How Can I Get Contacts From One Iphone To Another

How to transfer contacts from iPhone to iPhone

Published on September 22, 2021

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Here, we outline 6 ways to transfer contacts from iPhone to iPhone without iCloud or iTunes, or using iCloud and iTunes if you like, or using the AirDrop feature. You can even transfer contacts to new iPhone if you don't have the older device anymore!

Anyway, let's get busy with transferring iPhone contacts:

How to transfer contacts from iPhone to iPhone
How to transfer contacts from iPhone to iPhone without iCloud
How to transfer contacts from iPhone backup
How to transfer contacts from one iPhone to another with iCloud
How to move contacts from iPhone to iPhone using iTunes
How to share contacts on iPhone using Airdrop

NOTE: If your contacts are stored on your SIM card, follow the official Apple tutorial on how to import SIM contacts to your iPhone.

How to transfer contacts from iPhone to iPhone

The easiest and fastest method to transfer contacts from iPhone to iPhone, here we go! The method will also help if you're wondering how to transfer contacts from iPhone to iPhone with different Apple ID.

The perks of using CopyTrans Contacts:

✔️ Save and restore contacts in a few clicks;
✔️ Transfer contacts between different Apple IDs;
✔️ Manage iPhone, iCloud, Outlook, and Gmail contacts;
✔️ Work with .xlsx; .vcf; .csv formats;
✔️ Merge old and new contact sets;
✔️ Enjoy an easy-to-use, intuitive interface.

Let's get started!

First, download and install CopyTrans Contacts:
Download CopyTrans Contacts

If you need help, refer to the installation guide.
Run CopyTrans Contacts and connect your iPhone. You will see a loading icon: the program is retrieving all your contacts, messages, calendars, and notes. Wait until the loading is finished, only then proceed to Step 3.

➕ If your iPhone is encrypted, you may be asked for an iPhone backup password. What password?
Select the contacts you wish to copy to your PC.

➕ To select several entries, hold down Ctrl while clicking on each contact.
➕ To select all contacts at once, check the box on top of the contact list OR press Ctrl+A.

TIP: If you don't see your contacts in CopyTrans Contacts interface, follow this troubleshooting guide.
Click Export selected:
After that, select iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch (multiple .vcf files):
Select the destination folder. I've created a new folder on my desktop for this purpose. Click OK:

How to import contacts to new iPhone

Halfway there! Let's connect the target device. In my case, the device is empty, and so is the CopyTrans Contacts interface. But not for long… Click Import contacts:
Find where you placed your contacts, select all the .vcf files (Ctrl+A), then click Open:
All the contacts you selected will now be imported to your iPhone:

Give CopyTrans Contacts a go!

✔️ Transfer your contacts between cloud accounts;
✔️ Export messages, calendars, notes to PC;
✔️ Move your contacts between iPhone and Outlook;
✔️ Export WhatsApp chats in a printable format;
✔️ … and more!

Try now for free

How to transfer contacts from iPhone to iPhone without iCloud

This method allows you to transfer contacts from one iPhone to another bypassing iCloud. So, let's start transferring contacts to your new iPhone.

The perks of using CopyTrans Shelbee:

✔️ Backup and restore iPhone, iPad without iTunes;
✔️ Transfer only contacts without touching other data;
✔️ Restore from iTunes or third-party backups;
✔️ Transfer WhatsApp and other apps from device to device;
✔️ Validate your backup when you create it;
✔️ Enjoy an easy-to-use, intuitive interface.

So, here's how to transfer contacts without iCloud:

First, download and install CopyTrans Shelbee:
Download CopyTrans Shelbee

If you need help, refer to the installation guide.
If you already have an iTunes or CopyTrans Shelbee backup, skip this step. If you don't, create a full Backup.

If you need step-by-step instructions, see how to make a full backup with CopyTrans Shelbee.
Now connect the target device: iPhone or iPad. The feature you need is Custom restore: it will restore contacts selectively, without overwriting the rest of the data.

For detailed instructions, refer to the CopyTrans guide on selective restore.

How to transfer contacts from iPhone to iPhone
That's it! After the custom restore has finished, the contacts from your old iPhone will be waiting for you on your new device.

How to transfer contacts from iPhone backup

Did you know that you can restore your iPhone contacts to a new device even if your older iPhone has been broken or stolen? If you don't have your iPhone, CopyTrans Backup Extractor will still fight to retrieve your contacts.

The perks of using CopyTrans Backup Extractor:

✔️ Find iPhone backups on your PC or in iCloud;
✔️ See what data types each backup contains;
✔️ Extract contacts to PC – without device;
✔️ Find PC folders where your backups are stored.

Download and install CopyTrans Backup Extractor:
Download CopyTrans Backup Extractor
For help with the installation, follow the installation guide.
Run the program and log in to iCloud if you want to find more backups. Once ready, click Find Backups.

We care about your online safety: your credentials go directly to Apple through a secure SSL connection.
Wait for the backup hunt to be complete. You will see a list of all available backups: choose the latest backup which contains deleted iPhone messages.

➕ If you are restoring from iTunes backup, you may be asked for a backup password. What password?

➕ iCloud backups will be marked with a cloud icon (☁️) and they are never password-protected.
From the list of items to restore, choose Contacts and press Next. You will be prompted to select the destination folder.
Voila! Choose Go to folder to open the directory with your Contacts. They are now ready to be imported to your iPhone.

Give CopyTrans Backup Extractor a go!

✔️ Access iTunes and iCloud backups from PC;
✔️ See what data types each backup contains;
✔️ Recover photos, chats, voice memos, and more without device;
✔️ Delete old backups to free up space on PC.

Try now for free

How to import contacts to new iPhone

Now, let's start importing! For that, we will need CopyTrans Contacts. If you haven't downloaded it yet, now is a good time:
Download CopyTrans Contacts
If you already have it, let's move to the next step.
Launch CopyTrans Contacts and connect your iPhone. Give the program time to load your device, then select Import Contacts.
Choose to import contacts from a file:
Choose the folder where you previously extracted your contacts and select all or part of contacts for import.
Enjoy your newly imported list of contacts! And do not forget to back up your device from time to time.

Share contacts between iPhones using CopyTrans Contacts

So, here is how to transfer contacts from iPhone to iPhone without iTunes or iCloud. If you'd prefer a more traditional solution, read on.

How to transfer contacts from one iPhone to another using iCloud

Possible pitfalls:

❌ You can't select contacts for transfer – it's all or nothing.
❌ If you have other contact sets, they will be merged.
❌ Requires iCloud sync.

If you're not put off that easily, here's how to transfer contacts to a new iPhone using iCloud sync:

Make sure you are logged in with the same Apple ID on both iPhones. Both should be connected to Wi-Fi.
Make sure the contacts on your older device are synced with iCloud: go to Settings > click on your Apple ID at the top > iCloud > make sure the Contacts toggle is on:
If you aren't logged in on the iPhone you want to transfer the contacts to, open Settings > tap Sign In to your iPhone > enter your Apple ID & Password > Enter your iPhone Passcode > Click 'Merge' to upload and merge your contacts with iCloud:
Now, wait until all the contacts are synced with your new iPhone. That's all!
You might have some contacts that haven't been transferred over. It means that those contacts are not in iCloud: most likely, they are contacts that were created on the device and weren't pushed to iCloud. You can use CopyTrans Contacts to transfer iPhone contacts to iCloud.

Note: iPhone contacts not syncing to iCloud? Follow this troubleshooting guide by Apple.

How to move contacts from iPhone to iPhone using iTunes

Transferring iPhone contacts with iTunes is easy: back up, then restore.

However:

❌ iTunes restore will overwrite your photos, messages, calendars, etc.
❌ You can't select contacts for transfer – it's all or nothing.
❌ iTunes doesn't check backups for errors, unlike CopyTrans Shelbee.

If you are okay with restoring the whole backup to your new device, let's get going:

Download iTunes.
Connect the iPhone you want to transfer the contacts from. Click on the phone icon on the top left:
Click Back up now. Wait until iTunes finishes the backup:
Connect the iPhone you want to restore your contacts to. Keep in mind that iTunes will restore the whole iPhone backup, not just contacts. If you want to restore contacts only, use CopyTrans Shelbee.
Click Restore backup:
A dialogue box will appear. Select the backup that contains your contacts (the one you just made) and click Restore:
Now, wait until the restore is finished. Restoring your iPhone is time-consuming and can take up to several hours. That's it! This is how to move contacts from iPhone to iPhone using iTunes.

How to how to share contacts on iPhone using Airdrop

AirDrop is a nice and secure way to share contacts between iPhones in real-time.

Drawbacks:

❌ You can only share one contact at a time.

The only drawback is that you can only share one contact at a time. If you want to share a small group of contacts, that's the way to go!

First, make sure the two iPhones are close to each other and have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on:
You can do so by swiping up from the bottom of the screen, which will open the control center. Tap on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth icons to turn them on.

You can also do so by going to Settings > Wi-Fi and Settings > Bluetooth and switching the toggle on.
Next, turn AirDrop on. Press and hold the Wi-Fi (or any other) icon in the control center to show other options, tap on AirDrop and tap Everyone. You can also start AirDrop by going to Settings > General > AirDrop > Everyone (or Contacts Only, if you only wish to get AirDropped by people you have in your contacts). Make sure Hotspot is turned off on both iPhones:
Go to Contacts > pick the contact you want to share > tap Share Contact > choose the iPhone you want to share the contact with:
Click Accept on the other iPhone to finish the transfer:

Thanks for reading this lengthy article 🙂 Maybe you know another way of moving contacts from iPhone to iPhone? Hit me up! If you have any questions or problems, leave a comment below.

Irina is a marketing and tech-support specialist in charge of the English-speaking market, who dyes her hair in the color of her cats' fur (future cat lady detected) and enjoys sitting on her balcony on a rainy day reading books, watching TV shows, playing video games and drinking hot chocolate. With marshmallows.