Back up the old PC first

Before touching anything, make a complete backup: cloud sync (OneDrive/iCloud/Google Drive) plus a full image to an external drive using Macrium Reflect (Windows) or Time Machine (Mac). If anything goes wrong during migration, you can restore from this safely.

2. Inventory what you actually need to move

• Documents, photos, downloads — obvious files.
• Browser bookmarks, saved passwords and extensions — sync via Chrome/Firefox/Edge account, or your password manager.
• Email — for POP3 accounts, export or set them up as IMAP before migrating.
• Software licences — locate the keys and deactivate them on the old device.
• Local databases: Outlook .pst, QuickBooks files, iMessage/iPhoto libraries.

3. Use the right migration tool

1. Windows → Windows: sign in to the new PC with the same Microsoft account and let OneDrive / Windows Backup sync your files. For local apps, reinstall from scratch (avoid old-PC 'clone' tools — they carry over bloat).
2. Mac → Mac: Migration Assistant over Wi-Fi or a Thunderbolt cable. Choose selectively — don't drag everything; pick users, apps and files. Takes 30 mins to a few hours depending on size.
3. Windows → Mac (or vice versa): manual transfer via cloud + reinstall each app on the new OS.

4. Sign out & deactivate the old device

1. Sign out of iCloud, Microsoft account, iTunes and Adobe on the old machine.
2. Deactivate any locked software licences (Photoshop, Office, antivirus, Ableton — most have a per-device seat limit).
3. Turn off Find My Mac / device-lock links so the recycler or new owner isn't locked out.

5. Verify on the new PC

Before you wipe the old one, verify on the new PC: open your key documents, send/receive a test email from each account, log into every service you use daily. Only when you've genuinely used the new machine for a full week should you wipe or sell the old one.

6. Wipe the old device securely

Once you're confident everything is on the new machine, follow our secure-wipe guide before selling, donating or recycling the old one. Simply deleting files is never enough.