How to Export Contacts from iPhone

iPhone & iPod

Updated February 01, 2019

Have you ever suffered an iPhone disaster where you lost your contacts? Or, maybe you're upgrading your phone and want to have a backup of your contacts. Whatever the case, you can export contacts from your iPhone to help avoid contact loss.

How to Export Contacts From iPhone

There are a few different methods you can use to export, or send, your contacts. These methods include:

Exporting your contacts from iPhone to vCard
Exporting your contacts from iPhone to CSV/Excel
Transferring contacts from iPhone to Gmail
Exporting contacts from iPhone using the traditional USB cable method

How to Export Contacts From iPhone to vCard

A vCard, also called a virtual card, is similar to the look and feel of an online business card. Apple allows you to export your contacts from your iPhone to the vCard via your Apple ID.

Tap Settings, tap your name, then tap iCloud. Make sure the Contacts toggle is on.
On your desktop, open a browser and navigate to iCloud.com. Sign into iCloud using your Apple ID.

You may need to use Apple's two-factor authentication to log-in. Be sure you have your mobile device near you before you attempt to log-in.
Once you log-in, choose Contacts.
On the Contacts screen, you'll see a representation of your iPhone's Contact screen. In the bottom left-hand corner, select the gear icon, then choose Select All.

You can also choose specific contacts to export by pressing Shift or Ctrl to select them one by one.
Once your contacts are selected, select the gear icon again, then choose Export vCard. Your contacts will be saved to your computer as a .vcf file for you to access later as needed.

How to Export Contacts From iPhone to CSV/Excel

Another method of saving your contacts to your computer is by using a free online converter to convert your vCards to CSV/Excel. To get started, follow the steps above to save your contacts in the .vcf file form, then follow the steps below.

Save your .vcf file somewhere you can easily find it, such as in your documents or on your desktop.

Navigate to vCard to LDIF/CSV Converter to use the Online vCard Converter to convert your vCards to CSV/Excel format.
Select Choose File and upload your file.
For Format, select CSV and Comma from the two dropdown menus, then select Add header line.
For encoding, select Unicode. For the rest, choose nothing.
A file will be downloaded to your computer. Upload this file into Excel, Pages, etc to use it.

How to Export Contacts From iPhone to Gmail

Importing your contacts from your iPhone to your Gmail account is simple. To get started, you'll need to use the .vcf file you created earlier. If you haven't done so yet, be sure to do that first, then move on.

Log into Google Contacts on your desktop. Select More, which is located on the left-hand menu.
Select Import.
Here, upload your contact .vcf file from earlier, then select Import.

To find your contacts in Gmail when composing an email, select To to open your address book. Here, you'll see all of your contacts in one place.
You're done!

How to Export Contacts from iPhone to PC/Mac Using USB

You can also use the more traditional method to transfer your contacts to your PC or Mac. You'll need a USB cable for this method to connect your iPhone to your desktop. You'll also need the latest version of iTunes.

Connect your iPhone to your computer using a USB cable. Launch iTunes if it doesn't open automatically.
In iTunes, select the device icon located near the top of the iTunes window.
You'll want to select what you want to sync from here, including your contacts. To turn syncing on, select the checkmark next to Sync.
Once you've selected what you want to sync, select Apply in the lower right corner of the iTunes screen to start the sync. If it doesn't start automatically, select Sync.
Whatever you choose will be synced to your PC or Mac.