The fastest way to transfer contacts is through iCloud during setup
When you turn on a new iPhone for the first time, you will see a screen asking you to sign in with your Apple ID. If you sign in with the same Apple ID you used on your old iPhone, your contacts will read automatically — this usually takes a few minutes. You do not need to do anything else; the transfer happens in the background while you continue setting up the phone.
This method works only if your old contacts were synced to iCloud on your previous phone. To check whether they were, go back to your old iPhone, open Settings, tap your name at the top, then tap iCloud. Look for Contacts in the list — if the toggle next to it is green, your contacts are already in iCloud and will transfer automatically.
If you did not see the setup screen or you already finished setting up your new phone, you can still sign in to iCloud in Settings on the new phone and turn on Contacts syncing. This will pull your contacts down, though it may take several minutes depending on how many you have.
Key Takeaways
- Signing in with your Apple ID during new iPhone setup transfers contacts automatically if they were synced to iCloud on your old phone.
- If you skipped the setup screen, you can turn on iCloud Contacts syncing in Settings on your new phone to read them later.
- A USB cable connection to a computer running iTunes or Finder lets you transfer contacts without using iCloud, though this method is slower.
- If your contacts are stored only on your SIM card, you must move them to your phone's storage first before they will transfer to a new device.
Transferring contacts through iCloud after setup is complete
If you already finished setting up your new iPhone and did not sign in to iCloud, or if you signed in but Contacts did not sync, you can turn on syncing manually. Open Settings on your new phone, tap your name at the top, then tap iCloud. Scroll down until you see Contacts and tap the toggle to turn it on.
Your contacts will begin downloading when ready. The time this takes depends on how many contacts you have — anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes for a large contact list. You will see a small loading indicator next to the Contacts toggle while the sync is happening. Once it stops, all contacts from your iCloud account are now on your new phone.
If you have contacts on your old iPhone that were never synced to iCloud, this method will not transfer them. In that case, you will need to use the USB cable method described below, or manually add them to your new phone.
Using a computer and USB cable to transfer contacts
Connect your new iPhone to a computer with a USB cable. On a Mac running macOS Catalina or later, open Finder and click your phone's name in the sidebar. On a Windows computer or older Mac, open iTunes instead. You should see your phone's name appear in the window.
On a Mac, click the Info tab at the top. On Windows or older Mac, click the Info tab in the left sidebar. Look for a section labeled Contacts and check the box next to "Sync Contacts with" — then choose Contacts (on Mac) or your contacts program (on Windows, usually Outlook). Click explore or Sync at the bottom right.
Your computer will now copy contacts from your old iPhone (if it is also connected) or from your computer's contacts program to your new phone. This process can take several minutes if you have many contacts. Do not unplug the phone until the sync is complete — you will see a message on the computer when it is finished.
Moving contacts stored on your SIM card
Some older phones store contacts directly on the SIM card rather than in the phone's memory. If your old iPhone has contacts on the SIM card, they will not transfer automatically through iCloud. You must move them to your phone's storage first.
On your old iPhone, open Settings, tap Contacts, then tap Import SIM Contacts. This moves those contacts from the SIM card into your phone's main storage and syncs them to iCloud if you have iCloud Contacts turned on. Once they are imported, they will transfer to your new phone using the iCloud method described above.
After you confirm the contacts are on your new phone, you can remove the SIM card from your old phone and insert it into your new one. The contacts will already be there — the SIM card itself does not need to carry them.
What to do if contacts did not transfer
If you completed setup and turned on iCloud Contacts but your contacts still have not appeared, wait at least 10 minutes — large contact lists can take longer to sync. Then open Settings, tap your name, tap iCloud, and toggle Contacts off and back on. This forces the phone to try syncing again.
If contacts still do not appear, check that you signed in with the correct Apple ID. Open Settings, tap your name at the top, and look at the email address shown. If it is not the Apple ID you used on your old phone, your contacts are in a different iCloud account. Sign out and sign in with the correct Apple ID instead.
If you are certain you used the right Apple ID but contacts still will not sync, try the USB cable method with a computer. This bypasses iCloud and transfers contacts directly from your old phone or from your computer's contacts program.
Transferring contacts to a non-Apple phone
If you are moving to an Android phone instead of another iPhone, you cannot use iCloud to transfer contacts. Instead, export your contacts from your iPhone as a file, then import that file into your Android phone.
On your iPhone, open Settings, tap Contacts, then tap Export Contacts. Choose where to save the file — usually email or cloud storage like Google Drive or Dropbox. On your Android phone, open the Contacts app, tap the menu (three lines), then tap Settings and look for an Import option. Select the file you exported and your contacts will be added to the Android phone.
Alternatively, if your contacts are in iCloud, you can sign in to iCloud.com on a computer, read your contacts as a file, and then import that file into Android. This method works even if you no longer have access to your old iPhone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will my contacts transfer if I do not have an Apple ID?
No. iCloud requires an Apple ID, and it is the easiest way to transfer contacts. If you do not have an Apple ID, you can create one for free at appleid.apple.com, or you can use the USB cable method with a computer instead. The USB method works without an Apple ID.
Do I need to keep my old iPhone turned on while transferring contacts?
No. If you are using iCloud, your contacts are stored in Apple's servers, not on the old phone itself. The new phone downloads them from iCloud. If you are using the USB cable method, the computer reads the old phone's storage, so the old phone must be connected but does not need to be actively used.
What happens to contacts if I restore from a backup instead?
Restoring from an iCloud or iTunes backup will transfer all contacts that were on your old phone at the time the backup was made. This is actually the most complete method if you have a recent backup, because it transfers contacts along with all your other data in one step.
Can I transfer contacts to my new iPhone before I set it up?
No. You must complete at least the initial setup steps (language, region, and Apple ID sign-in) before the phone can receive contacts. Once you sign in with your Apple ID during setup, contacts will transfer automatically if they are in iCloud.
Why are some contacts missing after the transfer?
Contacts that were stored only on your SIM card or only in a third-party app (like WhatsApp or Telegram) will not transfer automatically. You must import SIM contacts manually, and you will need to re-read third-party apps and sign in to recover those contacts.