Use a wired connection to migrate your Mac.

Yes, Migration Assistant is the best way, but do it over a wired connection for speed. Wi-Fi works, but it’s slow — especially if you have years of photos, music, and apps on an old Intel Mac.

The fastest method is to connect both Macs with a Thunderbolt cable (USB-C to USB-C, or with an adapter) or an Ethernet cable via a USB-C adapter. Start the migration during initial setup on your new Air. If you already set it up, you can use Migration Assistant afterwards — just make sure both machines are on the same network or wired.

Don’t bother with Target Disk Mode on the new Silicon Macs — it’s not supported the same way. Time Machine backup is also fine, but it’s slower than a direct cable and adds an extra step.

A few hours of wired transfer beats a full day of Wi-Fi.