I'm upgrading from an older iPhone SE to an iPhone 17 Pro. I want to bring over my apps, saved passwords, settings, and other important data, but I don't want to transfer more than 64 GB of photos. I don't use iCloud and would prefer not to start paying for storage. I also don't currently use a computer, although I could use one if it's the only practical option. Is there a way to selectively transfer everything I need while leaving the photos behind?
4 Answers
Without using iCloud, there isn’t really a built-in transfer method that selectively moves apps, passwords, and settings while excluding the photo library. A Mac or PC can be used to move the photos elsewhere first, then you can transfer the rest of the phone.
If you’re willing to use iCloud temporarily, Apple may offer temporary backup storage for moving to a new device. However, the normal transfer process can still include photos, so you’d likely need to delete them from the new phone afterward or move them off the old phone first.
The simplest option is to use the direct iPhone-to-iPhone transfer during setup. It will generally copy the phone as-is, including photos, so you’d need to remove the unwanted photos afterward. Make sure anything you want to keep is backed up somewhere first.
You can export saved passwords as a CSV file, but that file usually won’t preserve everything as seamlessly as Apple’s normal device migration, and it needs to be handled securely. For the rest of the data, Apple’s official transfer instructions cover direct phone-to-phone migration and computer backups.

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