PCTwinWhat moves
The things you use,
on the new laptop.
Here is what the first release of PCTwin will move, between Windows, Mac, Linux and Chromebook, in any direction. Your old laptop is only read, never changed.
Any laptop. Any direction.
Windows, Mac, Linux and Chromebook, from any one to any other.
Every pair works. Moves with a Chromebook move less, because Google limits what any app can reach on a Chromebook.
- Full move
- Files, apps and settings, as described on this page.
- Files + help
- Your files come across. PCTwin then guides you through the rest, like signing in to Google or finding web and Android versions of your apps.
| Windows | Mac | Linux | Chromebook | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Windows | Full move | Full move | Full move | Files + help |
| Mac | Full move | Full move | Full move | Files + help |
| Linux | Full move | Full move | Full move | Files + help |
| Chromebook | Files + help | Files + help | Files + help | Files + help |
On Linux, support starts with Ubuntu and Fedora, with more versions to follow. Both laptops need to be on the same Wi-Fi. Free for personal moves.
Copied.
Your files arrive exactly as they were, in the matching folders.
PCTwin copies each file to the new laptop, then checks that the copy is identical to the original on the old laptop. Any part of a file that arrives damaged is sent again. If a file still does not match, it is set aside and named in the report. It is never counted as copied.
What you do: Nothing.
- Documents
- Photos
- Music
- Videos
- Desktop files
- Downloads
- Files on a second drive
- Saved email
- Game saves
- Fonts
Installed fresh.
Your apps arrive as clean new installs, not copies.
PCTwin downloads each app from its official source, checks it, and installs it on the new laptop. Then PCTwin opens each app once to check it starts. Your app settings come along where the app allows, and bookmarks come across through the browser's own sync or import. Licences cannot be copied, so some apps ask you to sign in again or enter their product key, the code that unlocks a paid app.
What you do: Sign in or enter a product key when an app asks. PCTwin lists which ones.
- Web browsers
- Bookmarks
- Chat and video-call apps
- Office apps
- Music and media players
- Coding tools
Converted.
Your settings are set up again in the new system's own way.
Some settings work differently on each system. PCTwin reads them on the old laptop and sets the same choice on the new one, where the new system has it. Before anything moves, PCTwin shows you the plan: a list of everything it will move. You can untick anything on it, these settings included.
What you do: Check the plan before the move starts.
- Dark or light mode
- Wallpaper
- Keyboard layout
- Mouse speed
- Text and app size
- Default browser
- Wi-Fi networks
Needs you.
A few things only you can finish, and PCTwin tells you which.
Some things only you can finish, like passkeys (sign-ins that use your fingerprint, face or PIN instead of a password) and authenticator apps (apps that give you sign-in codes). PCTwin lists each one, in order, with the next step.
What you do: Follow the checklist, in order. Some steps happen on the old laptop first.
- Signing in to your apps
- Licence and product keys
- Passkeys
- Authenticator apps
- Passwords
- Parental controls
Stays behind.
Some things are better left on the old laptop, which PCTwin never changes.
The new laptop keeps its own drivers, the small programs that run its hardware, because old ones can cause crashes on different hardware. Temporary files and caches are skipped. Data your employer or school manages, like a OneDrive folder run by your workplace, is left out by default, and the reason is shown. Anything you untick in the plan stays too. The report lists what stayed behind, and why.
What you do: Nothing, unless you want to leave more out.
- The old laptop's drivers
- Temporary files and caches
- Work or school data
- Anything you untick
The list will grow.
This is what the first release moves. As PCTwin gets better, the list will keep growing, toward moving everything you have.
Never behind a payment.
PCTwin is free for personal use. Whatever we add later, these stay free for your personal moves.
- Unlimited moves.
- Every pair of systems: Windows, Mac, Linux and Chromebooks.
- Apps installed fresh from official sources.
- Smart, which lets you say what you want in your own words, where your laptop can run it.
- Getting your files off an old laptop that will not start, by connecting its drive.
- Undo, which reverses what PCTwin changed on the new laptop and keeps any edits you made since.
- Moves over a cable or an external drive, coming in a later release.
Plans can change. If they do, we will update this page and say what changed.