Will Migration Assistant overwrite data on a new Mac?

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Baggiwrinkle Author

Level 1

8 points

Will Migration Assistant overwrite data on a new Mac?

I wonder if migration assistant will overwrite anything on my new mac?

MacBook Air 13″, macOS 26.2

Posted on Jan 1, 2026 2:22 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Niel

Level 10

741,599 points

Jan 1, 2026 2:25 PM in response to Baggiwrinkle

No; if you migrate to a computer that's already been set up, it'll create a new user account. Back your data up anyway.

(262379)

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Answer 2

HWTech

Level 9

69,134 points

Jan 1, 2026 6:54 PM in response to Niel

Niel wrote:

No; if you migrate to a computer that's already been set up, it'll create a new user account. Back your data up anyway.

(262379)

FYI, Unless the new Mac already has the same exact user account that will be transferred. In that case, one of the options is to delete the existing user account from that Mac, but it is not automatic as the user must intentionally select the "delete" option.

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