Using SSD Boot Drive To Migrate To New Mac Mini
 

I want to migrate my data from my 2012 Mac Mini (High Sierra) to a refurb 2018 Mac Mini (Mojave).

For the last 2+ years I have used an external Samsung T3 SSD as the 2012 Mini's boot drive. Can I simply plug-in the SSD to the 2018 Mini, boot the new Mac and use Migration Assistant to move everything from the SSD to the new Mac?

I have an SD! clone of the 2012 Mini on a mechanical external drive connected via Firewire 800. The enclosure also has a USB 3.0 port. But I'm thinking that the SSD option would be much faster.

I have another upgrade-related question: I haven't upgraded to a new Mac since getting the 2012 Mini over 8 years ago. I am now 66, a bit rusty around the edges and Macs have become more complicated since 2012. I have 2 Cloud backups, iCloud, Dropbox, etc.

Frankly, I am somewhat intimidated by this undertaking. . . Does anyone have a link to or info about the steps necessary to migrate to a new Mac, including stuff like deauthorizing/authorizing the old/new Macs? I have looked online including Apple but I haven't found anything with enough info for me to feel ready to move forward. If I have enough information about the most important things to do, I am confident that I can handle a few hiccups after the upgrade process.

During your first boot, yes - it'll prompt to 'restore', and just point that at your backup. Always do this at the first prompt: don't create an account!

I think you're going to find it pretty easy - and remember, you have the old Mac and the bootable backup, so you can "afford" to experiment...even though I think you're going to find it pretty easy.

Hi Dave- Thanks for your reply. Just to be clear, the external SSD is not a backup. It is the Mini's boot drive. . .

The Mini's internal drive has a new installation of High Sierra (after erasure. . .) with an Admin account. Other than that, it hasn't been touched. I figured that this was the best way to make it ready for a new owner. (For reasons I cannot recall now I couldn't figure out a way to perform a clean install that would boot-up like a "new" Mac as I did in the past. . .)

At any rate, I suspect that you are saying that pointing to the external SSD boot drive will work as if it was a backup, which is what I suspected but I wanted to confirm it with you.

It certainly should!

OK, thanks for the reassurance!