This is about 5 years too late for you, but this is the 2nd time I've had to find this answer, so in case anyone else needs it. These steps were tested on Windows 7, if you are on some other platform most of the info will still be useful, but you will need different utilities to actually extract the data and read the file.
First
Get a program called iPhone Backup Browser (it's a google code project from waaaay back).
There are a LOT of fake or possibly fake products with this name. Here are the google code and github links I used:
Then
- Virus check everything (because you shouldn't trust anyone on the Internet)
- Run iPhoneBackupBrowser.exe
- Select your backup
Note: Any backups in the default location (C:\Users\<your username>\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup) will be found automatically
There's a browse button if you need to look elsewhere
- Select the Advanced tab
- Open the tree to: Library -> AddressBook
- Select AddressBook.sqlitedb
- Enter a file save location at the bottom of the dialog
- Click "extract selected files"
- Boom, it's there in your location.
- This is an sql so you'll need an sqlite browser. If you don't have one, try SqlLiteBrowser at http://sqlitebrowser.org/
It has a GitHub repository if you want to build from source: GitHub - sqlitebrowser/sqlitebrowser: Official home of the DB Browser for SQLite (DB4S) project. Previously known as "SQ…
- Run anti-virus again. 🙂
- Install sqlitebrowser (aka db.browser)
- Run sqlitebrowser
- Rename the file you extracted from AddressBook.sqlitedb to AddressBook.sqlite (it can't find .sqlitedb extension)
- Click Open Database and select your extracted file
- I'm not a DBA, but a quick google search gave me the query we need from laacz on GitHub(with slight modification to the email field). Thanks Iaacz!
Click thje "Execute SQL" tab and paste the following (including the last semicolon) into the blank area within the "SQL 1" tab
select ABPerson.ROWID
, ABPerson.first
, ABPerson.last
, ABPerson.Organization as organization
, ABPerson.Department as department
, ABPerson.Birthday as birthday
, ABPerson.JobTitle as jobtitle
, (select value from ABMultiValue where property = 3 and record_id = ABPerson.ROWID and label = (select ROWID from ABMultiValueLabel where value = '_$!<Work>!$_')) as phone_work
, (select value from ABMultiValue where property = 3 and record_id = ABPerson.ROWID and label = (select ROWID from ABMultiValueLabel where value = '_$!<Mobile>!$_')) as phone_mobile
, (select value from ABMultiValue where property = 3 and record_id = ABPerson.ROWID and label = (select ROWID from ABMultiValueLabel where value = '_$!<Home>!$_')) as phone_home
, (select value from ABMultiValue where property = 4 and record_id = ABPerson.ROWID) as email
, (select value from ABMultiValueEntry where parent_id in (select ROWID from ABMultiValue where record_id = ABPerson.ROWID) and key = (select ROWID from ABMultiValueEntryKey where lower(value) = 'street')) as address
, (select value from ABMultiValueEntry where parent_id in (select ROWID from ABMultiValue where record_id = ABPerson.ROWID) and key = (select ROWID from ABMultiValueEntryKey where lower(value) = 'city')) as city
from ABPerson
order by ABPerson.ROWID
;
Click the play button above the tab
All your info should appear in the blank area below
Click on the little square button in the bottom right and select "Export to CSV"
It pops up a settings dialog. I used:
- Column names in first line (checked)
- Field seperator , (comma)
- Quote character " (quote)
- New line character Windows: CR+LF (didn't work well in Windows/Excel otherwise)
Click OK
Select a place/name to save the file
Click Save
Hopefully you should have your contacts back now in what's known as CSV format.
This readable by spreadsheet programs like Excel, but you can open it up in any text reader and it should be readable.
Good luck!