Transfer everything from old computer to new computer with Windows 11
Transfer programs and files to new computer
Transfer files from one computer to another
Transfer Microsoft Office to new computer
Restore programs and files from a broken or dead computer
Transfer directly from an old hard drive
Transfer to new computer using a USB hard drive
Corporate Windows 11 migration
User Profile Migration to new PC / new domain
How To Migrate Local Profiles to Azure AD
Migration to Server 2019 / 2016
Transfer everything from old computer to new computer with Windows 11
Transfer programs and files to new computer
Transfer files from one computer to another
Transfer Microsoft Office to new computer
Restore programs and files from a broken or dead computer
Transfer directly from an old hard drive
Transfer to new computer using a USB hard drive
Corporate Windows 11 migration
User Profile Migration to new PC / new domain
How To Migrate Local Profiles to Azure AD
Migration to Server 2019 / 2016
Transfer programs and files to new computer
Transfer files from one computer to another
Transfer Microsoft Office to new computer
Restore programs and files from a broken or dead computer
Transfer directly from an old hard drive
Transfer to new computer using a USB hard drive
Move To New PC - Compare Options
Migration Kit Pro - Advanced Transfer
Transfer programs and files to new computer
Transfer files from one computer to another
Transfer Microsoft Office to new computer
Restore programs and files from a broken or dead computer
Transfer directly from an old hard drive
Transfer to new computer using a USB hard drive
USMT: How to Use Microsoft’s User State Migration Tool – and Its Limits
USMT (User State Migration Tool) is Microsoft’s command-line tool for migrating user profiles, files and OS settings from one Windows computer to another. It is aimed at IT departments doing volume deployments – and it is powerful, but it has real limits. Here is how it works, and what to use when it is not enough.
How USMT works
- Download USMT as part of the Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (Windows ADK).
- On the old computer, run ScanState to capture the user state (profiles, files, settings) into a migration store, controlled by XML configuration files (MigApp.xml, MigDocs.xml, MigUser.xml).
- On the new computer, run LoadState to apply the captured state.
- Customize the XML files for anything non-standard you need included or excluded.
What USMT does not migrate
- Applications. USMT migrates some application settings – but not the applications themselves. Every program must be reinstalled on the new computer first, with the right version, or its settings are discarded.
- Local printers, drivers and hardware-related settings.
- Passwords for some applications and network shares.
It is also command-line only, with no progress UI, and the XML configuration takes real time to get right. For a handful of machines, that overhead is usually bigger than the migration itself.
The alternative: migrate applications, profiles and files together
To migrate the whole user environment – applications included – use Zinstall Migration Kit Pro. It transfers the applications themselves, along with profiles, settings, personalization and all files – no reinstalls, no XML authoring, no command line.
It handles the scenarios USMT is typically used for: new PC, new Windows version, domain changes – and the ones USMT can’t, like recovering the environment from an old hard drive.
Get Zinstall Migration Kit Pro here
(or contact us for more info and volume discounts).