How to Export Private Photos Before Switching Vault Apps

The safe sequence is inventory → small test export → verify → full export → import → verify again → wait before deletion. Never make the destination vault your only copy during the move.

Every vault has its own export behavior. Before starting, use the current support instructions for both apps and test one low-risk album end to end.

1. Make a migration manifest

Record what you expect to move before touching the files.

Screenshots of album counts are useful if they do not expose sensitive thumbnails. The manifest turns “it looks complete” into a checkable result.

2. Create a rollback copy

Before switching, confirm there is a protected copy outside the destination vault. That might be the still-working source vault plus a verified app backup, or an encrypted computer or external-drive export.

Do not call a sync service a rollback copy unless it retains a recoverable version after deletion. A synchronized deletion can propagate.

Use How to Test a Private Photo Backup Without Erasing Your iPhone to verify representative files before migration.

3. Test one mixed album

Choose a small album containing:

• a recent photo;
• an older photo;
• an edited photo;
• a Live Photo if you use them;
• a short and a long video;
• one file with a meaningful date or location you can compare.

Export it with the source vault's documented method. Import it into the destination and check:

1. every item is present;
2. photos open at expected resolution;
3. videos play from beginning to end;
4. dates and order are useful;
5. edits and special formats behave as expected;
6. the temporary export can be securely removed later.

If the test loses an edit or Live Photo component, decide whether to export the current version, the original, or both before continuing.

4. Choose the transfer path deliberately

Common paths have different privacy trade-offs.

On iPhone, Apple supports exporting selected Photos items to connected storage through Share > Export Unmodified Original. Apple notes that edited media exports as the unmodified original with this option. The iPhone import and export guide also notes that locked Hidden items are not transferred until the album is unlocked.

5. Export in batches

Move one album or file type at a time. After each batch:

• compare source and export counts;
• open the first, middle, and last item;
• play at least one large video;
• record failures or renamed files;
• preserve the batch until destination verification passes.

Smaller batches make retries and missing-file diagnosis much easier than one opaque, all-night transfer.

6. Import without deleting the staging copy

Create the destination albums first if the new vault does not preserve folders. Import a batch, wait for processing to finish, then repeat the same checks.

If the new vault has optional backup, do not assume enabling it means all imported items are already protected. Wait for its status and run a sample recovery check using the provider's documentation.

7. Run a destination acceptance test

The migration passes only if:

• album and total counts reconcile;
• samples from every batch open;
• large videos play fully;
• important dates, edits, and formats meet your requirements;
• destination access and recovery credentials work;
• the new backup path has been independently verified.

Record exceptions. A deliberately excluded duplicate is different from an unexplained missing file.

8. Keep a rollback window

Keep the source vault intact for at least one normal usage cycle and until the destination backup has completed and been tested. During that window, avoid editing both libraries independently because the versions will diverge.

When you are ready to retire the old vault, follow its official account, subscription, backup-retention, and app-deletion instructions. Deleting an iPhone app does not automatically cancel its subscription; Apple documents that distinction in Delete apps on iPhone or iPad.

Privacy cleanup after the move

Remove temporary copies only after acceptance:

• clear unneeded files from the staging location and its trash;
• revoke temporary photo permissions if appropriate;
• remove shared links;
• confirm the old vault's backup-retention choice;
• update your private recovery card with the new provider and test date.

For the storage design behind the migration, see How to Build a Private Photo Backup Strategy.

Sources checked

• Apple: Import and export photos and videos on iPhone
• Apple: Share photos and videos on iPhone
• Apple: Delete apps on iPhone or iPad