Microsoft has quietly retired one of the more practical features it added to Windows 11 in recent years: the local PC-to-PC transfer tool. If you’ve ever set up a new machine by connecting two computers to the same network and moving files directly between them, you may be about to lose that option.
In an updated support document, Microsoft now states that the PC-to-PC migration feature is no longer available and directs users toward Windows Backup, which relies on OneDrive to sync your files. That’s a meaningful shift, because the local tool never touched the cloud at all.
What actually changed
According to the revised Microsoft support page on transferring files and settings to a new Windows PC, the company confirms that “PC-to-PC Migration is no longer available,” adding that the feature had been introduced through a phased rollout.
The support page, first spotted by Windows Latest, now recommends the Windows Backup app as the path forward. That app works by finding backups linked to your Microsoft account and restoring your settings, while your files sync through OneDrive. In short, the local, network-only option has been replaced by a cloud-dependent one.
For anyone who remembers the Windows 7-era Easy Transfer tool, this feels like a step backward. That older utility let you move data without ever uploading it to a remote server, and the PC-to-PC transfer tool built on the same idea.
How the PC-to-PC transfer tool worked
Windows Latest first tested the feature in July 2025, when it began appearing alongside monthly cumulative updates. The tool lives inside the Windows Backup app, so if you had access to it and opened that app, you were given a choice between the local transfer option and the OneDrive-based one.
Getting started mirrored the old Easy Transfer workflow. You clicked “Transfer information to a new PC,” then paired the two machines using a one-time code. Once connected, you could choose which files and folders to move.
Unlike a blanket copy, the tool let you customize what went over. If your new PC had less storage, you could deselect the Downloads folder and proceed with the rest.
During testing, the tool moved not just documents, photos, and videos, but also settings such as wallpaper and theme—all locally, without anything being uploaded to OneDrive. Microsoft’s own description noted that the experience was designed to bring “all your files, settings, and preferences intact” to a new machine, with the “same Wi-Fi or LAN network” listed as a requirement.
What the tool couldn’t do
The local transfer had real limitations. You could not move saved passwords, sign-in credentials, or installed applications. Those had to be restored or reinstalled separately on the new PC. Microsoft also clarified that the tool did not bring anything from OneDrive, so cloud files would need to be signed into separately.
Here’s how the two approaches compare:
- How files move: The PC-to-PC transfer tool moves data directly over Wi-Fi or LAN, while the OneDrive-backed Windows Backup pushes files through cloud sync.
- Storage cap: The local tool had no cloud limit—your new PC just needed enough free space. The OneDrive approach is bounded by your plan, which offers 5GB free.
- Windows settings: Both restore supported settings, though the local tool moved them directly while the cloud option restores them from your backup.
- Installed apps: Neither moves installed apps. The local tool transfers nothing, while the cloud option restores app pins but still requires you to reinstall the programs.
- Microsoft account: Both require a signed-in Microsoft account, though the local tool needed it only on the destination PC.
Why the OneDrive approach matters to you
The practical difference comes down to storage. With the local tool, your transfer size was limited only by the space on your new machine. With Windows Backup’s OneDrive method, every synced file counts against your quota. On a free account, that’s just 5GB, and only files you’ve already synced can be restored this way.
That cap can bite for users with large photo libraries, video projects, or collections that don’t fit in a few gigabytes. It also means your migration now depends on an internet connection strong enough to upload and download everything, which wasn’t the case with a purely local transfer.
What this means for you
If you’ve been relying on the local PC-to-PC transfer tool, it may already be gone from your Windows Backup app, depending on when your build received the change. Even if it’s still there today, Microsoft’s direction is clear: the company wants you to use OneDrive-backed Windows Backup as the standard path for moving between PCs.
For most users with modest file sizes, the switch is unlikely to cause problems. But if you move large amounts of data or prefer to keep everything off the cloud, losing the local option is a genuine loss of control over where your files travel.
What to do about it
Before you upgrade to a new PC or lean on Windows Backup, check your current Windows Backup app to see whether the local transfer option still appears. If it does, use it while you can, especially for large transfers that would strain a 5GB OneDrive quota.
Otherwise, plan around the cloud approach: make sure your files are synced to OneDrive first, confirm you have enough storage space, and be ready to reinstall apps and re-enter credentials on your new machine. Microsoft’s updated support page remains the authoritative reference for the current recommended workflow.
Source: Windows Latest
Build details:
- 23H2
- 24H2
Over to you: Will you keep using the local PC-to-PC transfer tool while it still exists, or are you fine moving everything through OneDrive?
