How to Back Up Contacts on iPhone

iCloud Contacts keeps your contacts in sync rather than as a file you control. Apple says changes you make on one device, like adding a contact or deleting an email address, automatically appear on all your devices, so a contact you delete disappears everywhere too. That’s why it’s worth having a file you keep yourself.

Back up contacts with iCloud

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   Step 1: Open iCloud settings

   Go to Settings › [your name] › iCloud.

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   Step 2: Turn on Contacts

   Tap See All (or Show All), then turn on Contacts.

Apple says the contacts you see in the Contacts app are then stored in iCloud and appear on every device signed in with the same Apple Account that has Contacts turned on, and on iCloud.com (contacts from other accounts, such as Gmail, stay in those accounts).

Export contacts as a vCard file

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   Step 1: Open your lists

   In Contacts, tap the Lists button (or the Show Sidebar button).

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   Step 2: Export

   Touch and hold a list (or create one with Add List), tap Export, choose the fields to include, then tap Done.

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   Step 3: Save or send it

   Choose a way to save or send the exported contact cards, such as Messages or Mail.

iCloud’s automatic contact archive

Apple says contacts stored in iCloud are archived automatically, and an earlier version can be restored on iCloud.com. When you restore, your current version is archived first, and the restored contacts appear on all your devices with Contacts turned on.

CleanX

A quick backup before you delete contacts, with CleanX

Before you delete contacts in CleanX, tap Back Up on the Contacts tab, then the plus button, to save a backup inside the app. Restoring adds back contacts from the backup that aren’t in your address book with the same name and phone numbers, without changing or removing any current contact. Names, phone numbers and email and postal addresses come back; photos, birthdays and notes don’t. If you’ve merged contacts or changed a contact’s name or numbers since the backup, the older cards are added back next to the current ones. The backup stays inside CleanX on this iPhone and is deleted if you delete the app, so keep iCloud or a vCard export as your main backup.

• Backups listed by date
• Restore adds back missing contacts only
• Restoring is free; creating backups needs CleanX Pro

See everything CleanX does →

Before you change your contacts

• Export before big changes. A vCard you saved yourself doesn’t change when your contacts do.
• Know where your contacts live. Contacts from Gmail or a work account are stored in that account; manage them in Settings › Apps › Contacts › Contacts Accounts.
• Cleaning up afterwards? See how to merge duplicate contacts and how to delete contacts.