When purchasing a new PC, transferring your files and settings from the old computer is essential. Windows Easy Transfer is a tool designed to simplify this process, allowing you to copy documents, music, pictures, and more with ease.
In earlier versions, Windows Easy Transfer was often criticized for its complexity and unreliability, especially among less experienced users. The process could be confusing, and transfers sometimes fail before completion. Recognizing these issues, Microsoft has revamped Windows Easy Transfer to be more user-friendly and dependable. You can now select specific files and settings to transfer and receive a detailed report of the transferred items.
In this guide, I’ll be using an external hard drive, but Windows also provides other transfer methods, which will be listed in the next steps.
1. Go to Start, type Windows Easy Transfer, and press Enter.
2. Click Next and you will find three different ways to copy files and settings to a new PC: the Easy Transfer Cable, using your home network, or using an external hard disk or USB flash drive, select this last one to continue.
3. The computer you are initiating the transfer on is assumed to be the old computer, so click on “This is my old computer.”
4. After Windows 7 checks what can be transferred, select the files and settings you want to copy to the new computer.
Note that you now have more flexibility regarding what to transfer to a new computer. Click the Customize link to add or remove items that you want to copy, or to go deeper, click the Advanced link and select specific files and/or folders; when you’ve made your selection, click Next.
5. Windows Easy Transfer also allows you to protect everything you transfer with a password. If you don’t wish to use a password, just leave the password field blank and click Save; browse to the external hard disk or USB flash drive and click Save again.
6. Wait until everything gets copied, click Next, Next one more time, and then Close — Remember to unplug the storage device and plug it into the new PC –.
Use these steps to import the transferred files and settings from the storage device to the new PC.
1. While in the new PC, plug the hard disk or USB flash drive and repeat steps 1 and 2 from the previous steps.
2. Next, choose “This is my new computer,” click Yes, browse for the file named “Windows Easy Transfer—Items from old computer.MIG,” and click Open.
3. If you used a password to protect your content, now it is the time to type it and then click Next.
4. Select what to transfer from the old PC to the new PC and click the Transfer button.
Now,, just wait until the process is complete. After the transfer is finished, you can see what was transferred and a list of programs you might want to install on your new PC. Then just click Close, and you are all done!
Was Windows Easy Transfer an easy solution to transfer files to a new computer, as its name implies?
Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert and founder of Pureinfotech (est. 2010). With over 21 years as a technology writer and IT Specialist, Mauro specializes in Windows, software, and cross-platform systems such as Linux, Android, and macOS.
Certifications: Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA), Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP), VMware Certified Professional (VCP), and CompTIA A+ and Network+.
Mauro is a recognized Microsoft MVP and has also been a long-time contributor to Windows Central.
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