Export and Import Contacts: iOS Mail (iPhone, iPad) or iCloud

    Your contacts from your iPhone or iOS device are best exported from your iCloud account. If you are familiar with iCloud contacts, use Apple’s instructions directly. The following steps make it easier:

    1. Go to your iCloud account from a browser. This could be from any computer or mobile device (need not be on the same device as you are exporting from).
    2. Sign in using your Apple ID, the same one you use to activate your iOS device or to purchase apps (no purchase is necessary for this step).
    3. Click on the Contacts app icon on the webpage. A list of your contacts will display shortly.
    4. Click on the gear cog like Settings icon in the bottom left.
    5. From the menu that opens, click Select All. The list of contacts on the right will turn light blue, to indicate the contacts are selected.
    6. Again click the gear cog like Settings icon in the bottom left.
    7. From the menu that opens, click Export vCard…

    This will result in a VCF file (named iCloud vCards.vcf or similar) to be downloaded. In most browsers, this will be downloaded to the Downloads folder on your computer.

    Import

    Once you have your contacts saved to a file above, import contacts from that file as explained here.

    Related articles