Using Migration Assistant for Macs with Addigy

Overview

Migration Assistant transfers user accounts, applications, files, and settings from an existing Mac, a Time Machine backup, or another startup disk to a new Mac. It can run during Setup Assistant on a brand-new (or freshly wiped) Mac, or at any point afterward from System Settings > General > Transfer or Reset.

Migration Assistant works well alongside Addigy on modern versions of macOS. This article explains how Migration Assistant interacts with MDM and the Addigy agent, how to control the migration experience with the Managed Migration payload on macOS 26.4 and later, and what the process looks like for the end user.

Note for Automated Device Enrollment (ADE) devices: The Migration Assistant pane ("Transfer Your Data to This Mac") is part of Setup Assistant. If the Skip Setup New or Restore skip key is enabled in your ADE configuration, this pane is suppressed and end users will not be given the option to migrate during setup. Make sure this skip key is disabled in the ADE settings assigned to the device before it runs Setup Assistant.

How Migration Assistant behaves on managed Macs

Starting with macOS Ventura, Migration Assistant on a Mac enrolled in MDM automatically disables the transfer of System & Network settings to avoid management conflicts. See Apple's documentation: What's new for enterprise in macOS Ventura.

In practice, this means:

The source Mac's MDM enrollment profile should not be carried over to the new Mac. The new Mac should keep its own enrollment.
The contents of /Library/Addigy/ are not copied from the source Mac. The new device receives a fresh, correct Addigy agent through its own enrollment, so there is no risk of the old device's identity, inventory values, or architecture-specific agent (Intel vs. Apple Silicon) ending up on the new machine.
During the "Choose what to transfer" step, users will see System & Network greyed out and labeled Managed by Administrator. This is expected and cannot be overridden by the user.

Managed Migration payload (macOS 26.4 and later)

macOS 26.4 introduces the Managed Migration declarative payload, which lets administrators manage how Migration Assistant behaves during enrollment. We recommend deploying this payload so migrations on new devices are predictable and consistent.

Scope and requirements:

The payload applies only to Migration Assistant when it runs during Setup Assistant on a device enrolling through Automated Device Enrollment (ADE). It does not apply to devices enrolled through other methods, and it does not govern Migration Assistant runs performed after setup is complete.
Only the destination device (the new Mac receiving the data) needs to be on macOS 26.4 or later.

To deploy the payload, create it under Device Settings in Addigy and assign it to the policy the new device will enroll in. The payload must already be in the device's policy at enrollment time for it to take effect during Setup Assistant.

For the full technical reference, see Apple's developer documentation: MigrationAssistantSettings.

The end-user experience

The following walkthrough shows a migration performed during Setup Assistant on an ADE-enrolled Mac.

1. Choose a transfer method. After the initial Setup Assistant screens, the user reaches Transfer Your Data to This Mac and selects From a Mac, Time Machine, or startup disk, then clicks Continue. (This is the pane that is hidden if the Skip Setup New or Restore key is enabled.)

2. Enroll in device management. On ADE devices, the Device Management pane appears and the user clicks Enroll. Enrollment completes before any data is transferred, which is what allows the System & Network exclusion (and the Managed Migration payload, where applicable) to take effect during the migration.

3. Select the source. The user selects the source Mac, Time Machine backup, or startup disk. Both devices need to be on the same network or connected with a cable. If transferring from another Mac, the user opens Migration Assistant on the source Mac by clicking the notification that appears or by opening it from Transfer or Reset settings.

4. Choose what to transfer. The user selects the user accounts, Applications, and files to bring over. On macOS Ventura and later, System & Network appears greyed out with the label Managed by Administrator - this is expected behavior on managed devices and protects the new Mac's enrollment.

5. Transfer runs. The transfer proceeds and shows its progress and connection type (for example, Peer-to-Peer). Transfer time depends on the amount of data selected and the connection method; a wired connection is faster and more reliable for large migrations.

6. Migration completes. The user clicks Continue and finishes the remaining Setup Assistant screens. The device then appears in Addigy under its own new device record, and the assigned policy deploys the Addigy agent, profiles, and managed software.

FAQ

Can Migration Assistant be used on a device with Addigy Identity? The Addigy Identity login page is not compatible with Migration Assistant; it would be necessary to remove Identity from the device before running Migration Assistant, as it will cause problems with the Migration Assistant app starting.

End users don't see the option to migrate during setup on an ADE device. Why? The Skip Setup New or Restore skip key is most likely enabled in the ADE configuration assigned to the device. Disable the skip key and re-run Setup Assistant (this requires erasing the device, since Setup Assistant panes only appear during initial setup).

Why is "System & Network" greyed out and labeled "Managed by Administrator"? This is expected on macOS Ventura and later when the destination Mac is enrolled in MDM. Apple intentionally excludes System & Network settings from migration to prevent management conflicts. It ensures the new device keeps its own enrollment and receives a fresh Addigy agent.

Do applications transfer? Yes, applications selected during the migration are copied like any other data. Software, profiles, and settings that Addigy manages are deployed separately by the new device's assigned policy, so there is no need to migrate them.