Migrating Mail and Browser Profiles to a New Mac

Step by step

1. 1 min

   Close all active applications

   Quit Mail, Safari, Chrome, and Firefox on your current Mac to prevent file locking. Open the Activity Monitor via Command + Space, search for these processes, and force quit if they remain active to ensure no data corruption occurs during the migration process.

   Note: Command + Q
2. 5 min

   Run Migration Assistant

   On both Macs, open Migration Assistant from Applications > Utilities. Follow the prompts to connect the devices via Thunderbolt cable or Wi-Fi. Select your user account and ensure the checkboxes for Library and Application Data are toggled on to migrate your Mail and browser settings.

   Note: A Thunderbolt cable provides significantly faster transfer speeds than wireless connections.
3. 2 min

   Verify the Mail data path

   If data did not carry over automatically, navigate to ~/Library/Mail/V10 on your old Mac. Copy the folder to an external drive. On your new Mac, open Mail, go to File > Import Mailboxes, and select the Apple Mail format to map your existing local folders.

   Note: Replace V10 with the version number corresponding to your current macOS.
4. 2 min

   Restore Chrome profiles manually

   Navigate to ~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome on your source Mac. Copy the 'Default' or 'Profile X' folders to the corresponding directory on your new Mac. Launch Chrome to re-authenticate your Google account and finalize the profile synchronization.

   Note: Ensure Chrome is fully quit before replacing the folder.
5. 1 min

   Authorize your new machine

   Open the Apple Music or TV app, navigate to Account > Authorizations, and select Authorize This Computer. This ensures that any DRM-protected content associated with your browser or account sync services functions correctly on the new hardware.