The fastest way: iCloud sync during setup

When you turn on a new iPhone for the first time, Apple walks you through a setup screen that asks if you want to restore from a backup. If you choose "Restore from iCloud Backup" and sign in with the same Apple ID you used on your old phone, your contacts move over automatically — no manual work needed. This happens during the initial setup, before you finish configuring the phone.

This method works because your contacts are already stored in iCloud if you have iCloud Contacts turned on (which is the default for most people). The new phone simply downloads them from your account. If you've already finished setup on the new phone without restoring a backup, you can still sync contacts this way by going to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud and toggling Contacts on.

The one catch: if you turned off iCloud Contacts on your old phone, or if your contacts live only in the Phone app and were never synced to iCloud, this method won't find them. Check your old phone first by opening Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud and looking for the Contacts toggle.

Key Takeaways

  • Restoring from an iCloud backup during new iPhone setup automatically transfers all contacts stored in your iCloud account.
  • If you've already finished setup, turn on iCloud Contacts in Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud on both phones to sync them.
  • AirDrop works for moving contacts between nearby iPhones without needing iCloud, and takes about two minutes.
  • Exporting contacts as a file lets you keep a backup copy on your computer or share them with someone else's phone.

Using AirDrop to send contacts directly

AirDrop is the quickest method if both iPhones are in the same room and you want to move contacts without using iCloud. Open the Contacts app on your old phone, tap the contact you want to move, scroll to the bottom, and tap "Share Contact." A menu appears with AirDrop at the top — tap it, and your new iPhone should appear in the list. Tap your new phone's name, and the contact arrives in seconds.

For multiple contacts at once, open Contacts, tap "Groups" at the bottom left, make sure "All Contacts" is selected, then tap "Edit" in the top left corner. You can't select all contacts at once through the app's interface, so you'll need to send them one by one or in small groups. This is practical if you're moving 5 to 10 contacts, but tedious for 100.

AirDrop requires both phones to have Bluetooth and Wi-Fi turned on, and to be within about 30 feet of each other. Make sure AirDrop is set to "Everyone" or "Contacts Only" on both phones — you'll find this in Control Center (swipe down from the top right) by long-pressing the network settings tile.

Exporting contacts to a file on your computer

If you want a backup copy of your contacts or need to move them to a phone that isn't nearby, you can export them as a file. On your Mac, open the Contacts app, select the contacts you want to export (or press Command+A to select all), then go to File > Export > Export vCard. Choose where to save the file on your computer.

On Windows, the process is different because there's no built-in Contacts app. You'll need to use iCloud.com: sign in with your Apple ID, click Contacts, select the ones you want, click the settings icon (gear), and choose "Export vCard." The file downloads to your computer as a .vcf file, which most contact apps can read.

Once you have the file, you can email it to yourself, move it to a USB drive, or upload it to cloud storage like Google Drive. To import the contacts into your new iPhone, email the .vcf file to yourself, open the email on the new phone, tap the attachment, and choose "Add All Contacts" when prompted.

Moving contacts from Gmail or another email account

If your contacts are stored in Gmail instead of iCloud, add your Gmail account to your new iPhone and turn on Contacts syncing. Go to Settings > Mail > Accounts > Add Account, choose Google, and sign in. After you add the account, go back to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud and make sure iCloud Contacts is on — this prevents conflicts between your Gmail contacts and iCloud.

Your Gmail contacts will appear in the Contacts app within a few minutes. If you want them to sync with iCloud permanently (so they're backed up in your Apple account too), you can export them from Gmail as a .csv file, convert it to a .vcf file using a free online tool, and import that into iCloud. This step is optional and only necessary if you want a second backup.

Other email providers like Outlook and Yahoo also sync contacts to iPhone through their account settings. Add the account, turn on Contacts in the account settings, and they'll appear in your Contacts app automatically.

What to do if contacts don't appear after syncing

If you've turned on iCloud Contacts or restored a backup but your contacts still aren't showing up, first check that you're signed into the same Apple ID on both phones. Go to Settings > [Your Name] and confirm the email address matches. If it doesn't, sign out and sign back in with the correct account.

Next, force a sync by turning iCloud Contacts off and back on. Go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud, toggle Contacts off, wait 10 seconds, and toggle it back on. This tells your phone to re-download the contact list from iCloud. If contacts still don't appear after a few minutes, restart your phone by holding the power button and sliding to power off.

If you're moving contacts from an Android phone or an old iPhone that doesn't have iCloud set up, those contacts may only exist in the phone's local storage and won't sync anywhere. In that case, export them as a .vcf file from the Android phone (usually through Settings > Accounts or the Contacts app menu) and import that file into your iPhone.

Keeping contacts synced between multiple devices

Once your contacts are in iCloud, they stay synced across all your Apple devices — iPhone, iPad, and Mac — as long as you're signed into the same Apple ID and have iCloud Contacts turned on. If you add a new contact on your iPhone, it appears on your iPad and Mac within a few seconds. If you delete a contact on one device, it deletes from all of them.

If you also use Gmail or another email service, you can have contacts sync from multiple sources. Your iPhone will combine them into one Contacts app, but changes you make in the Contacts app only sync back to iCloud, not to Gmail. To keep Gmail contacts updated, you'll need to make changes in Gmail itself.

To see which account a contact belongs to, open the contact and look at the top of the screen — it shows "iCloud," "Gmail," or another account name. This matters if you're trying to edit a contact and the change doesn't stick; you may need to edit it in the original account instead.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I move contacts without using iCloud?

Yes. AirDrop works if both phones are nearby, or you can export contacts as a .vcf file and email it to yourself or another person. You can also add a Gmail or other email account to your iPhone and sync contacts from there.

What happens to contacts if I don't back them up before switching phones?

If your contacts were synced to iCloud, they're already backed up and will appear when you sign into your Apple ID on the new phone. If they were only stored locally on your old phone and never synced, they'll be lost unless you exported them to a file first.

Can I move contacts from an iPhone to an Android phone?

Yes. Export your iPhone contacts as a .vcf file through iCloud.com or your Mac, then email the file to yourself and import it into your Android phone's Contacts app. Android can read .vcf files natively.

Do I need to delete contacts from my old iPhone after moving them?

No, but you can if you want to free up space. Deleting them from your old phone won't affect the copies on your new phone or in iCloud, as long as the new phone has already synced them.

Why are some contacts missing after I restored my backup?

Contacts that were only stored locally on your old phone and never synced to iCloud won't be in the backup. Check your old phone's Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud to see if Contacts was turned on. If it wasn't, those contacts may be lost unless you exported them as a file.