User State Migration Tool 4.0 User's Guide
Applies To: Windows 7
Windows® User State Migration Tool (USMT) 4.0 is a scriptable command-line tool that provides a highly-customizable user-profile migration experience for IT professionals. USMT includes two components, ScanState and LoadState, and a set of modifiable .xml files: MigApp.xml, MigUser.xml, and MigDocs.xml. In addition, you can create custom .xml files to support your migration needs. You can also create a Config.xml file to specify files or settings to exclude from the migration.
Note
For the latest updates to this documentation, as well as USMT 4.0 white papers, go to this Microsoft Web site.
USMT 4.0 provides the following benefits to businesses that are deploying Windows® operating systems:
Safely migrates user accounts, operating system and application settings.
Lowers the cost of deploying Windows® by preserving user state
Reduces end-user downtime required to customize desktops and find missing files
Reduces help-desk calls
Reduces the time needed for the user to become familiar with the new operating system
Increases employee satisfaction with the migration experience.
USMT is intended for administrators who are performing large-scale automated deployments. If you are only migrating the user states of a few computers, you can use Windows Easy Transfer for computers running Windows Vista® or Windows® 7.
There are some scenarios in which the use of USMT 4.0 is not recommended. These include:
Migrations that require end-user interaction.
Migrations that require customization on a machine-by-machine basis.
For syntax and command-line options, see USMT Components.
For information about what has changed in this version of USMT, see What's New in USMT 4.0.
For answers to common questions, see Frequently Asked Questions.
For information about customizing the USMT .xml files, see Customize USMT XML Files.
For instructions on how to change the default migration behavior, see Using USMT.
For more information about the USMT-specific XML elements, see USMT 4.0 XML Reference.