UPGRADE YOUR APPLE GEAR

Getting a new Apple device for Christmas? Here’s how to transfer everything that matters from photos to preferences

- Carrie Marshall

Whether you own an older Mac, iPhone or iPad, or even one of those pesky Windows PCs or Android phones, moving your stuff across to your sparkly new Mac, iPhone or iPad is easy – and we’re going to show you how over the next 12 pages.

As you’ll discover, there are lots of different ways to move your stuff from an older device to a brand-spanking new one. If you’ve been using Time Machine to back up your Mac you can copy from that; if not, it’s easy to clone some or all of your Mac’s storage and move it seamlessly to your new one. On iPhone and iPad, iCloud backups can make your new device just like your old one, and if you’re moving from a PC or Android device it’s easy to move your important files and data from those too.

One of the things you’ll notice in this feature is that many of the tools and tricks we’ll be using to move data from one device to another are also very useful tools for backing up your files, your folders, your photos and all your other crucial things.

If you’re not already backing up regularly, it’s a good idea to make that your New Year’s resolution. It’s never been simpler to keep backup copies of the things that really matter to you, and as we’ll discover it’ll make moving to your next Mac, iPhone or iPad an awful lot easier too.