Move your hosts to another Mac

Export your hosts, groups, proxies and Remote Desktop entries to a file, and import that file on another Mac.

Steps

  1. On the first Mac, choose File ▸ Export Hosts… and save the file.
  2. Copy the file to the other Mac (AirDrop, a USB stick, a cloud folder).
  3. On the other Mac, choose File ▸ Import Hosts… and pick the file.
  4. AirSCP says how many hosts it imported.
The sidebar after importing: hosts in their groups

Tips

  • Passwords are not in the file: they stay in the first Mac’s Keychain. AirSCP asks for them when you connect.
  • Key files in your home folder are saved as ~/…, so they work when the other Mac has the same keys in the same place. Copy your keys yourself; AirSCP never puts private keys in the export.
  • Importing a file again updates the hosts it imported before, instead of adding copies.
  • A host’s extra ssh settings can run a program on your Mac when it connects (ProxyCommand, LocalCommand). When a file has such settings, AirSCP lists them and asks first: Leave Them Out imports the hosts without them. Keep them only if you trust whoever made the file.