Most newbie Mac users dread the switch, even though each has his or her founded reasons of giving up one type of operating system in favor of the other. In today’s post, we’re going to show that it’s not at all that complicated to migrate your documents and settings from a PC to a Mac: all you need is a bit of basic info, some software, and compatible peripheral devices. The issue of migrating from Windows to Mac has actually become less complicated over the past few years, ever since Apple started producing Intel-operated machines; in case you didn’t know, that’s also the type of processor that most PCs use as well. So, without further ado, read on to learn how you can make the transition as smooth as possible, where your documents and settings are concerned.

Perhaps this goes without saying, but we’re going to go ahead and say it anyway: before you migrate your documents and settings from a PC to a Mac, you’re going to have to save everything you absolutely need on an external hard-drive, or in the cloud. These days, the iCloud is making it easier than ever to perform backups and it’s even Windows-compatible. It allows you to sync just about everything, from mail to contacts and calendars in the latest Microsoft Outlook version. However, if you want to keep your options open, you could also use an app like fruux, or any other syncing application.

#2 The big switcheroo: migrate your documents and settings from a PC to a Mac

Trust us, it sounds harder than it actually is. Not only are there many apps out there, on the great big Internet, devised specifically for this purpose, but you can actually do just fine only by using the Apple-produced Migration Assistant. The application is free for download on the Apple website and it’s designed to migrate your documents and settings from a PC to a Mac – and not just your documents and settings. It can also help you keep the same desktop background, e-mail accounts, contacts, bookmarks, and so much more. So, here’s what you’re going to need, in order to transition:

• Both your devices running on the same wired or wireless Internet network.
• The latest OS X running on your Mac computer (the Migration Assistant does work with older OS Xs, but there are plenty of reasons for you to be running Mavericks in its latest build). Run Software Update on the Mac, to make sure you’re running the latest version. Ideally, you should also run Windows Update on your PC.
• Find the Migration Assistant on the Mac – it’s in the Utilities folder of the Application folder. Select the ‘From another PC’ option, then click Continue. Put in your username and password, then select ‘From another Mac or PC’ in the next screen.
• Quit all the applications you might be running at this point (you will also be prompted to do so by the Mac’s OS X). Wait for the PC from which you are migrating to be detected, then wait for the passcode that your Mac is displaying to appear on the screen of the PC. Once you’ve put in the passcode, click Continue.
• Select all the documents, settings, and other relevant information that you want to migrate from the PC to the Mac, then click Continue.

In a nutshell, that’s about it: the Migration Assistant is rather self-explanatory and allows you to simply kick back and wait for it to do its job after this point. Enjoy your new machine and good luck getting used to the OS X!