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MigrationMerlin
What it is
MigrationMerlin is a free Windows tool for moving user state between PCs, aimed at sysadmins and power users. It wraps Microsoft’s User State Migration Tool, including scanstate.exe and loadstate.exe, and provides an arrow-key-driven text interface plus numbered batch wrappers. Both source and destination computers must run Windows 10 or Windows 11, have administrator privileges and share a network where SMB port 445 is open. The toolkit can configure an SMB transfer share on the destination and add a firewall rule. IncludeUsers and ExcludeUsers options let users select profiles, while ExtraData can include taskbar pins, Wi-Fi profiles, power plans and configured migration rules for browsers, developer tools, SSH, Git and VSCode. Optional settings can limit share access to a source user and scope the firewall rule to a source IP address. The tool displays progress, file counts and throughput during capture and restore, and writes transcript logs with credentials masked. Migration stores can be encrypted with AES-256, but the README says a lost key cannot be recovered. The project describes itself as a rolling release and publishes ZIP artifacts through GitHub Releases.
For and against
For
- Free, MIT-licensed software for Windows 10 and 11.
- Users can select profiles to migrate.
- Can include taskbar pins and Wi-Fi profiles.
- Logs mask credentials.
Against
- Both PCs require administrator privileges.
- Both PCs need a shared network with SMB port 445 open.
- A lost AES-256 encryption key has no recovery path.
The verdict
MigrationMerlin provides a selectable, network-based migration workflow with progress information and masked logs. Its Windows, administrator and SMB requirements, along with the unrecoverable encryption-key limitation, are key conditions to weigh before use.
Who it suits
MigrationMerlin is aimed at Windows sysadmins and power users moving selected profiles and settings between PCs. It requires administrator access on both machines and a shared network with SMB port 445 open.
Plans and prices
MigrationMerlin
MIT-licensed software · Windows 10/11 · Administrator privileges on both PCs · Both PCs must share a network with SMB port 445 open
Read 5 Oct 2026 · github.com
On the record
- Access controls
- Optional settings can restrict share access to a source user and scope the firewall rule to a source IP address.github.com · read 5 Oct 2026
- Distribution
- The project describes itself as a rolling release and says downloadable ZIP artifacts are attached to GitHub releases.github.com · read 5 Oct 2026
- Downloads
- The project publishes downloadable ZIP artifacts on GitHub Releases as rolling releases.github.com · read 5 Oct 2026
- Encryption
- It can encrypt the migration store with AES-256, and the README says there is no recovery path if the encryption key is lost.github.com · read 5 Oct 2026
- Extra data
- An ExtraData option can include taskbar pins, Wi-Fi profiles, power plans, and items covered by the custom migration XML configuration.github.com · read 5 Oct 2026
- Interface
- It provides an interactive, arrow-key-driven TUI and numbered batch wrappers for a step-by-step migration.github.com · read 5 Oct 2026
- License
- The repository links to an MIT license.github.com · read 5 Oct 2026
- Logging
- The toolkit writes transcript logs to the migration folder's Logs directory and masks credentials in those logs.github.com · read 5 Oct 2026
- Maker
- The linked GitHub profile identifies the maker as Mariana, username supermarsx.github.com · read 5 Oct 2026
- Migration engine
- It wraps Microsoft's User State Migration Tool, including scanstate.exe and loadstate.exe.github.com · read 5 Oct 2026
- Migration extras
- Its ExtraData option can include taskbar pins, Wi-Fi profiles, power plans, and configured rules for browsers, developer tools, SSH, Git, and VSCode.github.com · read 5 Oct 2026
- Profile selection
- IncludeUsers and ExcludeUsers options let users choose which profiles to migrate.github.com · read 5 Oct 2026
- Progress and logs
- It displays live progress, file counts, and throughput during capture and restore, and writes transcript logs with credential masking to the migration folder's Logs directory.github.com · read 5 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- MigrationMerlin is a PC-to-PC user-state migration tool for Windows sysadmins and power users.github.com · read 5 Oct 2026
- Requirements
- Both PCs need administrator privileges and must be reachable on the same network with SMB port 445 open between them.github.com · read 5 Oct 2026
- Support and testing
- The repository documents a Pester v5 test suite with an expected baseline of 645 passed, 0 failed, and 2 environment-gated skipped tests.github.com · read 5 Oct 2026
- Supported Windows versions
- The source and destination PCs must run Windows 10 or Windows 11.github.com · read 5 Oct 2026
- Testing
- The README describes a Pester v5 test suite with about 645 tests and an expected baseline of 645 passed, 0 failed, and 2 skipped.github.com · read 5 Oct 2026
