How to Sync a Mac With an iPhone

The iPhone is designed to sync easily with Apple's iTunes software and OS X, which is the operating system on Mac computers. You can sync music and iTunes playlists, photos, Address Book contacts, TV shows, movies and more from your Mac to your iPhone. As of February, 2011, the iPhone 4 is the latest model but the iPhone 3GS is still for sale at a reduced price; the principles of syncing to your computer are the same for both models. Apple also offers Mobile Me accounts, which provide extra features like iDisk and personal websites; you can also sync your Mobile Me account with your iPhone.

Step 1

Turn on your iPhone, disable the passcode if you have one and connect it to your Mac using a USB cord. iTunes should open automatically; if it does not, click the iTunes application icon in your Dock to open it. Click the device icon for your iPhone, which is located in the left menu bar of the iTunes application window. This is where you can manage and organize files you want to sync with your iPhone.

Step 2

Click the "Info" tab to sync your contacts, calendars, email and Mobile Me account if you have one. Check the "Sync Address Book Contacts" box and then choose "All Contacts" or select specific groups you want to sync. Check the "Sync iCal Calendars" box to sync iCal calendars on your computer with your iPhone; choose the calendars you want to sync. Check the "Sync Mail Accounts" to sync email accounts on your Mac with your iPhone and check the boxes for the accounts you want to include.

Step 3

Click the "Apps" tab and select the apps you want to sync to your iPhone. Apps purchased through the iTunes App Store app on your iPhone will also be transferred to your computer. Organize your apps by dragging and dropping the app icon to the desired location. To move an app to another page, drag the app icon and hold it over the page until the page appears and then drop the app in the desired location.

Step 4

Click the "Music" tab to sync songs from your iTunes Library. You can only sync music from one computer to your iPhone. Check the "Sync Music" box and then choose your entire music library or selected playlists, artists or albums. Click the "Movies" tab and then check the "Sync Movies" box to sync movies form your iTunes library to your iPhone; you can sync movies purchased on the iTunes Store and videos in MP4, M4V, MOV and MPEG 4 format. Click the "TV Shows" tab and check the "Sync TV Shows" to sync TV shows purchased from the iTunes Store. Choose between automatically including all unwatched episodes or selecting specific shows or episodes.

Step 5

Click the "Podcasts" and check the "Sync Podcasts" box to sync podcasts from your iTunes library to your iPhone. Select the podcasts and episodes you want to include in the sync. Click the "Books" tab to sync books and PDF files; to add a PDF file, drag and drop it into the "Books" playlist in the left menu bar of the iTunes application window. Click the "Photos" tab and then check the "Sync Photos From" box and choose between iPhoto, Aperture or a specific folder. You can sync specific iPhoto albums and events.

Step 6

Click the "Apply" button to sync your iPhone and save your changes. Allow your iPhone to sync completely before disconnecting or quitting iTunes.

References

• Apple: Syncing iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch with iTunes

About the Author

Sophie Southern has been a freelance writer since 2004. Her writing has been featured in "JPG" magazine and on Zlio.com. Southern holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in photography from the School of Visual Arts.

Photo Credits

• Justin Sullivan/Getty Images News/Getty Images