How to Move Your Apps to a New Mac Without Rebuying What You Already Own

A new Mac is exciting for about an hour. Then the first app asks for a license key you can't find, another says it is already activated on two computers, and a third pops up a warning that support is ending for Intel-based apps.

This fall, a lot of people are hitting all three at once. macOS 27 Golden Gate only runs on Apple silicon, so Intel Mac owners who want current macOS need new hardware. And Apple has said macOS 27 is the last release with general Rosetta support, so the old Intel-only apps you carried from Mac to Mac are running out of road.

This guide is for anyone moving to a new Mac who wants their apps to just work, without paying twice for software they already own or panic-buying replacements in the first week.

Quick Takeaway

• Before you move: list your apps, find the Intel-only ones, and collect license keys and account logins while the old Mac still works.
• Deactivate on the old Mac first for apps with activation limits (Adobe is the common example). Uninstalling is not the same as deactivating.
• Use Migration Assistant for files, settings and most apps, then reinstall Mac App Store apps from your account page when you want a clean copy.
• Check what macOS now does for free before reinstalling a paid utility.
• Replace Intel-only apps on a schedule, not in a rush. They still run under Rosetta on macOS 27, which gives you time to compare options and wait for a sale.
• Track the apps you still need to buy and let Apps.Deals tell you when one goes on sale.

Why Moving Apps Is Harder Than Moving Files

Files are easy. Migration Assistant copies documents, apps, user accounts and settings from your old Mac, a Time Machine backup or even a Windows PC, according to Apple's Migration Assistant guide. For many people that is the whole job.

Apps are where it gets messy, because Mac software is sold in at least four different ways:

1. Mac App Store apps are tied to your Apple Account. You can redownload them for free on any Mac signed in with that account.
2. Direct-purchase apps usually come with a license key, often in an old email or a vendor account. Some count activations and need you to free a slot.
3. Subscription apps (Adobe, Microsoft 365 and many smaller tools) depend on signing in, and some limit how many computers can be active at once.
4. Bundles like Setapp depend on your plan. Setapp's pricing page lists a Mac plan for one Mac and a Power User plan for up to four, so a second Mac may need a plan change.

Migration Assistant copies the app, but it can't always copy the right to use it. That is why a moved app sometimes opens in trial mode or asks you to sign in again.

Step 1: Take Inventory Before You Touch the New Mac

Do this on the old Mac while everything still works.

List what you actually use. Open the Applications folder in list view and sort by Date Last Opened. Anything you have not opened in a year is a candidate to leave behind. A new Mac is the cheapest clean-up you will ever get.

Find the Intel-only apps. Apple's page on using Intel-based apps on Apple silicon gives two ways:

• Select an app in Finder and press Command-I. Under Kind, "Application (Intel)" means Intel-only, while "Universal" or "Apple silicon" means native.
• On macOS 27, open System Settings > General > About and click Details next to Intel-based Apps for a list of recently used ones.

If you already run macOS 26.4 or later on an Apple silicon Mac, you may have seen the "support is ending for Intel-based apps" notification. Apple's developer announcement explains it: macOS 27 is the final release with general Rosetta support, and from macOS 28 Intel-only apps will stop running on Apple silicon Macs, apart from certain older games.

Collect license keys. Search your email for each direct-purchase app's name plus "license" or "registration". Check the app's About or Registration window too; many show the key or the email it was registered to. Save them in a password manager or one secure note.

Write the list down. A simple table works:

This table does most of the work. Everything after this is just following it.

Step 2: Free Up Activations on the Old Mac

Some apps count how many computers are using them. If you move first and deactivate later, the new Mac may refuse to activate, and the old one might already be wiped.

Adobe is the clearest example. Its guide to switching computers explains that you sign out of the apps on the old computer, and that uninstalling an app or formatting the computer does not deactivate it. If you forget, Adobe lets you sign out of other computers when you sign in on the new one, but it is easier to do it first.

For other paid apps:

• Look for Deactivate, Release license or Sign out in the app's menu or settings.
• Check the vendor account page for a list of activated devices.
• If you can't find anything, the app probably doesn't count activations. Note it and move on.

Step 3: Migrate, Then Reinstall Selectively

Run Migration Assistant during setup, or later from Applications > Utilities. Apple notes that the two Macs don't need to be on the same macOS version, and that it doesn't delete anything from the old Mac.

You have two reasonable approaches:

• Move everything. Fastest, and right for most people. Clean up afterwards using your inventory list.
• Move files and settings, reinstall apps fresh. Slower, but you end up with only the apps you chose, in their latest versions. Good when the old Mac has years of leftovers.

For the second approach, Mac App Store apps are easy. Apple's guide to viewing and redownloading apps shows how: open the App Store, click your name, and redownload anything you've bought, at no extra cost. If an app is missing, check Hidden Purchases on the same account page.

For direct-purchase apps, download the current version from the developer's site rather than copying an old installer, then enter the key you saved in Step 1.

Step 4: Check What macOS Now Does for Free

Every new macOS release absorbs a few jobs that used to need a paid utility. Before reinstalling one, check whether the built-in feature is enough:

• Clipboard history: since macOS Tahoe, Spotlight keeps a clipboard history. It is basic, but light users may not need a separate manager.
• Window tiling: macOS has had built-in window tiling and keyboard shortcuts since Sequoia.
• Passwords: the Passwords app handles logins, passkeys and verification codes, and flags weak or compromised passwords.

This isn't a reason to drop a tool you rely on. A dedicated clipboard manager or window manager still does far more. It is a reason to ask whether you'd buy the app again today, rather than reinstalling it out of habit.

Step 5: Replace Intel-Only Apps Without Rushing

Intel-only apps still run on macOS 27 through Rosetta. That gives you a window to replace them calmly rather than all at once.

For each Intel-only app on your list:

1. Check for an update. Many apps went native years ago, and you just have an old copy. The developer's site will tell you.
2. Check for a paid upgrade. Some vendors moved Apple silicon support into a new major version. Look for upgrade pricing before paying full price.
3. Look for a maintained alternative if the app is abandoned. Note two or three candidates and what you'd pay.
4. Set a deadline. You don't need to act until you plan to install macOS 28, so there is no reason to pay full price this week.

That last point matters for your budget. A replacement you need by next year is exactly the kind of purchase worth timing.

A Practical Mac Workflow With Apps.Deals

Once your inventory is done, you'll usually have a short "need to buy" list: one or two replacements for Intel-only apps, maybe a tool you've been putting off. This is where Apps.Deals helps.

Apps.Deals lists premium Mac apps that go free or on discount, with current deals, past deals, an RSS feed, a newsletter and a seasonal Black Friday page. Here is how to use it with your list:

1. Add a "Buy" column to the inventory table with the app you've chosen and its normal price.
2. Search Apps.Deals for each app or category to see whether it has been discounted before. Past deals show which developers run sales.
3. Subscribe to the newsletter or RSS feed so new deals reach you instead of you checking every day.
4. Buy when a deal matches an item on the list. If the deadline arrives first, buy at full price and move on. The list exists to make the decision easy, not to make you wait forever.
5. Ignore deals that aren't on the list. A new Mac makes everything feel like an opportunity. Most of it isn't.

When you don't need Apps.Deals: if every app you use is on the Mac App Store or already licensed, and nothing is Intel-only, you can migrate and get on with your day. The tool is for the gap between what you own and what you still need.

Worked Example: A Freelance Designer Moving From an Intel MacBook Pro

Take Priya, a hypothetical freelancer, moving from a 2019 Intel MacBook Pro to an Apple silicon MacBook Air. Her inventory shows 41 apps.

• 14 haven't been opened in over a year. She drops them.
• She signs out of Adobe apps on the old Mac before migrating.
• Two apps are Intel-only. One has a free native update she'd never installed. The other is an old font utility whose developer stopped updating it.
• She finds she rarely used her paid clipboard manager beyond the last few copies, so she tries Spotlight's built-in history first.
• The font utility goes on her "Buy" list with two candidates. She subscribes to the Apps.Deals newsletter and gives herself a deadline of next spring.

Total spent on migration day: nothing. One planned purchase, timed for a deal or the deadline.

Worked Example: A Developer Moving Between Two Apple Silicon Macs

Now take Sam, a hypothetical developer, moving from an M1 Mac mini to a new M-series MacBook Pro and keeping the mini as a build machine.

• Most of Sam's apps are Universal, so the Intel check finds nothing important.
• The real issue is licenses. Sam's Setapp plan covers one Mac, so they compare the cost of moving to the Power User plan with the apps they actually use on both machines.
• Two direct-purchase apps allow two activations each, so nothing needs deactivating.
• Sam skips reinstalling a paid window manager on the build machine, since built-in tiling is enough there.

The point is that "moving to a new Mac" is different for everyone. The inventory tells you which problems you actually have.

Final Verdict

Moving to a new Mac is mostly a paperwork problem. Migration Assistant handles the files; you handle the licenses, activations and Intel-only apps.

Make an inventory, deactivate before you move, reinstall only what you'd buy again, and give Intel-only apps a deadline instead of a panic purchase. With macOS 27 as the last release with general Rosetta support, that deadline is real, but it isn't this week.

Catch these apps on sale: many paid Mac apps, including the utilities and creative tools people replace when they upgrade, run discounts at least once a year, most often around Black Friday. Subscribe to the Apps.Deals newsletter to hear when the deals arrive.

Note: macOS features, Rosetta timelines and plan details are current as of October 2026. Check each vendor's site for its current licensing terms.

Disclosure: Apps.Deals is made by Softal, the company behind this blog. This post also contains an affiliate link; if you buy through it, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.