How to sync contacts from iPhone to Mac

Syncing iPhone contacts is something that users only have to do once. Thanks to iCloud, Apple keeps users’ contacts and other data in sync between devices.

That means when you make changes to your contacts on your iPad or Mac, those changes will be carried over to your iPhone as well. When syncing for the first time, users can access their contacts via the web, even without their iPhone or Mac.

Here’s how to securely sync contacts across Apple devices.

Please backup your contacts first!

There is no simple backup option for iOS contacts. Instead, you’ll need to back up your entire device. If anything happens to the next step, you can restore this backup to your device without losing any important data.

Please perform a backup in iTunes as follows:

1. Launch iTunes on your Mac or Windows PC, then connect iPhone.

2. Click on the device icon when it appears, then on the tab Summary, click Back Up Now.

3. Wait for the backup to complete.

You can also store your device’s iCloud backup in the cloud. For more information on how to back up iPhone and restore any backups created, refer to the article: How to back up data on iPhone or iPad?

How to sync iPhone contacts with iCloud

iCloud is Apple’s cloud storage and synchronization service. Users have many options to use iCloud storage such as storing files, finding devices, and transferring data. iCloud is also accessible from any browser on iCloud.com. iCloud is the best way to sync contacts, as it keeps everything up to date when the user makes changes.

To enable iCloud sync for contacts on iPhone, do the following:

1. Launch the app Settings and tap your name.

2. Click icloud, then enable the checkbox next to Contacts.

3. If asked, choose Merge nice Cancel, please click Merge.

Note: If you are using iOS 10.2 or earlier, launch Settings and touch icloud.

If you already have contacts in iCloud, this step will merge the new contacts with the old ones and download them all to your device. If the sync feature iCloud Contacts already activated, you may need to activate it on both your Mac or other devices for full functionality.

You can then perform these steps on your iPad or iPod Touch to get access to your contacts on all your devices.

Activate iCloud Contacts on Mac

Now you need to follow the same steps on your Mac to download the contacts you just uploaded to iCloud. Do the following:

1. Sign in to your Mac as usual, then click System Preferences.

2. Select icloud and make sure you are logged in Apple ID mine.

3. Select the checkbox next to Contacts to turn on iCloud sync.

Contacts will now sync via iCloud. Any new contacts on your Mac that weren’t previously on your iPhone will show up, and vice versa. You can access your contacts on your Mac using the app Contacts. This contact is also used in other Apple applications, such as Messages and Mail.

Next let’s “clean up” the contacts!

With iCloud running to keep everything in sync, you can now make changes to your contacts to keep them neatly organized across all devices. If the previous contacts weren’t synced, the contacts could become extremely messy.

On a Mac, launch Contacts. Make sure you have iCloud contacts selected in the sidebar, then sort, delete, and add new contacts. You can search for duplicate contacts on Mac by clicking Card > Look for Duplicates and Contacts.

From a web browser (ideal for Windows users), go to iCloud.com and login. Choose Contacts to view contacts. From here, you can add new contacts, change existing ones, and delete any that are no longer needed.

Export contacts for safekeeping

If you want to export contacts from the Apple “ecosystem”, you will have to do it from a computer. First, make sure you’ve synced everything with iCloud and organized your contacts properly.

On a Mac, you can use the app Contacts to do this:

1. Launch Contacts and make sure iCloud is selected in the sidebar.

2. Select all contacts by clicking Edit > Select All or use keyboard shortcuts Cmd + A.

3. In File, press Export > Export vCard and select the export destination for the contacts.

From a web browser (for Windows users):

1. Access iCloud.com and log in, then click Contacts.

2. Select all contacts (Cmd + A on a Mac or Ctrl + A on Windows).

3. Click the gear icon Settings at the bottom left of the screen.

4. Select Export vCard to download contacts.

You can now import your vCard file into Gmail, Outlook or any other contact management service.

The fact that your contacts are permanently stored in iCloud and tied to your Apple ID means you’ll never lose them. When you buy a new iPhone or iPad, your contacts will magically appear when you sign in. Changes you make on any device will apply to all connected computers, tablets, and smartphones.

Even if you want to convert contacts from iPhone to Android, sync with iCloud first, making sure you don’t miss any important contacts.

Hope you are succesful.