To transfer the contents of a PC to another PC, for example to the new computer or laptop, there are systems that avoid having to reinstall all programs from scratch and allow you to keep the configurations and customizations chosen.
In another article we saw that it is possible to clone the computer disk to another hard disk or ssd, which is very advantageous and simple to have a backup and to replace the disk, but it is not very efficient for moving programs and installing Windows on another PC.
However, if you proceed to a new installation on the new PC or if it was already ready with Windows pre-installed, to move files and programs from the other computer you need to use a quick and automatic system.
In this article we see the easiest and free solutions to transfer files and move programs from PC to PC .
READ ALSO: How to move programs to another disk
1) External hard disk
The easiest way to transfer files to a new computer would be to manually move files from one PC to another via an external disk or USB flash drive. The advantage of this option is that you don't need to download any additional software and just connect the external drive to the old computer, drag the files onto the external drive and then connect it to the new computer and drag the files into place. There are however two contraindications. The first is that to do this transfer you need a fairly large external disk, almost equal to the space of the internal disk of the computer you are transferring. The other problem is that you have to manually select the files to be transferred, which is tedious and time consuming. Furthermore, in this way it is not possible to move programs, which instead require to import files distributed in various internal folders that are difficult to identify by eye.
On this point, however, you can refer to another article, with the most important Windows folders to be saved listed.
2) Cloud storage
The power of the cloud can be well exploited to move data from one PC to another. The discussion about the disadvantages is the same as the previous option, including the fact that it will not be possible to move programs, with the difference that you use an online space instead of a physical hard disk.
In this case, there are two other contraindications: in the meantime, the best cloud drive services have limited free plans and you will have to try a little if you want to have a free cloud space of 100 GB or more.
The second problem is that a very fast internet connection is required to make an online backup and then re-download the data on the new PC, otherwise it can take even days.
In another article, the list of the best online backup sites for saving files on the internet.
3) Backup programs
Backup programs are mostly used to restore the PC after a malfunction or to perform a reset, they work well for restoring files, but should not be used to move programs to a new PC. Fortunately, some of the best backup programs such as AOMEI Backupper, have the Universal Restore feature, or Universal restore, to use the backup of one PC on another, without problems related to the different hardware construction.
We will then restore files and programs, without loading the drivers and hardware settings of the old PC from the backup.
4) Automatic programs to transfer files and programs from one PC to another
The ideal solution to automate the file transfer, configuration settings and programs of a Windows PC is to use an automatic program that does all the work for us. In general, this type of tool makes a copy of the PC data and then, once installed on the new computer, it transfers.
While a Windows data transfer program was present in Windows 7, this is no longer included in Windows 10 which therefore requires an external program.
Among the best tools to move programs to another PC we have:
- PVMOver Express, the best program to move programs and files from one PC to another via the network.
- EASEUS Todo PCTrans, excellent for migrating programs, user profile data and configurations to another PC. EASEUS Todo PCTrans is a free program if used to make a data transfer, but requires payment of the full version if you also want to transfer the programs. However, the functionality can be tried for free to transfer two programs. The program has two requirements: PCs must be connected to the same network (transfer is done via the network) and must be installed on both PCs at the same time. The advantage of Todo PCTrans is that it is easy to use and just select the programs from the transfer window with a cross and you're done.
- A free program for transferring PC programs is PickMeApp, which requires a USB stick or external drive for transfer. Using PickMeApp is really simple, just select the programs on the old computer, create the copy and then, on the new PC, always using PickMeApp, load the list of selected programs and choose the ones to be imported.
- Third program to try is CloneApp, as easy as PickMeApp, completely free, which supports the transfer of almost all the most popular programs creating an easy backup and restore, even on another computer.
- Transwiz is a perfect free program to move PC user profile folders to another, easy and quick to use.
5) Transfer programs and licenses manually
To track almost all the license keys of the purchased programs that you want to manually reinstall on the new computer you can use a tool that saves the licenses in a text file.
Belarc Advisor will find all the product keys on the computer generating an HTML file to keep. On the new computer you will then have to manually install all the various programs and register them using the keys of the HTML file. Attention only that many professional software require to deactivate the license on the old PC before activating it on the new one.
Refer to another guide to backup programs with custom settings and transfer them to Windows
Finally, let's remember the procedure to migrate Windows from one PC to another, bringing the entire contents of the old PC to the new one.
In another article we saw that it is possible to clone the computer disk to another hard disk or ssd, which is very advantageous and simple to have a backup and to replace the disk, but it is not very efficient for moving programs and installing Windows on another PC.
However, if you proceed to a new installation on the new PC or if it was already ready with Windows pre-installed, to move files and programs from the other computer you need to use a quick and automatic system.
In this article we see the easiest and free solutions to transfer files and move programs from PC to PC .
READ ALSO: How to move programs to another disk
1) External hard disk
The easiest way to transfer files to a new computer would be to manually move files from one PC to another via an external disk or USB flash drive. The advantage of this option is that you don't need to download any additional software and just connect the external drive to the old computer, drag the files onto the external drive and then connect it to the new computer and drag the files into place. There are however two contraindications. The first is that to do this transfer you need a fairly large external disk, almost equal to the space of the internal disk of the computer you are transferring. The other problem is that you have to manually select the files to be transferred, which is tedious and time consuming. Furthermore, in this way it is not possible to move programs, which instead require to import files distributed in various internal folders that are difficult to identify by eye.
On this point, however, you can refer to another article, with the most important Windows folders to be saved listed.
2) Cloud storage
The power of the cloud can be well exploited to move data from one PC to another. The discussion about the disadvantages is the same as the previous option, including the fact that it will not be possible to move programs, with the difference that you use an online space instead of a physical hard disk.
In this case, there are two other contraindications: in the meantime, the best cloud drive services have limited free plans and you will have to try a little if you want to have a free cloud space of 100 GB or more.
The second problem is that a very fast internet connection is required to make an online backup and then re-download the data on the new PC, otherwise it can take even days.
In another article, the list of the best online backup sites for saving files on the internet.
3) Backup programs
Backup programs are mostly used to restore the PC after a malfunction or to perform a reset, they work well for restoring files, but should not be used to move programs to a new PC. Fortunately, some of the best backup programs such as AOMEI Backupper, have the Universal Restore feature, or Universal restore, to use the backup of one PC on another, without problems related to the different hardware construction.
We will then restore files and programs, without loading the drivers and hardware settings of the old PC from the backup.
4) Automatic programs to transfer files and programs from one PC to another
The ideal solution to automate the file transfer, configuration settings and programs of a Windows PC is to use an automatic program that does all the work for us. In general, this type of tool makes a copy of the PC data and then, once installed on the new computer, it transfers.
While a Windows data transfer program was present in Windows 7, this is no longer included in Windows 10 which therefore requires an external program.
Among the best tools to move programs to another PC we have:
- PVMOver Express, the best program to move programs and files from one PC to another via the network.
- EASEUS Todo PCTrans, excellent for migrating programs, user profile data and configurations to another PC. EASEUS Todo PCTrans is a free program if used to make a data transfer, but requires payment of the full version if you also want to transfer the programs. However, the functionality can be tried for free to transfer two programs. The program has two requirements: PCs must be connected to the same network (transfer is done via the network) and must be installed on both PCs at the same time. The advantage of Todo PCTrans is that it is easy to use and just select the programs from the transfer window with a cross and you're done.
- A free program for transferring PC programs is PickMeApp, which requires a USB stick or external drive for transfer. Using PickMeApp is really simple, just select the programs on the old computer, create the copy and then, on the new PC, always using PickMeApp, load the list of selected programs and choose the ones to be imported.
- Third program to try is CloneApp, as easy as PickMeApp, completely free, which supports the transfer of almost all the most popular programs creating an easy backup and restore, even on another computer.
- Transwiz is a perfect free program to move PC user profile folders to another, easy and quick to use.
5) Transfer programs and licenses manually
To track almost all the license keys of the purchased programs that you want to manually reinstall on the new computer you can use a tool that saves the licenses in a text file.
Belarc Advisor will find all the product keys on the computer generating an HTML file to keep. On the new computer you will then have to manually install all the various programs and register them using the keys of the HTML file. Attention only that many professional software require to deactivate the license on the old PC before activating it on the new one.
Refer to another guide to backup programs with custom settings and transfer them to Windows
Finally, let's remember the procedure to migrate Windows from one PC to another, bringing the entire contents of the old PC to the new one.
