Set Up a New Mac or PC

Whether migrating from an old machine or starting fresh — password manager, backup, security baseline, and transferring your dotfiles and apps.

Before You Migrate

• On the old machine, run all pending OS updates — Migration Assistant works best when both machines are on the same or recent OS versions
• Mac: create a complete Time Machine backup to an external drive immediately before migration
• PC: run a full system image backup with Windows Backup or Macrium Reflect Free to an external drive
• Export your browser bookmarks to an HTML file as an insurance policy

Migration or Fresh Install

• Mac: use Migration Assistant (Applications > Utilities) to transfer from Time Machine — select only what you need; skip large media libraries if you use iCloud or Google Photos
• PC: sign in with your Microsoft account to restore OneDrive files and Microsoft Store apps automatically
• For a clean install, start with your password manager (1Password, Bitwarden) before installing anything else — you'll need passwords for everything
• Install Homebrew (Mac) or winget (PC) for package management — install CLI tools in bulk rather than downloading installers one by one

Security Baseline

• Enable FileVault (Mac) or BitLocker (PC) full-disk encryption — required for any machine that stores sensitive data
• Set the screen lock to activate after 5 minutes of inactivity
• Turn on the firewall: System Settings > Network > Firewall (Mac) or Windows Security > Firewall & network protection

Backups

• Install Backblaze (backblaze.com) on day one — $9/month for unlimited continuous cloud backup; set it and forget it
• Connect a Time Machine drive for local backup (Mac) or configure Windows Backup to an external drive
• Confirm both local and cloud backup are running within 24 hours of setup

Dotfiles & Dev Setup

• Restore your shell profile (.zshrc or .bashrc), aliases, and git config from a dotfiles repo on GitHub if you maintain one
• Re-authenticate SSH keys: generate a new ed25519 key pair and add the public key to GitHub, GitLab, and any servers
• Install your IDE (VS Code, JetBrains) and sync settings via Settings Sync or a JetBrains account
• Transfer your hosts file (/etc/hosts on Mac/Linux, C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts on PC) if you use custom local domains