It is possible to transfer more than one Time Machine backup to a new Mac using Migration Assistant. This Migration Assistant trick is handy to know if you and another person are both replacing older Macs with a new shared Apple Mac computer.
See also:
How to transfer a Time Machine backup to a new Mac and Complete Guide to Time Machine
Follow these steps to transfer several older backups to a new Mac:
- Connect the first Time Machine backup drive to the new Mac.
- Open Migration Assistant on the new Mac (located within Applications/Utilities) and click Allow to close all programs.
- Choose From a Mac, Time Machine Backup or Startup Disk and click Continue.
- Select the Time Machine backup drive and click Continue.
- If Migration Assistant asks you to choose a Backup Volume (because you have more than one on the drive) select the right one and click Continue.
- Migration Assistant transfers Applications, Accounts, Other files and folders, and Computer and Network Settings. You can disable any of these that you do not want to take with you.
- If the new Mac has already been through the Setup process and has an account with the same username (as the account you’re transferring) an alert will appear. The Migration Assistant warning says: “This user needs attention before Migrating”. Click Continue and choose to either replace the account, or keep both accounts (in which case you must enter a new name for the account).
- Click Continue and wait for the Migration Assistant to restore your account and files.
- Close the Migration Assistant app.
- Remove the Time Machine backup drive (by dragging the icon from the Desktop to the Trash, or by clicking the Eject icon next to the volume in Finder).
- Add the second Time Machine backup drive.
- Open Migration Assistant and now repeat the process with the new drive.
When you repeat the Migration Assistant process for the second time, it does not remove any files or applications from the first migration. Instead, it duplicates any information from the new drive. The second account has its own Home folder and space for documents and files. Both accounts will keep their same password for login.
Read next: How to set up and manage user accounts on a Mac
During the login process, the Mac asks you to select the account to use. The account opens with its own settings, preferences and documents. If you have used Migration Assistant to copy applications; the applications are shared across accounts (although some applications are installed locally for each user – it depends on what option you choose when you first installed the application).
With this technique, you can replace two older Mac computers with one brand new one.
See also:
Can I transfer two Time Machine backups to a single new drive?
It is possible to transfer more than one Time Machine backup to a new Mac using Migration Assistant. This Migration Assistant trick is handy to know if you and another person are both replacing older Macs with a new shared Apple Mac computer.
When you repeat the Migration Assistant process for the second time, it does not remove any files or applications from the first migration. Instead, it duplicates any information from the new drive. The second account has its own Home folder and space for documents and files. Both accounts will keep their same password for login.
Read more: How to transfer multiple Time Machine backups to a single Mac | Best Mac backup software | How to back up a Mac