How do I back up my contacts to iCloud?

HI BigDeeDee,

Thank you for using the Apple Support Communities! To set up iCloud contacts, the steps below can help:

Set up iCloud Contacts

On your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch

1. Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud. 

2. Turn on Contacts.

3. When you're asked if you want to Merge or Cancel, tap Merge.

All of the information stored in Contacts is uploaded to iCloud.

Hope this helps!

Have a great day.

Hi BigDeeDee,

If you weren't asked if you wanted to merge or delete contacts after disabling Contacts in the iCloud settings, then that indicates the contacts weren't syncing with iCloud.

If contacts aren't syncing with iCloud, that could indicate you're out of iCloud storage. Let's have you check to see if storage is available in iCloud for you to sync contacts. To do so, tap Settings > [your name] > iCloud. See that information here: Manage your iCloud storage - Apple Support

If contacts continue to not sync while having available storage, then let's have you test the behavior after refreshing the contacts to help isolate the issue. Check out those steps here: If your iCloud Contacts, Calendars, or Reminders won’t sync - Apple Support

iOS and iPadOS

After each step, check your contacts, calendars, or reminders. 

Restart the Contacts, Calendar, or Reminders app

1. Close the app.

2. Return to your Home Screen.

3. Wait about one minute, then open the app again.

Refresh your contacts and calendars

To refresh your contacts, open the Contacts app and swipe down on the list. To refresh your contact groups, tap Lists in the upper-left corner, then swipe down on the list. 

If further assistance is needed, please confirm if you see the contacts as expected when visiting iCloud.com: View contacts on iCloud.com - Apple Support

Kind regards.