In short
The easiest way is a cloud account (Microsoft, Apple or Google) signed in on both devices, or an external hard drive. On Windows, programs cannot be copied, they are reinstalled on the new device. Have your passwords and licence keys ready beforehand. Expect about two hours if everything goes smoothly.
What you need before you start
The move rarely fails because of the technology. It fails because of missing logins. Gather what you need before the first click, and the rest runs through in one go.
- The password for your Microsoft, Apple or Google account, plus the password for your e-mail mailbox.
- Your Wi-Fi password, usually on the router or the card from your provider.
- A list of the programs you really use, with licence keys (Office, tax software, antivirus).
- Both devices plugged in and at least two hours in which you do not need to print or e-mail.
Route 1: via the cloud
If your documents and photos already live in OneDrive, iCloud or Google Drive, simply sign in on the new device with the same account. The files appear by themselves. This is the most convenient route, but not the fastest: 50 gigabytes of photos easily take a whole day over a typical DSL line.
Watch the free space in the account. The free 5 gigabytes at Microsoft and Apple or 15 at Google fill up fast with photo collections. The account then silently stops syncing everything, and that is noticed only once the old device is gone.
Route 2: external drive or USB stick
Faster and independent of the internet: an external USB 3 drive moves 100 gigabytes in about 20 minutes. On the old device, copy the folders Documents, Pictures, Music, Videos, Desktop and Downloads. On the new device, copy them back to the same places.
What is not in those folders but matters anyway: bookmarks and saved passwords in the browser (carry them over with the sync of Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari), the Outlook e-mail archive (a PST file, often in Documents/Outlook Files), and the data of tax and banking programs, which offer their own backup.
Route 3: from Windows to Mac and back
Apple ships the Migration Assistant for this. It runs on both devices in the same Wi-Fi and pulls documents, photos, contacts, calendars, e-mail accounts and bookmarks from the Windows PC to the Mac. Programs do not come along, they exist on the Mac in their own version or not at all.
In the other direction, from Mac to Windows, there is no tool from Apple or Microsoft. Cloud and drive remain. Export files from Pages, Numbers and Keynote as Word, Excel and PowerPoint beforehand, or they cannot be opened on the Windows device.
What almost always gets forgotten
From our appointments we know the list of things that go missing only weeks later. Go through it before the old laptop ends up in the cupboard.
- The Elster certificate for your tax return. It sits as a file on the old device and cannot be replaced without re-registering.
- E-mails fetched via POP. They exist only on the old device, not at the provider. With IMAP everything is on the server and appears on the new device by itself.
- Printer and scanner: drivers and scanning software must be reinstalled, ideally the manufacturer app.
- The two-factor code app on your phone: if it is tied to the device, move it first, or online banking locks you out.
- Fonts, templates and autocorrect dictionaries in Office, if you work with them.
What happens to the old device
Do not wipe the old device the same day. Leave it for two weeks and work only on the new one. Whatever is missing in that time, you fetch afterwards. Only then reset it, on Windows with "Remove everything" and "Clean the drive", on the Mac via "Erase All Content and Settings". After that it can be sold, given away or taken to the recycling centre.