I recommend you make sure all your emails are stored in your email server (that is in, in your email client make sure all your emails reside in folders stored on the server), so they can just sync to the email client on your new PC. Windows stores these files in fairly arcane places, and copying them to a new PC often doesn’t work because of how they are tied to the email application’s OS settings. Such re-downloads are typically free.ĭirect file transfer will not move your locally stored email files to the new PC. The best way to transfer these is to re-download them from the service where you bought them. Note: Digitally rights-managed files like purchased music usually won’t work once copied. SD cards and thumb drives use the same FAT32 format on both macOS and Windows, so if your files fit on those storage devices, that’s often easier than using a hard drive. Tip: If you are transferring files from a Mac to a PC, the external hard drive must be formatted as MS-DOS, not NTFS or APFS. Once your migration is complete, you should consider storing your files on the cloud for easier access, as the article “The best way to transfer files to a new Windows PC or Mac” explains. I recommend that you use the same folder organization on your new PC as on your old computer, at least to start. The trick here (besides having enough storage capacity on your transfer drive) is to have your files and folders organized well enough so you get them all. You can connect an external hard drive, SD card, or thumb drive to your old PC, copy your files to it, then eject that device from the old computer, plug it into the new PC and copy the files to that new PC. Direct file transfer via an external drive There are several methods to transfer files locally from an old computer to a new Windows PC, and most work whether you’re moving from a Windows PC to a Windows PC or from a Mac to a Windows PC. This story includes methods for migrating files and apps, as well as browser bookmarks one method can transfer some system settings as well. And you might want to transfer more than just files from your old computer to your new one.

How to transfer data from mac to pc