How to transfer photos to new iPhone [Full Guide]

If you have a new iPhone and want to transfer photos from your old iPhone to the new one, then this guide will show you how to transfer your photo library to the new iPhone.

With the advancement of technology, iPhone has made it easier for you to take high-quality photos without the need of an expensive camera. However, as you upgrade to a new iPhone, it can be a challenge to transfer cherished photos from your old iPhone to the new iPhone.

You can transfer photos from an old iPhone to a new iPhone using iCloud, iTunes and Airdrop.

While Apple has made the process of transferring data between devices seamless, transferring photos to the new iPhone can still be a daunting task for those who are not tech-savvy or are new to the Apple ecosystem.

In this case, it's critical to understand the various methods for transferring photos to a new iPhone. Whether you want to transfer all photos to your new iPhone using a wired connection or wirelessly, there are multiple options to suit your preferences. This article will outline the different methods available and guide you on how to transfer photos to your new iPhone.

But whether you want to transfer photos from old iPhone to new iPhone or transfer photos to new iPhone from computer, choosing iPhone Data Transfer can make the process hassle-free and easy, allowing you to transfer photos between iPhones or between iPhones and computers.

Table of Contents

• How to transfer photos from old iPhone to new iPhone
• How to transfer all photos to new iPhone
• How to transfer photos from PC to new iPhone
• How to import photos to a new iPhone

How to transfer photos from old iPhone to your new iPhone

You can transfer pictures from an old iPhone to your new iPhone using iCloud Photos, Airdrop and iTunes / Finder.

iCloud Photos

iCloud is a cloud-based storage and syncing service from Apple. iCloud Photos automatically stores every photo you take securely in iCloud, and syncs those photos on devices with the same Apple ID. This means that if you uploaded pictures to iCloud on old iPhone or iPad, those photos can be transferred to your new iPhone's Photos app, as long as you use the same Apple ID.

However, iCloud only offers 5GB of free storage, so if you want to transfer a lot of photos to a new iPhone, you need to purchase additional storage space. To transfer all photos to a new iPhone, you must first enable iCloud Photos.

Tip: You can check the remaining storage space in Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud.

See How to restore photos from iCloud backup for a complete tutorial on restoring photos you've accidentally deleted.

1. Navigate to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Photos on your old iPhone or other iOS device where you keep your photos.

2. Make sure the "Sync this iPhone" or "iCloud Photos" option is turned on.

Tip: On iOS 16, iPadOS 16, or later, turn on "Sync this [device]"; on iOS 15, iPadOS 15, or earlier, turn on "iCloud Photos."

3. Your photo library will be uploaded to iCloud at full resolution.

4. In your new iPhone, go to Settings > [Your Name] and sign in with the same Apple ID.

5. Click iCloud > Photos and toggle "Sync this iPhone" to On.

6. Select "Optimize iPhone Storage" or "Download and Keep Originals." iCloud will download the photos to your new iPhone in original quality or optimized form, depending on your choice.

Note:

• iCloud Photos requires a stable and fast internet connection to upload and download your photos, especially when uploading or downloading a large number of photos.

Now you can view these transferred photos on your new iPhone. But transferring pictures to a new iPhone using iCloud takes time to process and download, so you may not be able to see them quickly in the Photos app.

Here are the full instructions for getting photos from a locked iPhone.

Airdrop

Apple's built-in Airdrop feature is one of the best options if you want to transfer photos wirelessly. Airdrop uses a combination of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to transfer photos to your new iPhone, making it a convenient way to share photos between iPhones.

To share photos to your new iPhone with Airdrop, the old iPhone sends a request to nearby Airdrop-enabled devices, including your new iPhone. If you accept the transfer, the sending device establishes a direct Wi-Fi connection with the target iPhone and begins transferring photos from old iPhone to your new iPhone without iCloud.

1. Enable Bluetooth and Wi-Fi in the Control Center of both iPhones. On iPhones with Face ID, such as iPhone 14, swipe down from the top right to access the Control Center; on iPhones with Home button, such as iPhone 8, swipe up from the bottom to open the Control Center.

Note:

• You don't need to connect two Apple devices to the same Wi-Fi, just make sure Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are turned on on both the new iPhone and the old one.

2. Touch the top-left group of controls and enable Airdrop.

3. Select "Contacts Only" or "Everyone."

4. Open the Photos app on the old iPhone.

5. Select the photos you want to transfer and tap the "share icon" in the lower left corner.

6. Tap the "Airdrop icon" and select your new iPhone as the receiving device. In the given People, Devices, Other People, locate your new iPhone and tap on it.

Tip: You can share multiple pictures at once by ticking the circle in the bottom-right corner of other pictures.

7. The selected photos start being sent to your new iPhone. If you're using the same Apple ID, shared pictures are automatically saved in the Photos app; otherwise, you'll need to tap "Accept" on the pop-up alert.

Note:

• Airdrop is suitable for transferring a small number of images. If a large number of images are transferred at once, the transfer can easily fail or lag.

You may also want to transfer music to your iPhone. Read more about the ways to transfer music to iPhone without iTunes here.

iTunes or Finder

If your new iPhone has just been activated with Hello screen and you have created a backup of your old phone in iTunes or Finder, including photos, you can restore the backup and copy the photo library to your new iPhone.

Note:

• You must disable the Find My feature on the new iPhone.
• For macOS Mojave or older or Windows PC, use the latest version of iTunes; for macOS Catalina or newer, use Finder.
• Your previous iPhone already has a backup created in iTunes or Finder.

1. Follow the on-screen instructions to set up your new iPhone.

2. Select "Restore from Mac or PC" in Apps & Data step.

3. Connect your new iPhone to the computer where you created the backup.

4. Run the latest iTunes or Finder on your computer.

5. Locate your device. Click on device icon > Summary on iTunes; select your new iPhone on Finder.

Tip: You may need to trust this computer on your new iPhone and enter passcode to confirm.

6. Select "Restore Backup" and choose the correct backup. You can determine the correct backup that contains the photos you need to transfer based on the size and date of the backup.

7. Click "Restore" and type the password to unlock the encrypted backups if necessary.

8. Wait for the restore process to complete and finish the rest of the setup steps on your new iPhone. Then all photos will be transferred to your new iPhone successfully.

How to transfer all photos to new iPhone

If you want to transfer all your photos to your new iPhone in a time- and money-saving way, which is the limitation of iCloud, iTunes and Airdrop, iPhone Data Transfer provides you with a convenient solution to transfer your photos to new iPhone in bulk without delay and quality loss. It helps you manage and transfer photos from iPhone's Camera Roll and Photo Library, including exporting, deleting, adding, creating new albums, viewing information.

iPhone Data Transfer not only allows you to transfer photos from old iPhone to new iPhone and make local backup with one click, but also lets you transfer photos, music, videos and other files between computer and iPhone, iPhone and iPhone seamlessly in both directions.

Key features:

• Move all photos to new iPhone with lossless quality
• Transfer photos from iPhone, computer, USB, hard drive to new iPhone and vice versa
• Support various image formats transfer, including JPEG, PNG, GIF, HEIC, BMP, TIFF, etc.
• Detect and convert incompatible photo formats before transferring
• Preserve the original album structure
• Detect duplicate pictures and can delete them

Here's how to transfer all photos to your new iPhone with iPhone data transfer:

Step 1. Launch the software and plug your iPhone into the computer.

Download and run iPhone Data Transfer on your Windows or Mac. If you want to transfer your old iPhone's photo library to your new iPhone, connect both of your unlocked iPhones to the computer.

Step 2. Select your device.

After the software detects your two connected iPhones, click the drop-down menu at the top of the main interface and select the source iPhone you want to transfer photos from.

Step 3. Transfer all photos to new iPhone with one click.

Pick "Phone to Phone" in the One-click Operation section at the bottom of the interface, and check the "Photos" option in the pop-up window. Select your new iPhone as the target device in the drop-down list on the right side of the window, and then click "Start" to begin the transfer.

Tip: You can also transfer music, videos, contacts or other files you need to your new phone at the same time.

Step 4. Alternatively, you can manually select the photos to be transferred.

Select "Photos" in the left sidebar of the main interface, then all your iPhone photos will be sorted into two categories: Camera Roll and Photo Library. You can choose to check all to transfer a specific subdirectory, or select the pictures you need one by one.

Then click the "phone icon" on the top menu bar and select your new iPhone as the target device to start exporting pictures to your new iPhone.

See also: How to transfer photos from iPad to Windows PC or laptop

How to transfer photos from PC to new iPhone

To be honest, there is a fact that you may want to transfer some beautiful pictures from your PC to your new iPhone as wallpapers. Although iTunes can help you do this, it may replace your iPhone's original photo library. But with iPhone Data Transfer, you can effortlessly transfer photos from your computer to your new iPhone without iTunes.

Connect your new iPhone to the PC and choose the "Photos" tab on the left side of the software's home page. Click the "plus icon" on the taskbar at the top of the right-hand window, and then select the picture or folder where you saved your photos to add to your new iPhone. After the transfer, you can find these newly added photos in the Photos app.

How to import photos to a new iPhone

Besides transferring all photos from old iPhone to a new iPhone, you may want to import photos from your digital camera or SD card to the Photos app of your new iPhone. Then you will need to prepare an additional camera adapter or card reader to import photos to your new iPhone from your camera or SD card.

• Connect the camera adapter or card reader to your new iPhone.
• Plug your camera into the camera adapter using a suitable USB cable, or insert an SD card.
• Open the Photos app on your new iPhone.
• Tap the Import option and select the import location. You can choose to import all items or select specific images to transfer to the iPhone.

Note:

• Apple camera adapters supports importing photos in various formats, but formats that are not compatible with your iPhone will not be viewable on your device.