A new PC or laptop should feel like a fresh start — not a weekend lost to copying photos, hunting for old emails, and trying to remember which folder your tax returns were in. Whether you've just unboxed a new Windows 11 machine or you're moving from an ageing laptop that's finally on its last legs, getting your files across safely is the bit that matters most.
This Edinburgh guide walks through every realistic way to transfer files from an old PC to a new one, in the order we'd recommend. We do new-laptop migrations every week for customers across Edinburgh — from Leith and Morningside through to Musselburgh, Dalkeith and Penicuik — so the methods below are the ones we trust day to day.
1. Before You Start: Make a Backup
Before plugging in cables or signing into anything, take a backup of the old PC. If something goes wrong mid-transfer, a backup is the difference between an inconvenience and a disaster. An external USB drive plus File History on Windows is usually enough — our step-by-step PC backup guide covers it in detail.
Also take a moment to write down anything that isn't a file: Wi-Fi passwords, software licence keys, browser bookmarks, email account settings, and any apps you'll need to reinstall. Files are easy. Settings and credentials are what catch people out.
2. Method One: OneDrive (Easiest for Most People)
If you only need to move documents, photos and desktop files, OneDrive is the simplest option — and it's already built into Windows 10 and 11. Sign into OneDrive on the old PC, switch on backup for your Desktop, Documents and Pictures folders, and let it upload. Then sign into the same Microsoft account on the new PC and the files reappear automatically.
Pros: nothing to plug in, no cables, and it doubles as a backup. Cons: the basic OneDrive tier only includes 5 GB — if your photo library is large, you'll need a Microsoft 365 plan or an alternative method below.
Edinburgh tip: on a fibre connection (Openreach FTTP, CityFibre, Virgin) the upload speed is usually fine. On older copper-only ADSL connections in parts of the Lothians, uploading 100 GB+ over the internet can take days — method 3 will be faster.
3. Method Two: External Hard Drive or USB Stick
The classic approach, and still one of the most reliable. Copy your C:\Users\YourName folder to an external drive, then plug that drive into the new PC and copy it across.
- USB 3.0 or USB-C drives transfer at 80–200 MB/s — a 500 GB transfer takes around 1–2 hours.
- Don't forget the hidden folders: AppData contains browser profiles, email accounts, and saved game data, but be selective — copying it whole onto a new Windows install can cause problems.
- Once the new PC is set up, keep the external drive as your backup. Don't wipe it for at least a few weeks.
If your old drive is failing or the PC won't boot, this method still works — but you'll need a USB-to-SATA caddy or our data recovery service to pull files off the drive directly.
4. Method Three: Windows Backup & Restore (Microsoft Account)
Windows 11 has a much-improved Windows Backup app that ties into your Microsoft account. On the old PC, open Settings → Accounts → Windows Backup, switch on folder sync, app remembering, and settings. When you sign into the same account on the new PC during setup, Windows offers to restore everything — including a list of installed apps from the Microsoft Store, your wallpaper, and most preferences.
It won't move desktop apps installed from outside the Store (Steam, Adobe, Office, etc.), but it gets you 70–80% of the way there with no manual copying. Combine it with method 2 for the files it misses.
5. Method Four: Network Transfer (PC to PC on the Same Wi-Fi)
If both machines are on at the same time, you can transfer directly over your home network without an external drive. The fastest tools we use:
- Windows file sharing — share a folder on the old PC, map it on the new PC, copy across. Works fine but fiddly to set up.
- Resilio Sync or Syncthing — open-source peer-to-peer apps that sync folders directly between the two machines at LAN speed.
- Nearby Sharing — built into Windows 11 for quick one-off file transfers.
Wired Ethernet between the two PCs is dramatically faster than Wi-Fi for big transfers — 1 Gbit/s wired moves at around 110 MB/s, against 30–60 MB/s on a typical home Wi-Fi 6 link.
6. Method Five: Clone the Old Drive (For a Full Migration)
If you want an identical copy of your entire old system — programs, files, settings, the lot — cloning the old drive to a new SSD and fitting it in the new machine is the most thorough route. It's only sensible when both machines have similar hardware (e.g. moving from one laptop to another of the same brand), because Windows can struggle with major hardware differences.
For most "old laptop to brand-new laptop" jobs, method 2 + method 3 is faster and cleaner than cloning.
7. Don't Forget Emails, Browsers & Apps
Files are the easy part. The bits people forget:
- Outlook .pst files — export from old Outlook, import on new. Default location: Documents\Outlook Files.
- Browser bookmarks & passwords — sign into Chrome / Edge / Firefox with the same account on the new PC and they sync automatically.
- Authenticator apps — export from your old phone or PC before wiping. Locking yourself out of 2FA is a much bigger problem than losing a few documents. See our 2FA setup guide.
- Saved Wi-Fi passwords — on the old PC, run netsh wlan show profile name="YourWiFi" key=clear in Command Prompt to retrieve them.
8. Wipe the Old PC Before Selling or Recycling
Once everything is on the new PC and you've used it for a couple of weeks, wipe the old machine before passing it on. Deleting files isn't enough — our guide on securely wiping a hard drive before selling your PC walks through the proper way to do it.
How We Can Help
If you'd rather not spend a weekend on this, we offer a complete new PC migration service across Edinburgh and the Lothians. We'll collect both machines (or do it on-site at your home or office), transfer files, emails, browser profiles, app settings and licence keys, set up backups on the new machine, and securely wipe the old one if you're selling it. Most migrations are turned around in a single day.
Whether you're in central Edinburgh, Stockbridge, Corstorphine, Murrayfield, or further out in Livingston, Dalkeith or Musselburgh, we can help. Book online or get in touch and we'll talk through the best method for your specific setup.