Use AirDrop to transfer files to new Mac?

[samos]

Hi. I am trying to figure out the best way to transfer my files and documents from an older (Air 2017) to a new M1 Mac I've just got.

I don't yet have a USB hub, so I can't use my old external drives to get the files. I have mostly gone for a fresh install. That means I've re-downloaded applications on the new Mac. Now I just need to transfer old MS Office files, some films and music, and some HEIC and JPEGs.

I understand Migration Assistant will let me do this automatically. But I see a section on "other files and folders" which doesn't tell me exactly which files will be tranferred. I don't want to carry over unnecessary files and junk from my old computer.

I am leaning towards transferring several folders in one go using AirDrop over Wi-Fi. That way I can also clean out the older machine and transfer only those files and folders that I really need. There isn't too much data that I will need to sort through, so I think it won't be much of a drag doing this manually.

Do let me know your thoughts about any risks associated with an AirDrop transfer of the entire HDD of my older computer.

Thanks!

 

[Jimmysb]

I used Migration Assistant for my new Mac (from a PC), and it does give you the opportunity to choose folders to migrate, however, (for me) it did create a new account each time, with the user data in a shared library.

Not sure why you need a hub to use the external drive, it should plug straight into your Mac.

 

[MacInWin]

At this point Migration Assistant is not the right tool. As Jim said, MA will create a new user, put the moved files into a shared folder. In addition to the mess that makes, you might also end up with permissions issues later on going that way.

So, just use Finder to move the various files/folders from where they are to where you want them to be. You still might have permissions issues because the account on the new Mac is not the same as on the old Mac, even if the name looks the same, but that can be fixed with some work with Get Info on the files and changing your access. You might even have to give yourself, on the new machine, access to the old files/folders to copy them.

In future, you can avoid all of this by using Migration Assistant BEFORE you establish any account on the new Mac. In that case MA creates an account which is exactly as your old account before it moves the files/folders, so the permissions and share folder stuff is avoided.

 

[Slydude]

Not sure why you need a hub to use the external drive, it should plug straight into your Mac.

I suspect that the drive in question uses the older USB 2/3 "duckbill" connection. The newer Macs are using USB,

If that's the case those drives can still be used quite easily with an adapter or a hub. I am currently using both types of devices and either works well. It's a question of how many things need to be connected.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07V3X4SRN/?tag=macforums0e4-20 Adapter

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08DHKMQ1D/?tag=macforums0e4-20 hub

There are cheaper versions of these hubs with fewer ports. They generally lack ethernet and VGA ports and may have fewer HDMI ports.

 

[Raz0rEdge]

Airdrop would work, but USB sticks are cheap. Just grab one of those and copy over the files.

 

[samos]

I used Migration Assistant for my new Mac (from a PC), and it does give you the opportunity to choose folders to migrate, however, (for me) it did create a new account each time, with the user data in a shared library.

Not sure why you need a hub to use the external drive, it should plug straight into your Mac.

Oh, I am not sure I want to worry about a new user account. I am sure then I'll have to figure out how to delete it. You see, the new machine is already up and running.
I think the migration assistant encourages you to transfer the first time you are setting up the new Mac. But I couldn't do it at the time.
Well, my old external back up drives are from at least 3 years ago. The connectors are all USB-A one the end that connects with the laptop. The new Air has only USB-C connectors, so I'll need a hub to hook it up directly for the transfer into my computer.

 

[samos]

At this point Migration Assistant is not the right tool. As Jim said, MA will create a new user, put the moved files into a shared folder. In addition to the mess that makes, you might also end up with permissions issues later on going that way.

So, just use Finder to move the various files/folders from where they are to where you want them to be. You still might have permissions issues because the account on the new Mac is not the same as on the old Mac, even if the name looks the same, but that can be fixed with some work with Get Info on the files and changing your access. You might even have to give yourself, on the new machine, access to the old files/folders to copy them.

In future, you can avoid all of this by using Migration Assistant BEFORE you establish any account on the new Mac. In that case MA creates an account which is exactly as your old account before it moves the files/folders, so the permissions and share folder stuff is avoided.

Thanks for sharing these details. I have to say this is making me a bit nervous.

First, you are recommending that I use AirDrop to transfer the data into the new Mac?

Then, how exactly do I know which files and folders will run into permission issues?

Finally, is there a link you can provide that explains how to sort out these permission issues?

Thanks!

 

[samos]

Airdrop would work, but USB sticks are cheap. Just grab one of those and copy over the files.

Sure. But then how do I insert a USB-A pen drive into my new computer? I'll need a connector or hub for that.
My old Air is from 2017 and has the USB-A ports.
I might just buy a SanDisk dual drive that has both A and C ports at each of its ends. It might be generally useful to keep this with me.

 

[Slydude]

Sure. But then how do I insert a USB-A pen drive into my new computer? I'll need a connector or hub for that.
My old Air is from 2017 and has the USB-A ports.
I might just buy a SanDisk dual drive that has both A and C ports at each of its ends. It might be generally useful to keep this with me.

The connector I linked to will let you attach the drive. The connector attaches one drive at a time or one per connector. The hub has ports for several USB A drives.

The USB drives that have USB A and C connections would also work,

 

[MacInWin]

First, you are recommending that I use AirDrop to transfer the data into the new Mac?

No. Airdrop is my last choice. I find it awkward, clumsy to use, and slow.

Then, how exactly do I know which files and folders will run into permission issues?

You don't. That is what makes it challenging. However, if you use MA, my experience is that MOST of them will need changing. There are some ways to do them all at once, if you need to.

Finally, is there a link you can provide that explains how to sort out these permission issues?

It's relatively simple. Use Finder to find the highest level that has the issue (that is, if there are multiple files in a folder with the problem, select the folder). Then right click on the file/folder, then click on "Get Info" in the box that opens. Now click the lock icon in the lower right corner of the new window and enter an admin password to unlock it. Look for the section named "Sharing & Permissions" to see if your account name is there. If not, click the "+" below the list, select your name and then click the privilege to be "Read & Write" for you. Now, if it is a folder, click on the circle with three dots and pick "Apply to enclosed items..." and then let it make the changes needed. It usually doesn't take a lot of time, but there isn't any message to say it's finished, but give it 5-10 seconds and then you can close the whole set of windows and the files should now allow you access.

But, I go with the suggestion to get the adapter like @Slydude suggested. If you want the Apple version, here is a link to the US store for it. It's more pricey.

USB C to USB Adapter - Apple

Apple Store Search Results

www.apple.com

 

[samos]

The connector I linked to will let you attach the drive. The connector attaches one drive at a time or one per connector. The hub has ports for several USB A drives.

The USB drives that have USB A and C connections would also work,

Thanks. That sounds like a simple solution. Yeah, I'd need to get two of these connectors. Sometimes I transfer pictures from one external to the other. Macs have so little internal memory that I end up keeping pictures and other big data files on an external.

There is also the question of the SD card reader. I might need to get a separate reader. That's why I might just end up getting a basic USB hub, which will give me the ability to connect my old external as well as SD cards from my camera directly to the laptop.

 

[samos]

No. Airdrop is my last choice. I find it awkward, clumsy to use, and slow.

Sure, I see why you say that.
But, is it also "unsafe" to use? I mean can I mess up the file transfers so I end up getting into corrupted files or other issues later on?
If not, then I might consider using it.

You don't. That is what makes it challenging. However, if you use MA, my experience is that MOST of them will need changing. There are some ways to do them all at once, if you need to.

It's relatively simple. Use Finder to find the highest level that has the issue (that is, if there are multiple files in a folder with the problem, select the folder). Then right click on the file/folder, then click on "Get Info" in the box that opens. Now click the lock icon in the lower right corner of the new window and enter an admin password to unlock it. Look for the section named "Sharing & Permissions" to see if your account name is there. If not, click the "+" below the list, select your name and then click the privilege to be "Read & Write" for you. Now, if it is a folder, click on the circle with three dots and pick "Apply to enclosed items..." and then let it make the changes needed. It usually doesn't take a lot of time, but there isn't any message to say it's finished, but give it 5-10 seconds and then you can close the whole set of windows and the files should now allow you access.

Thanks for these detailed instructions! If I end up using this method, I'll be sure to follow these.

But, I go with the suggestion to get the adapter like @Slydude suggested. If you want the Apple version, here is a link to the US store for it. It's more pricey.

USB C to USB Adapter - Apple

Apple Store Search Results

www.apple.com

So, please verify for me that I can simply use my older external HDD to transfer the data, as long as I am able to connect this drive to my laptop?
That means I can go with either a simple connector (such as the one suggested by Slydude) or just get a USB hub.
If I transfer using Time Machine or copy-paste of my old files, I won't need to bother with the issue of ownership permissions?

 

[Slydude]

If you routinely need to connect/add several devices at once a hub might be the best option.

I have transferred files from Time Machine backups with no issues. To avoid permissions issues that need to be corrected later the two accounts need to be exactly the same.

If your user account was already created when you made the Time Machine backup there shouldn't be any issues. If your user account was made after the TM backup that you are using, let us know the details and we can advise from there.

 

[MacInWin]

To avoid permissions issues that need to be corrected later the two accounts need to be exactly the same.

And by "exactly" Sly means not just the account name and password (Which you control), but also the account number, which you don't, directly. If there is only one account, the number is likely the same on both old and new, however.

 

[Slydude]

Thanks for pointing that out. I should have mentioned that.

I'm beginning to think that someone in the brain trust needs to write either a blog post or a sticky thread about this. It seems to have come up several times lately.

 

[MacInWin]

brain trust

That lets me out....

 

[samos]

If you routinely need to connect/add several devices at once a hub might be the best option.

I have transferred files from Time Machine backups with no issues. To avoid permissions issues that need to be corrected later the two accounts need to be exactly the same.

If your user account was already created when you made the Time Machine backup there shouldn't be any issues. If your user account was made after the TM backup that you are using, let us know the details and we can advise from there.

Oh, I see. This has me a bit worried.
Now I see why it is recommended that you do the transfer of the old data the first time you are setting up a new computer.
I just have a couple of follow-up queries.
If I used migration assistant the first time I setup my new computer, I could just have used Wi-Fi or Time Machine?
Would I still need to name the account on my new laptop exactly the same as the old one?
If yes, then how about I delete the account I setup on the laptop now? That way I can use migration assistant to shift data from the old computer without any worries about permission issues.
I don't remember this clearly now, but years ago I transferred data from another old Mac to a new one I bought. I never had any issues with permissions.

 

[pm-r]

No. Airdrop is my last choice. I find it awkward, clumsy to use, and slow.

And that is if and when it even works, and I thought I was the only one that found it a pain to try and use.

Thanks for the enforcement that it wasn't just our set up and use that made it a non-workable OS feature.





- Patrick
=======

 

[MacInWin]

non-workable OS feature.

I didn't say it was "non-workable," just awkward, clumsy, and slow. It works, but takes a lot of fiddling and the interface is not, in my mind, user-friendly.

 

[pm-r]

I didn't say it was "non-workable," just awkward, clumsy, and slow.

I just added our own experience with Airdrop, the main one being that it just never ever worked properly for our setup.

And I was agreeing with your comment to only use it as a last choice or maybe even try, as it often doesn't work for us and many other users when I last went looking for why and how.


- Patrick
=======