Can a Windows PC Person Become a Mac Person, and Vice Versa?

Switching platforms may not be the shock to your computing psyche you think, but there is a learning curve

Edward C. Baig,

AARP

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Published September 09, 2025

a gif of a macbook next to a windows laptop with a cursor going between the two

Paul Spella (Getty Images, 2; Shutterstock)

Editors invite AARP members and readers to submit pressing personal technology questions they’d like me to tackle in my Tech Guru column, including issues around devices, security, social media and how all the puzzle pieces fit together. This week, I’m addressing PC and Mac users who are thinking about defecting.

I’ve been using a Windows PC for years but am now flirting with the idea of switching to a Mac. Is it hard to do?

Coke and Pepsi, the Hatfields and the McCoys, Ali vs. Frazier: The personal-computing equivalent of an iconic rivalry has long pitted Apple’s Macintosh against Microsoft’s Windows.

For years, any swagger Microsoft exhibited came down to Windows’ market-share PC dominance: still just under 70 percent worldwide as of August 2025, according to Dublin-based Statcounter GlobalStats, versus 4.8 percent for the Mac.

Apple countered by trumpeting the Mac’s popularity to the cool kids and creative community, punctuated in the late 2000s by its famous “Mac Guy vs. PC Guy” TV commercials.

Why you might switch

If the Mac-Windows rivalry isn’t perhaps the Cold War conflict it was before attention shifted to smartphones — more recently, it’s been iOS versus Android — each side still claims loyal customers who are loath to defect.

But Windows users who also have iPhones and/or iPads, respectively, may be more open to switching allegiances nowadays, and the popularity of Apple’s handset and tablet may have something to do with it; familiarity inside Apple’s sphere may suggest a willingness to give the Mac a try.

At the same time, some Mac users may consider moving to Windows for business or job reasons, or because a program they need to use works only on a PC.

Budget could be another factor: Windows PCs tend to be less expensive than Macs. What’s more, since many PC manufacturers produce Windows machines, you have more choices. Apple is the sole maker of the Mac.

An adjustment period

To be sure, there’s a learning curve and some disruption in switching sides, especially if you have a lot of files you want to move over. Plus, the adage that old habits die hard rings true here.

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If you’ve mastered keyboard combinations or what are called “hot key shortcuts” on one platform, you may find it frustrating that they don’t work the same on the other. A right-click on Windows is a Control-click on Mac, for instance.

A colleague and longtime PC user says that one of the strangest things to get used to is seeing the time and date in different places: PC in the lower corner, Mac in the upper right.

Meanwhile, if you’re accustomed to using a Windows laptop with a touchscreen, you won’t find an equivalent on a Mac. Instead, as a Mac user, you may spend more time with touch gestures on a mouse or keypad.

What’s similar?

All that said, the rival operating systems have much in common. For starters, whether you’re on a PC or a Mac, you’re probably spending an inordinate amount of time online. Navigating the web doesn’t differ much on a PC or a Mac. The most popular web browser, Google Chrome, has versions that work on both platforms, meaning you can access the same bookmarks, web history and tools.

Firefox, Microsoft Edge and other browsers also work on both, though Apple no longer supports the outdated Safari browser in Windows. Proceed at your own risk if you are somehow still using Safari for Windows circa 2012, which doesn’t adhere to modern web standards.

Email’s the same across platforms. Windows and Macs also both make nice with all the most common file types, for documents, photos, videos and music. Both will almost certainly work with your printer, mouse and other peripherals. You can engage in artificial intelligence or AI tools on Macs and Windows, too.

Choosing hardware often comes down to personal preference. Do you like the display and keyboard? What about the computer's appearance? Macs typically get strong grades on style, though some Windows machines are catching up on elegance.

The software side is also in the eye of the beholder and may depend on which computing platform you grew up on. Apple often gets the nod when it comes to polish and pizzazz; historically, Windows has had the edge for people who love playing games.

Switching from Mac to Windows

A major part of switching is lifting documents, pictures and other files from one platform to the other, and as I mentioned, many if not most of those files are compatible in both places. Hopefully you have already backed up files in the cloud and/or an external storage device.

From the cloud. This is the easiest method for moving files. With files stored on a cloud service, just sign in with your account credentials and download them onto the new computer.

This is the usual procedure with the likes of Apple’s iCloud, Dropbox and Microsoft OneDrive. For instance, you can fetch a version of OneDrive from the App Store on the Mac, upload your files there, and then on the Windows PC access them by signing in with a Microsoft account, similar to other cloud services.

Keep in mind that if you’re moving a lot of files, downloading them from the internet will take time, so make sure you have a decent internet connection.

Manual transfers. This may take a bit more work. Connect an external drive to the Mac, typically with a USB cable. If required, also connect the drive to a power outlet.

If you haven’t already done so, copy files on your Mac to that external drive. Make sure the drive you’re using is compatible with both Macs and Windows and has ample capacity for all the files you want to migrate.

If you’re using an old drive, you may have to format it — and apologies, since this can get technical — to what’s called an Extended File Allocation Table (exFAT) file system. From the Mac side, launch a built-in program called Disk Utility; if this prospect wigs you out, reach out to a tech-savvy friend. Be aware that formatting an older drive will erase any files currently on it.

Once formatted, you can drag files onto that drive so they’re available when you connect the storage device to the new Windows computer, again with a fast USB cable.

Switching from Windows to Mac

Steps for switching the other way are similar. You can copy files onto a compatible external drive, or download files stored in the cloud.

But Apple also has a tool called Migration Assistant that’s designed to transfer documents, apps, user accounts and settings to the Mac from another computer.

To access it, click on the Apple menu in the upper left corner of a Mac, then System Settings | General |Transfer or Reset | Open Migration Assistant | Continue. As you follow the onscreen instructions, you’ll eventually come to the From a Windows PC option, which you’ll want to choose.

Both the Mac and Windows should be connected to the same internet network. You will have to download a version of the Migration Assistant app on the Windows machine and verify a passcode on that computer that is displayed on the Mac.

Bonus tip: Run Windows on a Mac “virtually”

Some Apple users want to stick with the Mac but occasionally run Windows files as well for their jobs or other purposes.

Products such as Parallels from Alludo and VMware Fusion from Broadcom let you do this by creating what the tech community refers to as “virtual machines.” Windows programs in effect share resources with the Mac and sometimes blend into the Mac environment. But you can also make it look like the Mac is a stand-alone Windows PC.

You can switch operating systems on the same computer without having to reboot the machine.

Parallels starts at around $65 for a one-year subscription, with business or pro versions that increase the price. VMware Fusion has a free version. Neither is for the technological faint of heart.

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Edward C. Baig covers technology and other consumer topics. He previously worked for USA Today, BusinessWeek, U.S. News & World Report and Fortune, and is author of Macs for Dummies and coauthor of iPhone for Dummies and iPad for Dummies. Follow him on LinkedIn; Threads; and X, formerly known as Twitter.