Where is Windows Easy Transfer in Windows 10?
Q In Issue 486 Nigel Collins wrote to Problems Solved to ask why Windows Easy Transfer (WET) hadn’t transferred his software. You pointed out that WET isn’t designed to do that, preserving only personal files and folders. As I’ve been considering switching from my Windows 7 PC to a new Windows 10 laptop, I had a play with WET. It seemed simple enough on my Windows 7 PC, but when I attempted the same on a friend’s Windows 10 computer neither of us could find it. Is it hidden? Or is there another way to get my stuff over to Windows 10? Anthony Ford A
WET has been discontinued, making its last appearance in Windows 8.1 — so it’s simply not to be found in Windows 10. We don’t know why Microsoft did this because, while limited in scope, WET made simple work of transferring important stuff from one computer to another.
Perhaps pre-empting a backlash against the removal of WET, Microsoft struck a deal with a company called Laplink that allowed Windows 10 users to download a free copy of a migration tool called Pcmover Express ( www.snipca.com/21981). However, even though Microsoft’s support pages suggest this is still the case, the freebie arrangement has actually expired — and Pcmover Express now costs £10.95.
But there’s no need to pay in your case, as it’s possible to copy WET’S program files from your Windows 7 PC to your new Windows 10 machine. On your Windows 7 PC, press Windows key+e to fire up Windows Explorer and then use this to navigate to the C:\windows\System32 folder. In this folder you’ll find a sub-folder called ‘migwiz’ (short for ‘migration wizard’): copy this whole folder to a USB stick or external drive.
Now switch to your Windows 10 PC, then press Windows key+e to launch File Explorer (which is the new name for Windows Explorer). Copy the ‘migwiz’ folder into C:\windows\system32. Now double-click to open the new ‘migwiz’ folder on your hard drive and then double-click ‘migwiz.exe’ to launch WET (see screenshot).
A caveat is that the 32bit version of migwiz.exe will work only in the 32bit version of Windows 10, and much the same for the 64bit version. So, if you have a 64bit Windows 7, then migwiz.exe will work in the 64bit edition of Windows 10.