How to Transfer to a Windows on ARM laptop

If you’re moving to a new laptop that uses an ARM processor and a Windows operating system, you’ve probably encountered a problem. You want to move all your files, settings, and programs safely and quickly from your old Windows computer but don’t know how or where to even start. Don’t worry, we’re here to help.

Examples of Windows on ARM devices include Microsoft Surface Pro X, Lenovo Yoga 5G, Lenovo Flex 5G, Lenovo IdeaPad 5G (and 4G LTE), HP Elite Folio, Acer Spin 7, Acer Chromebook Spin 513, Samsung Galaxy Book S, Samsung Galaxy Book Go, Samsung Galaxy Book2, Asus NovaGo, and Huawei Matebook E (2019). More are expected to come as the push for ARM gains traction.

There are two methods to transfer to a Windows on ARM (WoA) laptop – manual and automatic.

The manual method may require more time and effort on your part and you’ll have to be extra careful not to miss anything. On the other hand, the method that uses automatic software is faster, easier, and will transfer everything from your old computer. This tutorial explains in detail both these methods.

We will cover both in this guide, although if you prefer to just skip to the easier, automatic option, you can click here for automatic transfer to a new Windows on ARM laptop.

Manual transfer to a Windows on ARM laptop

If you decide to carry out the transfer manually, you’re going to need extra time, focus, and resources to get it done. If this isn’t something you believe you can pull off, then just skip this part and move on to the instructions for the click automatic transfer here.

However, if you still think you can do it manually, then here’s what you need to do:

Prepare an external hard drive or cloud storage (like OneDrive, GoogleDrive, or Dropbox) with enough space for all your files.
Copy all the relevant folders and files to your external hard drive or cloud storage.
On your new ARM-based Windows laptop, plug in the external drive or open your cloud storage.
Copy all the files and folders from the external drive or cloud storage into their proper places on the new PC.

Now that the files are there, you will need to manually reinstall and reconfigure all of your apps, accounts and personalization.

This part will take a while.

Although this method is free, there might still be hidden costs in the form of cloud storage or an external hard drive with enough space.

You will also spend quite some time browsing your PC to find all the data you need to move and making sure you’re moving everything where it’s supposed to be.

On top of that, the manual method might not migrate everything you need, such as apps, emails, user profiles, passwords, and the like.

Fortunately, there is a better way.

How to Transfer to Windows on ARM – Automatically

Let’s see how to transfer all programs, settings and files from an regular Windows PC, to your new ARM-based Windows laptop – completely automatically.

This is done using an automatic transfer software, called Zinstall WinWin. It transfers not just files, but also profiles, personalization, settings, accounts, and your programs, too!

You can use it to transfer to Surface Pro X, Lenovo Yoga 5G, Lenovo Flex 5G, HP Elite Folio, Acer Spin 7, Samsung Galaxy Book S, or Samsung Galaxy Book Go, or any other ARM laptop.

Unlike the manual method, it won’t require several hours of your time, does not require external storage, and does not require hours of painstaking work and attention.

Here is how the transfer is done:

Download and run Zinstall WinWin on your current computer (the one you are transferring from).
Note: You can get Zinstall WinWin here.
Download and run Zinstall WinWin on the new ARM computer
1. You don’t need to do any configurations for the computers to connect – it’s automatic
2. If the computers are already connect to same router, same Internet connection, or same wireless connection, you don’t need anything else
3. If the computers are not connected at all, connect them with a network / Ethernet cable
If you’d like to select which applications and files you want to transfer, press the Advanced menu. If you just want to transfer everything, you don’t need to go to the Advanced menu.
Press “Go” on the new computer to start the transfer

And there you have it. With the help of Zinstall WinWin, your new ARM laptop now has everything from your old PC, be it documents, music, photos, emails, user profiles, accounts, passwords, bookmarks, settings, personalization options, programs, and other custom files.

Ready to transfer programs and files to a Windows on ARM computer?

Get Zinstall WinWin here!

How to Transfer to a Windows on ARM laptop

Manual transfer to a Windows on ARM laptop

How to Transfer to Windows on ARM – Automatically

Video tutorial – how to transfer apps and files to Windows on ARM