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How to transfer data from

your old phone to your
new iPhone
By JOSEPH KELLER and CHRISTINE CHAN
Last updated 11 Feb 2021

Source: Christine Romero-Chan / iMore

Now that the best iPhone lineup is here

with the iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12,
iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max,
you may have a shiny new iPhone in
your hands. However, you want to
transfer the data that you had on your
previous iPhone to your new one — but
how do you go about that? There are a
few different ways that you can
accomplish this, whether you want to
just use iCloud or go through a
hardwired connection with your Mac or
PC. Here are the best ways to transfer
data to a new iPhone.

Products used in this guide

Sync over USB-C: Apple Lightning-

to-USB-C cable

Transfer data to new iPhone:

Using Automatic Setup with
your iPhone

1. Select your language on your new

iPhone or iPad with your new and
current devices nearby.
2. Tap Continue on your iPhone or
iPad on the popup that appears
asking you to set up your new
iPhone or iPad with your Apple ID.

Source: iMore

3. Use your current iPhone or iPad to

scan the image that appears on
your new iPhone or iPad.
4. Enter your current iPhone or iPad's
passcode on your new iPhone or
iPad.
5. Set up Touch ID or Face ID on your
new iPhone.

Source: iMore

6. Choose whether or not to restore

your new iPhone or iPad from your
most recent compatible backup — if
that option presents itself.
7. Choose to restore your new device
from an iCloud or iTunes backup, set
up as a new iPhone or iPad, or
transfer data from an Android
device.

Source: iMore

8. Agree to the terms and conditions.

9. Tap Continue under Express
Settings to use the settings for Siri,
Find My iPhone, Location, and usage
analytics that were transferred over
from your current iPhone and iPad.

Source: iMore

10. Complete the setup process for

your new iPhone or iPad as you
normally would.

Transfer data to new iPhone:

How to use iCloud backups
and restoring

1. Open Settings on your old iPhone.

2. Tap the Apple ID banner
banner.
3. Tap iCloud
iCloud.

Source: iMore

4. Tap iCloud Backup

Backup.
5. Tap Back Up Now
Now.

Source: iore

6. Turn your old iPhone off once the

backup is finished.
7. Remove the SIM card from your old
iPhone or if you're going to move it
to your new one.

Wait for the backup to complete before

proceeding.

You can now set aside your old iPhone.

Make sure that your new iPhone is off
when you start these next steps.

1. Insert your old SIM card into your

new iPhone if you want to move it
between devices.
2. Turn on your new iPhone
iPhone.
3. Slide up or press the Home button
depending on which device you're
setting up.
4. Follow the directions to choose your
language and set up your Wi-Fi
network.
5. Tap Restore from iCloud backup
backup.
6. Sign in to your iCloud account
(This is your Apple ID).
7. Tap Next
Next.
8. Tap Agree
Agree.
9. Tap Agree again.
10. Choose the backup you just made.

Transfer data to new iPhone:

How to transfer your data to
your new iPhone on macOS
Catalina and newer

1. Plug your old iPhone into your Mac

running macOS Catalina.
2. Click on the Finder icon in the Dock
to open a new Finder window.
3. Click on your iPhone under
Locations
Locations.

Source: iMore

4. Click Trust if you're asked to trust

your iPhone.
5. Click the checkbox for Encrypt
Local Backup
Backup.
6. Create a password if this is your
first time setting up encrypted
backups.
7. Click on Back Up Now
Now.

Source: iMore

8. Skip Backup Apps

Apps, if asked. (They'll
likely re-download anyway.)
9. Unplug your old iPhone when done.
10. Turn off your old iPhone
iPhone.
11. Take your SIM card out of your old
iPhone
iPhone. (If you don't have a new or
separate SIM card for your new
phone.)

Wait for the backup to complete before

proceeding.

1. Put your SIM card into your new

iPhone
iPhone. (If it didn't come with a new
or different SIM card.)
2. Turn on your new iPhone
iPhone.
3. Plug your new iPhone into your
Mac.
4. Slide to set up on your iPhone
iPhone.
5. Follow the directions to choose your
language and set up your Wi-Fi
network.
6. Select Restore from Mac or PC
PC.
7. Click your new iPhone under
Locations in the Finder window.
8. In Finder on your Mac, click the
button next to Restore from this
backup
backup.

Source: iMore

9. Choose your recent backup from

the drop-down list.
10. Click Continue
Continue.

Source: iMore

11. Enter your password and click

Restore if your backup was
encrypted and the Finder asks.

Source: iMore

Transfer data to new iPhone:

How to transfer your data to
your new iPhone using macOS
Mojave and older

1. Make sure you're running the most

recent version of iTunes.
2. Plug your old iPhone into your Mac
or Windows PC.
3. Launch iTunes
iTunes.
4. Click on the iPhone icon in the
menu bar when it appears.
5. Click on Encrypt Backup
Backup; you'll be
asked to add a password if this is
your first time encrypting a backup.

Source: iMore

6. Click on Back Up Now

Now.

Source: iMore

7. Skip Backup Apps

Apps, if asked. (They'll
likely re-download anyway.)
8. Unplug your old iPhone when done.
9. Turn off your old iPhone
iPhone.
10. Take your SIM card out of your old
iPhone
iPhone. (If you don't have a new or
separate SIM card for your new
phone.)

Wait for the backup to complete before

proceeding.

1. Put your SIM card into your new

iPhone
iPhone. (If it didn't come with a new
or different SIM card.)
2. Turn on your new iPhone
iPhone.
3. Plug your new iPhone into your Mac
or Windows PC.
4. Slide to set up on your iPhone
iPhone.
5. Follow the directions to choose your
language and set up your Wi-Fi
network.
6. Select Restore from iTunes
backup
backup.
7. On iTunes on your Mac or Windows
PC, select Restore from this
backup
backup.
8. Choose your recent backup from
the list.

Source: iMore

9. Click Continue
Continue.
10. Enter your password if your backup
was encrypted and it asks.

Source: iMore

Keep your iPhone plugged into iTunes

until the transfer is complete, and on
Wi-Fi until all re-downloads are
complete. Depending on how much data
you have to re-download, including
music and apps, it might take a while.

Get your new iPhone

Of course, to transfer data to your new

iPhone, you're going to need a new
iPhone first.

Mainstream flagship

Source: Apple

iPhone 12
Apple's latest mainstream flagship
iPhone, the iPhone 12 comes is
powered by the brand new A14
system-on-a-chip and features a
beautiful new design, camera
upgrades, and much more.

€913 View at Currys PC

World IE
€913 View at Currys PC
World IE
€913.85 View at
Komplett.ie

Apple's latest flagship smartphone

features a new OLED display, and new,
flat-sided design in a variety of
beautiful colors, and Apple's most
powerful chip yet. Night Mode is now on
every one of the iPhone's cameras, and
you can now shoot video in Dolby
Vision HDR. It's one of the best iPhones
you can get right now. If you want it in a
smaller form factor, then check out the
iPhone 12 mini. If you need a telephoto
lens, make sure to take a look at the
iPhone 12 Pro or iPhone 12 Pro Max for
the absolute best camera system.

Budget friendly

Source: Apple

iPhone SE (2020)
The iPhone for people who love
a good Home button.

The low-cost iPhone SE is hard to

pass up at that price, especially
considering it has the fastest
processor of any smartphone on
the market, except, of course, the
iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro.

€408 View at Buy it

Direct
€409 View at Buy it
Direct
€489 View at
Komplett.ie

The iPhone SE is a great entry-model

iPhone for those just waiting to dip
their toes into the Apple ecosystem.
Come on in, the water's fine. At this
price, you could even buy two.

Additional Equipment

If you want to transfer data to your new

iPhone using a Mac with USB-C or
Thunderbolt 3 ports, you should go
ahead and pick up a USB-C-to-
Lightning cable.

Apple Lighting-to-
USB-C cable (From
$19 at Amazon)
Apple includes a
Lightning-to-USB-A
cable with your iPhone,
but you'll want this if you
have a Mac with USB-
C/Thunderbolt 3.

Anker Powerline II
Lighting-to-USB-C
cable ($13 at Amazon)
This is a great alternative
to Apple's official cable.
Anker's Powerline II now
comes in a USB-C-to-
Lightning option.

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using our links. Learn more.

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The newest iPhone on the
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Joseph Keller
Joseph Keller is a senior writer at iMore.
An Apple user for more than a decade and
a half, he spends his time learning the ins
and outs of iOS and macOS, always
finding ways of getting the most out of
his iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

Christine Chan
Lover of coffee, Disney, food, video games,
writing, and photography. I've been writing
about Apple and video games for almost
a decade. If I'm not writing, you can
probably find me over at Disneyland. Don't
forget to follow me on Twitter and
Instagram as @christyxcore.

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