Moving from a personal laptop to a work laptop
Do not copy files and hope. Step by step, using the cloud as a moving truck.
support/starten-en-groeien/overstappen-van-prive-naar-zakelijk-laptopsteps: 5
Try this first
- Put your work files in OneDrive or Drive on the old laptop first. Wait until everything is uploaded before moving anything. Cloud icon with check is done, cloud icon with arrow is in progress.
- On the new laptop sign in with your work account. Files come back automatically, but in "files on demand" mode, fully available only when opened.
- Browser bookmarks and passwords via the password manager to the new machine, not via an exported CSV sitting in your downloads folder.
- Reinstalling software is a good moment for a cleanup. Not everything from the old laptop deserves a reinstall.
- Wipe personal data before giving away or selling the old laptop. Full factory reset, not just delete. Encrypted disks (BitLocker, FileVault) make that wipe effective; otherwise the data is recoverable.
When to bring us in
If you suspect customer data lived on the old laptop, do not sell it directly. A proper wipe, and in the extreme case physical destruction of the drive, is not paranoia.
See also
- First IT setup as a freelancer, what do you actually needNot everything at once. One laptop, a mailbox on your own domain, a password manager, a backup. That covers the first year.
- Hiring your first employee, what IT to arrange before day oneLaptop, account, mailbox, access to the right folders. In that order, not all of it at 9 a.m. on day one.
- Moving to a new office, IT checklistInternet and power have the longest lead times. Plan at least three months out, not three weeks.
None of the above fits?
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