When you buy a new estimator, you'll desire to transfer most of your existing files over to the new computer. Whether you want to take all your information with you or merely the essentials, there are quick and simple means to transfer files from PC to PC.

Depending on what y'all're working with, some methods are better than others. As a dominion of thumb, it's faster to utilise any method that uses a robust physical connectedness (like swapping hard drives or transferring over LAN) instead of quick-and-piece of cake solutions (like moving files over Wi-Fi or using a USB drive).

Obviously, this is the style most people do it. Stick a USB flash drive in one computer, copy the data. Stick the aforementioned bulldoze in the other reckoner, then paste the information. Uncomplicated. Or you could utilize an external hard drive if you take more than information than can fit on a flash drive.

If both computers accept USB 3.0 ports, you might want to consider investing in one of the fastest flash drives effectually. When yous take a lot of data to move, speed becomes important!

At that place's a quicker way to do this, though. Get-go, check if the figurer you lot want to move information to has an eSATA port or an available SATA slot. If it does, disconnect the difficult drive from the original reckoner and connect it to the new computer. In one case washed, information technology'll show up equally some other drive on the target PC. You lot can then transfer data over SATA, which is much faster than USB.

For computers shut to each other, there are 2 main ways to share files and folders. The outset is to prepare a local area network (LAN), so yous can utilize ane PC to browse the other's hard drives. The 2nd is to use software to transfer files over Wi-Fi.

Sharing a Network Drive

All the major operating systems have a built-in option to gear up a home network. This lets devices on the same router (connected via Ethernet or Wi-Fi) recognize each other permanently. Then when y'all need to transfer files between computers, you don't need to ready up a new connection each time; it's always on, equally long equally both computers are on.

We have a uncomplicated guide showing how to share files betwixt Windows and Mac. The process as well works with Windows-to-Windows and Mac-to-Mac. If you lot're on Linux, the bill of fare system depends on your operating arrangement. Merely one time you're in network settings, yous'll notice that it's similar to how you lot fix a domicile network on MacOS.

Sharing With Software

If both the computers are on the aforementioned Wi-Fi network, yous tin transfer files with some simple software. Information technology'southward an like shooting fish in a barrel way to share without setting upwardly a dwelling network and is platonic for temporary networks. There are several apps for sharing large files instantly. The best, in our opinion, is Transport Anywhere.

Send Anywhere has an app for Windows, Mac, and Linux. Information technology even has a web app and a Chrome extension for utilise on Chrome Bone. Send Anywhere just works, and it'south fantastic how little setup information technology needs.

You tin likewise use it to transfer files from one figurer to phones and tablets. And the best thing about it is it's completely free.

Download: Send Anywhere for Windows | macOS | Linux | Android | iOS (Free)

iii. Employ a Transfer Cable

For computer-to-estimator transfer, you need a USB bridging cablevision or a USB networking cable. It's faster than using drives since the copy-and-paste process happens simultaneously between the connected systems. When using external drives, y'all are basically transferring between three drives; just cables reduce that to two drives.

Windows to Windows: If y'all're transferring files from i Windows computer to another, plug the USB cable on both computers. Await until both computers recognize the cablevision and they automatically install drivers.

In one case you've installed the USB cable's driver, download and install the data transfer software for both computers. Once ready, launch the transfer app on both computers, and you lot tin at present begin transferring files.

Mac to Mac: You can connect 2 Mac computers via the proprietary Thunderbolt cablevision. Once you lot practice that, both computers should discover each other, and transferring files is a unproblematic as dragging and dropping them between systems.

Windows/Mac/Linux to Windows/Mac/Linux: Use an Ethernet cable to build a local area network without a router. Brand sure it'due south a crossover Ethernet cable (i.due east., the color patterns on i end don't match the other). Set up network sharing on both computers, and you're good to go.

4. Connect the HDD or SSD Manually

If you lot're transferring from an onetime computer to a new one, your quondam PC might not be functional anymore. Or you might want to install a new hard bulldoze to replace an sometime one. But how do you get your onetime data, then?

Hd drives (HDD) and some Solid Country Drives (SSD) apply standard SATA cables to connect to the motherboard. If you take a spare SATA or eSATA (external SATA) port, connect your quondam hard drive there. The operating system will recognize it every bit a new drive. Then kickoff transferring. Information technology's the fastest of all solutions.

Different a PC, finding a spare SATA port on a laptop is hard. You could instead apply other solutions like using an external enclosure or a USB docking station.

Y'all also might want to plow the old difficult drive into external storage. Investing in an external case for the one-time bulldoze will let you lot copy all the information from information technology, and after that, you go to use the old drive as portable external storage.

5. Use Cloud Storage or Web Transfers

The final selection is to use the internet. Since more and more users now use cloud storage to save their files, this is probably the easiest style to sync your files between computers. Notwithstanding, this may have quite some time, from several minutes to several days, depending on the quality of your internet connection.

You lot tin choose from one of the several cloud storage providers like Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneDrive. They all work too equally each other to get the task done.

Deject drives are an excellent selection since the size of the files is virtually unlimited, as long as you accept enough storage space. Plus, if both the computers are syncing folders locally, and so every bit one uploads files, the other will download simultaneously.

If speed is what you lot want, though, then try FilePizza. What makes it special is that it's a peer-to-peer app. Then as ane calculator uploads the file, the other downloads information technology immediately. At that place is no waiting betwixt the ii. And you don't need to exist subscribed to the same cloud drive. It'due south all in the browser.

What's Your Preferred File Transfer Method?

Whatever one of these methods volition let yous to transfer files from PC to PC quickly. Recall, when moving a lot of data, you're better off with a wired connection betwixt computers. But if information technology'southward just a few gigabytes of data, so feel gratis to employ ane of the wireless options instead.

We hope yous like the items we recommend and discuss! MUO has affiliate and sponsored partnerships, so we receive a share of the acquirement from some of your purchases. This won't affect the price y'all pay and helps us offer the best product recommendations.

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Well-nigh The Writer

Mihir Patkar (1294 Articles Published)

Mihir Patkar has been writing on technology and productivity for over fourteen years at some of the top media publications across the world. He has an academic background in journalism.

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