What happened to Windows Easy Transfer in Windows 8.1? You launched the tool and found that the options to transfer items to a new PC using the transfer cable, network, and external hard drive are nowhere to be found. The only option available is to transfer items from another PC running Windows 8, Windows RT, or Windows 7. This is because Microsoft is removing this feature in Windows 8.1.
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How to uninstall Windows 10 and go back to Windows 8.1
Something similar happened with Windows 7's Backup and Restore tool. Microsoft simply renamed the feature to Windows 7 File History in Windows 8, suggesting that the backup tool in the new operating system was primarily intended for recovery purposes and the feature was surely removed in Windows 8.1. Now, users who want to create and restore a system image backup can resort to a PowerShell command-line tool.
The same thing happens with Windows Easy Transfer and there is a clear reason for that. This transfer tool was able to back up user accounts, documents, music, emails, pictures and videos. Items that can now be transferred with ease by using SkyDrive in combination with other services and tools such as Xbox Music to back up your music collection and File History to keep files always backed up and up to date.
If you go to Start and search for "Transfer," the actual tool is there, but you'll only find a stripped-down version of the migration utility that's only good for migrating data, not moving files and settings from Windows 8.1 to another PC. This is one of many examples that show how Microsoft is moving forward, dropping various features and adding new ones that are fit for the 21st century.
