Importing Contacts from an .abbu backup (solved)

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Importing Contacts from an .abbu backup (solved)

When importing an abbu backup file, iCloud deletes the import seconds after import. To prevent this, take the following steps:

Turn off iCloud Contacts
Import your .abbu in Contacts. This will replace all your existing contacts!
Select all and export as vcf card. This will put all your .abbu file contacts into a single vcf card.
Turn on iCloud Contacts. Your address book will be emptied immediately.
Go to iCloud.com and sign in. Go to address book and hit import vcf. Import the vcf file you previously export. Bob's your uncle.

MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 10.15

Posted on Mar 3, 2021 9:44 AM

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Answer 1

Mar 3, 2021 1:32 PM in response to roelfromkingston

Yes the problem is that iCloud immediately syncs and deletes whatever modification you make to the address book folder, so that doesn’t work. So you have to update iCloud directly and it only accepts vCards. Fortunately there is a way to turn abbu into into a vCard by temp switching off iCloud then exporting.

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Answer 2

Barney-15E

Level 10

122,102 points

Mar 3, 2021 10:26 AM in response to roelfromkingston

That seems like a good workaround.

I thought the .abbu didn't install because the current data store uses XML contact cards instead of vCards. It may have always been my having iCloud enabled.

The Contacts Archive is just a copy of the AddressBook folder, and restoring just replaces the contents of the AddressBook folder with the contents of the Archive.

I haven't tried recently, but it doesn't seem to want to import the XML files.

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Importing Contacts from an .abbu backup (solved)

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