Q&A > What to do if things go wrong
Don’t worry. We’re here to solve some of the most common Mac migration problems
Why won’t the TV app recognize any of my downloaded shows?
You may need to re–download them. In the TV app, click on Account > Family Purchases and you’ll see a list of the shows and movies you’ve bought. You might also find that you’ve fallen foul of Apple’s authorization limits, which limit your purchases to five computers. You can authorize your new Mac in the TV app with Accounts > Authorize This Computer. Remember to de–authorize your old one.
Two–factor authentication won’t let me in…
Two–factor authentication (2FA) supplements the usual password with an extra layer of security, usually in the form of a code sent to another device or generated in an authenticator app. The first and simplest thing to do is to make sure that it has the right number: if you’ve made a typo in your phone number then any two-factor authentication messages will be going to the wrong number. If the 2FA process isn’t accepting your details, try resetting your password. If that doesn’t work or isn’t possible, you’ll need to go through Apple’s account recovery process at iforgot.apple.com. You can file an account recovery request for a Google account at accounts.google.com.
If your problem is specific to Google Authenticator on an Android device, you may have fallen foul of a weird bug: in the app, go
into the app’s options and tap More > Settings > Time Correction for Codes > Sync Now.
I can’t find my software’s serial number…
Some apps require you to enter a serial number or license key in order to activate them, and such numbers are incredibly easy to lose. Check your email to see if it’s included in your purchase confirmation first. If not, you’ll need to contact the app’s developer and ask them to resend your information.
Where has my Music gone?
Your music should be in the same place as it was on your old Mac: Macintosh HD/users/ [your user name]/music. If your library dates back to the iTunes days it’ll then be in an iTunes subfolder; if you got on board after iTunes became Music it’ll be in a subfolder called music/media. Remember that Apple Music is a cloud–based service, so your Mac won’t transfer any songs that weren’t on your hard disk or SSD.
My emails are missing…
If you use a cloud–based email service in Mail you may need to synchronize it or re–authorize it before your messages appear. To sync, right– click or Opt–click its inbox in Mail and choose Synchronize Google (or whatever service you’re using). If you’re manually migrating you’ll need to export your downloaded messages from your old Mac and manually import them into Mail.
Help me — I’ve forgotten my password!
You can change your iCloud password from your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch in Settings > Your Name > Password & Security > Change Password. If you have access to another Mac you can do it in Apple > System Preferences > Apple ID. If you can’t do either, download the Apple Support app on a friend or family member’s iPhone, iPad or iPod touch and you can choose Passwords & Security > Reset Apple ID password > Get Started > A different Apple ID. If they’re running iOS 9 to 12, you can do the same thing in Find My Phone.