For most customers, an external USB hard drive or SSD is the easiest and most reliable way to transfer files.

What You Need

• An external USB hard drive
• An external USB SSD
• A large USB memory stick

Copying From Your Old PC

1. Connect the USB storage device to your old PC.
2. Open File Explorer and select This PC.
3. Open your Documents, Pictures, Videos, Downloads and Desktop folders.
4. Select your files, right click and choose Copy.
5. Open the USB drive and create a folder called Old PC Files.
6. Right click inside the folder and choose Paste.
7. Wait for the transfer to finish before disconnecting the drive.

Copying Onto Your New PC

1. Connect the USB drive to your new PC.
2. Open File Explorer and select the USB drive.
3. Open the Old PC Files folder.
4. Copy your files into the matching folders on your new PC.

OneDrive is built into Windows 11 and can synchronise files between your old PC, your Microsoft account and your new PC.

On Your Old PC

1. Open OneDrive from the Start menu.
2. Sign in using your Microsoft account.
3. Choose the folders you want to back up.
4. Wait until OneDrive confirms that your files are fully synchronised.

On Your New PC

1. Open OneDrive.
2. Sign in using the same Microsoft account.
3. Allow your files to synchronise onto the new PC.

Google Drive works in a similar way to OneDrive. Upload your files using your old PC, then download them or synchronise them onto your new PC.

1. Sign in to Google Drive on your old PC.
2. Create a folder called Old PC Files.
3. Upload your files and folders.
4. Wait until every upload is complete.
5. Sign in to the same Google account on your new PC.
6. Download your files or install Google Drive for Desktop.

An old SATA hard drive or SATA SSD can sometimes be connected directly inside your new PC. This is often one of the fastest ways to transfer a large amount of data.

You May Need

• An available SATA connection on the motherboard
• A SATA data cable
• An available SATA power connector
• Enough room inside the case

Finding Your Files

1. Turn on your new PC.
2. Open File Explorer and select This PC.
3. Open the old drive, which may appear as D: or E:.
4. Open Users and then open your old Windows username folder.
5. Copy your personal files into the appropriate folders on your new PC.

Windows may ask for permission to access the old user folder. Select Continue and allow Windows to update the permissions.

A drive enclosure or adapter lets you connect an old internal drive to your new PC through USB without installing it inside the case.

1. Remove the old drive from your previous PC.
2. Connect it to the correct enclosure or adapter.
3. Connect the enclosure or adapter to your new PC.
4. Open File Explorer and locate the drive under This PC.
5. Copy your files onto the new PC.

If both PCs are working and connected to the same router, you can share folders from the old PC and copy them over your home network.

1. Connect both PCs to the same router.
2. On the old PC, right click the folder you want to share.
3. Select Properties and open the Sharing tab.
4. Select Share or Advanced Sharing.
5. On the new PC, open the Network section in File Explorer.
6. Open the shared folder and copy the files onto the new PC.

Connecting both PCs to the router using Ethernet cables will normally be much faster than transferring files over WiFi.

Dedicated transfer programs can help move user files, Windows settings, browser information and sometimes supported applications.

Results can vary and some programs may still need to be installed again. For most customers, manually transferring personal files and reinstalling applications provides the cleanest and most reliable result.