One of the most popular gifts for any Apple lover is a new iPad, which may be the lucky one’s first tablet model, but will likely replace an older model. And of course, in this case it’s time move all data from old iPad to new one.
But peace of mind: if you consider a few things before doing it, transferring data from one iPad to another is just a simple formality. Is this the first time you face it? Let’s see the process calmly.
Easiest: Use Old iPad Backup in iCloud
The easiest way to move data from one iPad to another is to use the iCloud backup. You only need to have these active copies on your old iPad (they are usually made daily and automatically if you leave the iPad on charge overnight) and the latest one is very recent.
If not, you can force one of these backups by going into Settings, clicking your name, then clicking ‘iCloud’ and finally entering ‘iCloud Backup’. You need to find the “Back up now” button and press it, making sure that you are connected to a Wi-Fi network.
You might not have enough space in iCloud to back up, so here are some quick checks to clean non-essential files which you can always redownload:
- Clean up the playlists you downloaded locally from Apple Music or Spotify.
- Delete all series and movies you have downloaded from services such as Apple TV+, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max or Disney+.
- Uninstall all games from the App Store/Apple Arcade. Don’t worry, you have the option to keep all the achievements from these games.
- If you’re using Telegram on the old iPad, clear its cache to potentially free up several GB of space.
Once the backup is complete, all you have to do is open your new iPad and select the option to recover all your data via a backup copy. The only thing you will need is to sign in with your Apple ID and select the copy from the list of available copies you have on hand.
The traditional: using a local backup
If you prefer, you can bypass the cloud and use a local backup from your old iPad to transfer the data to the new one. For that you will need a Mac or Windows PC and a Lightning and/or USB-C cable be able to physically connect the tablets to the computer.
Here you have no storage limit: the backup can be as big as you want as long as it fits on the Mac or PC disk. To do this, you can use the Finder on Mac or the iTunes application on Windows PCs.
If your old iPad supports it, you may also be lucky enough to use a migration assistant that will transfer all data automatically. It will automatically pop up on the old iPad if it detects the new one that was just turned on and ask you to hold the two tablets side by side. The transfer with this system is usually very fast, although you are asked to keep the battery charge of both devices high just in case.
In all digital switchover processes, the iPad will be restarted as the last step and it will contain all the data, configurations and settings of the old iPad. You are now ready to start backing up your new iPad and deleting everything on your old one. Enjoy!
Picture | michael tomas
