Transferring files to a new laptop: 4 ways

Written on 17 September 2026

You have bought a new laptop and then the question: how do I get everything from my old PC over here? The answer depends mainly on how much there is and whether you already work in the cloud.

In this article I set four ways side by side, with, per method, when it is the best choice. You also read what does not move along, because that is the mistake most people only discover afterwards.

What comes along and what does not?

Your files and folders come along: documents, photos, videos, downloads and everything you have saved yourself. That is the part this article is about.

Programs do not come along. Software writes itself into the system and into the registry, and a copied folder does not work on the new laptop. Count on reinstalling everything.

Settings sit in between. If you sign in on the new Windows PC with the same Microsoft account, some of your preferences come along. Browser bookmarks and passwords move if you are signed in to your browser with the same profile.

How do you prepare the transfer?

First look at how much there is. Open File Explorer, go to This PC and see how much space is in use. Usually the largest part is Windows itself and your personal folders are smaller than you think.

Then tidy up. Files you no longer need do not have to be transferred, and that saves time when copying.

Collect your licence keys and make sure you know which accounts you sign in with. That is the part people forget, and after emptying the old laptop it is too late.

Transferring via an external hard drive

This is the method that always works, regardless of how much there is or how slow your internet is. You connect a storage device, copy the files to it and then back again.

1. Connect the external drive to the old PC.
2. Copy the folders Documents, Pictures, Videos, Music and Downloads to it.
3. Wait until the copying really is finished before you disconnect the drive.
4. Connect the drive to the new laptop and copy the files back.

The advantage that is often forgotten: you are left with a backup. Leave the copy on the drive until you are sure everything has come across properly.

Transferring via OneDrive or Google Drive

If you already work with cloud storage, there is hardly any work to it. You sign in on the new laptop with the same account and your files appear.

OneDrive is built into Windows 11 and synchronises your Documents and Pictures folders by default. Google Drive does the same with its own program.

Watch out for two things. Check on the old PC that the synchronisation really is complete, and bear in mind that your free storage is limited. Tens of gigabytes of video rarely fit without a subscription.

Transferring over the network

If both laptops are on the same wifi network, you can copy directly from laptop to laptop. You share a folder on the old PC and reach it from the new one through Network in File Explorer.

This works well for a few gigabytes. With large amounts wifi is the bottleneck, and then you are finished faster with a drive.

If you are stuck because the laptops do not see each other, check whether network discovery is on and whether both are on the same network profile.

Transferring with a USB stick

For documents and a few folders a USB stick is the simplest solution. Put it on, walk it over, take it off.

The limitation is the storage and the speed. A complete photo library or a video archive takes hours on a stick, where an external drive does it in minutes.

Which method suits you?

In practice most people combine two methods: the cloud for documents they use daily, and an external drive for the archive.

What do you do with the old laptop?

First check that everything is on the new refurbished laptop and opens. Only when you are sure of that do you empty the old one.

Then reset it to factory settings with the option to clean the drive, so no personal files are left behind. How that works is in resetting a laptop to factory settings.

After that you can keep it as a spare, trade it in or have it recycled.

Checklist: what does almost everyone forget?

Everyone thinks of the big folders. It is the small things that only stand out once the old laptop is already empty.

• Your browser bookmarks, if you do not synchronise with an account
• Saved passwords from your browser or password manager
• Email that sits locally in Outlook instead of on the server
• Licence keys for paid software
• The downloads folder, which often holds more than you think
• Settings of programs you have adjusted over the years
• Files on your desktop, which fall outside Documents

Email deserves extra attention. If you work with IMAP or with a webmail service, everything sits on the server and comes along by itself as soon as you sign in.

If you use POP3 or an old Outlook file, your archive only sits locally in a pst file. You have to copy that separately, because no transfer method picks it up automatically.

In brief

An external hard drive is the most reliable way to transfer all files to a new laptop, and you are immediately left with a backup. If you already work with OneDrive or Google Drive, signing in on the new PC is enough. Over the network or with a USB stick is possible too, but those are slow as soon as it is more than a few gigabytes. Programs never move along, so collect your licences before you empty the old laptop, and only wipe it once you are sure everything has come across.

Why refurbished at DSL Tech?

Every laptop at DSL Tech is checked on more than 30 points and comes with a 2-year warranty. Customers rate us 9.0 on average, you pay securely by iDEAL or in three instalments with in3, and order before 12:00 and your laptop arrives tomorrow.

This article is part of our complete guide buying a refurbished laptop, with grades, warranty, the right specs and the brands set out side by side.

Sources

• Microsoft Support: transferring files from an old to a new PC
• Microsoft Support: saving and sharing files with OneDrive
• Microsoft Support: managing files in Office and OneDrive