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Apple Migration Assistant is not officially supported for JumpCloud-managed Mac computers. Transferring applications, system settings, and other files duplicates the JumpCloud agent and MDM profiles, which causes the new Mac to enter a failed state. We recommend using a cloud backup solution or manually copying user data to new Mac computers instead.
If your environment requires using Migration Assistant, follow the best practices in this article to restrict the transfer to user data only and prevent breaking your JumpCloud enrollment.
Understanding Migration Assistant Best Practices
If you must use Migration Assistant to transfer data from an old Mac to a new one, you must restrict the migration to user data only.
When you reach the selection screen in the Migration Assistant wizard, you must:
- Select the user account data (the home directory).
- Clear the checkbox for Applications.
- Clear the checkbox for Other Files & Folders.
- Clear the checkbox for System & Network.
Troubleshooting Migration Issues
If you accidentally migrate system settings or applications, the new Mac will inherit the old device's JumpCloud Agent and MDM ID.
Symptoms of a failed migration include:
- The JumpCloud Agent no longer starts or synchronizes.
- The new Mac becomes active under the old Mac’s record in the Admin Portal.
- The new Mac shows as inactive (red) or behaves erratically.
- Policies or commands fail to apply, or commands run on the new Mac affect the old Mac.
Resolution: To resolve this, you must completely remove the JumpCloud configuration from the new device and re-enroll it.
- Delete the new Mac’s record from the JumpCloud Admin Portal.
- Manually uninstall the JumpCloud Agent and remove the MDM configuration profile from the new Mac.
- Re-enroll the device. See Re-Enroll Mac Computers into JumpCloud MDM to learn more.
FAQ
No. Apple recently introduced Managed Migration Assistant for macOS to allow MDM solutions to define and restrict what data can be transferred during Setup Assistant. JumpCloud does not currently support this feature. See Apple’s Managed Migration Assistant for macOS to learn more.
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