A home office is two moves at once: equipment that is easy to break and information that is hard to replace. Treat the files and the work first, then the screens and the furniture. When the office is also your income, give it its own day.
Protect the information first
Back up your files to an external drive and to cloud storage before anything is unplugged. Keep the external drive with you, not on the truck.
Carry original documents, such as tax returns, passports, birth certificates, deeds and signed contracts, in a document box in your own car.
Photograph and label every cable
Before unplugging, take a photo of the back of each computer, router and monitor. Label cables with tape and a marker, or color-code them. A bag of cables labeled with the device name saves an afternoon of guessing.
Keep the original boxes if you have them, because foam inserts fit the gear exactly. If not, use a padded carton the size of the device.
Computers, monitors and printers
Wrap monitors in a moving pad or bubble wrap and pack them upright in a snug carton, with the screen facing a rigid wall. Never lay a flat panel face down under other items.
Printers travel without ink or toner cartridges, which can leak. Tape the lids shut and wrap the cord around the base.
- Laptops: carry them yourself.
- Hard drives: wrap in a towel and carry them yourself.
- Desktop towers: remove loose cards and pack upright.
Paper, files and supplies
Paper is heavy, so use small cartons. Hanging file folders can stay in a file drawer if the drawer is solid. Otherwise, pack the folders in a box built for letter-size files.
For business records you do not need often, see business records storage basics. The Library of Congress shares guidance on handling paper that applies to valuable documents.
Desks, chairs and shelving
Remove drawers and tape them shut, or wrap them in a pad. Large desks usually come apart at the legs, and a bag of screws taped to the underside keeps the hardware together.
Move your office last. Moving an employer's equipment is a different job; for that, see the office relocation checklist. For the rest of the house, follow packing room by room.