The fastest way to transfer everything is iCloud or a wired connection to your old phone

You have three main routes to move your photos, contacts, messages, apps, and settings to a new iPhone: iCloud backup, direct transfer with a cable, or Mac or Windows restore. iCloud works if you have enough storage and a strong wifi connection. Direct transfer is fastest if you have both phones in hand. Mac or Windows restore works if you backed up your old phone to a computer before.

The method you choose depends on what you have available right now. If your old phone still works and you have both devices, direct transfer takes 30 minutes to a few hours. If your old phone is broken or you don't have it, iCloud backup is your only option — but you need to have backed up before the phone stopped working. If you're starting from scratch with no backup, you'll recover what you can from iCloud and manually re-download apps.

Key Takeaways

  • Direct transfer between two iPhones using a cable or wifi is the fastest method and requires both phones to be present and working.
  • iCloud backup restores everything if you backed up your old phone before it stopped working, but requires enough iCloud storage space and a strong wifi connection.
  • If you don't have a backup and your old phone is gone, you can still sign into your Apple ID on the new phone to recover contacts, photos, and app data stored in iCloud.
  • Transferring data does not erase your old phone — you must manually wipe it afterward if you plan to sell or recycle it.

Direct transfer: the fastest method if both phones work

If you have your old iPhone and it still powers on, direct transfer is the quickest route. Place the new phone next to the old one. Turn on the new iPhone and follow the setup screens until you see "Quick Start." On your old phone, you'll see a prompt to set up another iPhone — tap it and hold your old phone over the new one's camera until the animation completes. This pairs the two phones.

After pairing, the new phone asks which Apple ID to use. Enter the same Apple ID you used on the old phone. The new phone then downloads your apps, photos, messages, contacts, and settings directly from the old phone over wifi. This transfer can take 30 minutes to several hours depending on how much data you have. Keep both phones plugged in and close to each other during the process.

If Quick Start doesn't work — for example, if your old phone is too old or damaged — you can use a USB-C to Lightning cable instead. Connect the old phone to the new one with the cable, then follow the same setup prompts. The wired connection is more stable than wifi and often faster for large amounts of data.

iCloud backup: restoring from the cloud if you don't have the old phone

If your old iPhone is lost, broken, or unavailable, iCloud backup is your recovery route — but only if you backed up before the phone stopped working. Turn on the new iPhone and go through setup until you reach "Apps & Data." Choose "Restore from iCloud Backup," then sign in with your Apple ID. Select the most recent backup from your old phone.

The new phone downloads everything from that backup: apps, photos, messages, contacts, calendar events, and settings. This process requires a strong, stable wifi connection and can take several hours if you have a lot of data. Your phone will show a progress bar and may restart during the restore. Don't unplug or disconnect wifi until it finishes.

Before you start, check how much iCloud storage you used. If your backup is larger than your available iCloud storage, the restore will fail partway through. You can buy more iCloud storage (50 GB, 200 GB, or 2 TB monthly plans) before restoring, or delete old backups from other devices to free up space. Go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Manage Storage to see what's taking up room.

Restoring from a Mac or Windows backup

If you backed up your old iPhone to a Mac or Windows computer using Finder (Mac) or iTunes (Windows), you can restore from that backup instead of iCloud. Connect the new iPhone to the same computer with a USB cable. Open Finder on Mac or iTunes on Windows, select your new iPhone, and choose "Restore Backup." Pick the backup file from your old phone and enter the password you set when you created it.

Computer backups are often faster than iCloud because they transfer over a direct cable connection. They also don't count against your iCloud storage limit. However, this method only works if you actually created and saved a backup file before your old phone stopped working.

What to do if you don't have a backup

If your old phone is gone and you never backed it up, you can still recover some data by signing into your Apple ID on the new phone. During setup, enter your Apple ID credentials. The new phone will restore contacts, photos, and app data that were synced to iCloud — but only data that was actively synced, not everything that was on your old phone.

Photos stored in iCloud Photo Library will reappear. Contacts synced to iCloud will return. Messages and notes synced to iCloud will come back. However, photos and messages stored only on your old phone, not in iCloud, are permanently lost. Apps will need to be re-downloaded from the App Store, though your app data (like game progress or login information) may restore if the app developer stored it in iCloud.

To recover as much as possible, go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud on the new phone and turn on every toggle: Photos, Contacts, Mail, Notes, Reminders, and anything else you see. Then open the App Store and go to your profile, tap "Purchased," and re-download the apps you want. This is slower than a full backup restore, but it recovers what survived.

Transferring data from Android to iPhone

If you're switching from an Android phone, the process is different. During iPhone setup, you'll see an option to "Move Data from Android." Tap it and follow the prompts to download the Move to iOS app on your Android phone. Both phones connect to the same wifi network, and data transfers over that connection.

Move to iOS transfers contacts, calendar events, photos, videos, text messages, mail accounts, and some app data. It does not transfer apps themselves — you'll need to re-download them from the App Store. The transfer can take 30 minutes to several hours. Keep both phones on wifi and plugged in until it finishes.

Erasing your old phone after transfer

Transferring data to your new iPhone does not erase the old phone. Your old device still contains all your photos, messages, and personal information. If you plan to sell, trade in, or recycle the old phone, you must erase it manually to protect your privacy.

On the old iPhone, go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset > Erase All Content and Settings. Enter your Apple ID password and device passcode if prompted. The phone will erase completely and restart to the setup screen. This process takes 10 to 30 minutes depending on how much data is on the phone. Don't interrupt it or turn off the phone during the erase.

If your old phone won't turn on or is too damaged to erase, you can remotely erase it using Find My iPhone on another device or at iCloud.com. Sign in with your Apple ID, select the old phone from the device list, and choose "Erase iPhone." This erases the phone remotely even if you don't have it in hand.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I transfer data if my old iPhone won't turn on?

If the phone won't power on at all, you cannot use direct transfer or restore from the phone itself. Your only option is iCloud backup if you backed up before it stopped working. If you never backed up, you can only recover data that was synced to iCloud — contacts, photos in iCloud Photo Library, and notes. Everything else is lost.

How long does transferring data take?

Direct transfer between two iPhones usually takes 30 minutes to a few hours depending on how much data you have. iCloud restore takes longer — often several hours for large backups — because it depends on your internet speed. Computer backups are usually faster than iCloud because they use a direct cable connection.

Will transferring data use up my iCloud storage?

No. Restoring from an iCloud backup does not use additional storage — it downloads data that's already stored in iCloud. However, if your backup is larger than your available iCloud storage space, the restore will fail. You may need to buy more storage or delete old backups before you can restore.

What if the transfer gets interrupted halfway through?

If wifi drops or the phone loses power during transfer, the process stops. Start over from the beginning — don't try to resume. Make sure both phones are plugged in and close to the wifi router before you try again. If direct transfer keeps failing, try using a USB cable instead, or restore from iCloud backup.

Can I transfer data to an iPhone I already set up?

Yes, but you'll need to erase the new phone first and start setup over. Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset > Erase All Content and Settings, then power on and begin setup again. Choose your transfer method at the "Apps & Data" screen. You cannot transfer data to a phone that's already been set up and is in use.