- A new ‘migration’ feature is found by digging around in the inner function of Windows 11
- It is part of the backup app and allows for a wireless transfer of all your files and settings from an old PC to a new
- The idea is to use nearby sharing, with both PCs nearby and on the same Wi-Fi network
Microsoft is apparently working in a way to make it easier for Windows 11 users to go from an old PC to a new computer that has just been purchased (or built).
This is a ‘migration’ app that is allegedly part of the Windows 11’s existing backup app, and transfers all your files and settings across wirelessly from the old PC to the new one, giving the devices are nearby.
There are a few people credit to spot this via a recent Windows 11 -Preview -Build, as reported by Windows latest, noting that Dongle, an X user, had marked the feature in the submissions below.
Migration App, Build 22635.4945 (UI -Gen Building) with permission from @phantomofearth to discover the feature and @ahmedwalid605 for delivery of decompiles.1/4 pic.twitter.com/xdgrvpdjgdFebruary 17, 2025
DONGLE also circulates regularly leaks the Phantomofearth of X to dig around and uncover the said feature, and also Ahmedwalid605 for the delivery of the decompilator used to reconstruct what this new feature can look like (based on the interfaces found by Phantomofearth in the preview building).
The screens of the migration app in the X-insert are scorned by Dongle (a best guess what it would look like), but the functionality is correct by going by the clues that have been dug up from Windows 11’s internal function.
As noted, the transfer of files is wirelessly, and Dongle guesses that the feature can use nearby division, which is essentially Microsoft’s acquisition of AirDrop, which requires both machines to be on the same Wi-Fi network and near each other.
Analysis: A sound and practical alternative to a cloudy path
Remember that what is presented in this X post is just a mock-up, and then the end version of migration could see (or work) very differently. In fact, because this is just code buried in Windows 11 and not even enabled in the test yet, it is possible that this is a capacity that Microsoft plays with, but maybe even abandoned. In short, don’t get your hopes too much.
In theory, however, the migration function is a healthy idea and connects a gap in the existing functionality that the backup app delivers. Backup already provides a way to transfer your old PC data to a new system, but it is relieved via the cloud (files are uploaded to OneDrive to make the backup, which is then extracted from the cloud and on the new PC at the setup).
The problem is that if you look at a hefty Windows 11 installation and a wealth of files, downloading from the cloud can be sluggish – especially if you do not have a decent internet connection. Or, in fact, you may not have enough sky storage space on OneDrive in the first place.
Obviously there are scenarios where the cloud is a less than ideal solution, so the idea of migration is to facilitate a local transfer that doesn’t need anything apart from both PCs that are next to each other (and to be able to connect to the same local Wi-Fi network). It will be a practical and useful opportunity to have for a few people I could imagine.
As Window latest observes, hope is that migration can also take into account apps from third-party (and not just Microsoft Store apps, as with backup), which would be a really nice addition. Fingers crossed on that front, even though I wouldn’t place any bets.
Of course, there are other options to migrate your stuff from one PC to another other than Microsoft’s official methods included in Windows 11.
