New Phone or Laptop? The Setup Checklist Before You Toss the Old One

A new device should feel like an upgrade, not a weekend of lost passwords and missing photos. Do these in order.

Before you start

• Back up the old device first (see our backup guide).
• Know your main passwords, especially your Apple ID or Google account, and your email. If you use a password manager, make sure you can log into it.
• Charge both devices and connect to Wi-Fi.

Moving your stuff over

• iPhone to iPhone: set the phones next to each other and follow the Quick Start prompts on the new one.
• Android to Android: sign in with the same Google account during setup and choose to copy data from your old phone.
• Switching between iPhone and Android: both Apple and Google have free apps for moving over. Search "switch to iPhone" or "switch to Android" on the old phone.
• Mac to Mac: use Migration Assistant during setup.
• Windows PC to Windows PC: sign in with the same Microsoft account and restore from Windows Backup, then reinstall your apps.

Before you trust it

1. Turn on a screen lock: a passcode plus Face ID, a fingerprint or Windows Hello.
2. Turn on two-step verification for your Apple ID or Google account, and your email.
3. Install updates right away. New devices often need one out of the box.
4. Turn on Find My (iPhone and Mac) or Find My Device (Android). On Windows, search for Find my device in Settings.
5. Set up backups on the new device before you forget.

Before you sell or give away the old one

1. Make sure everything is on the new device, especially photos, texts and two-factor authenticator apps. Authenticator codes don't always move automatically.
2. Sign out of your accounts: on an iPhone or Mac, sign out of your Apple ID so Activation Lock is off.
3. Erase it completely:
   • iPhone: Settings → General → Transfer or Reset iPhone → Erase All Content and Settings
   • Android: Settings, search for Factory reset
   • Mac: System Settings → General → Transfer or Reset → Erase All Content and Settings
   • Windows: Settings, search for Reset this PC and choose Remove everything
4. Remove the SIM card if it has one, and any memory card.

Want it done right?

Holiday setups are some of our favorite jobs. We'll move everything over, lock it down, set up backups and wipe the old one, and you won't lose a single photo.