How do I export iPhone contacts?

If you'd rather skip syncing the iPhone with iTunes and still export the contacts to your computer, use a number of apps MyContactsBackup (Windows/Mac), Phoneview (Mac), CopyTrans (Windows), etc. Here's a list of apps which you can use to export iOS contacts to PC without iTunes:

http://forums.afterdawn.com/t.cfm/f-218/how_to_transfer_iphone_contacts_to_compu ter_without_itunes-934079/

Alternatively, use iTunes and sync your iPhone contacts to Outlook on your computer or to the Mac Address Book. This method requires an iTunes sync.

Slightly different situation

Inherited my wifes work iphone which she wants to keep all the contacts from. She no longer can access itunes log in - former company so no access to email that was tied to it for PW recovery. The one we had written down isn't working.

I want my contacts on teh iphone but not mixed up with hers - ideally if one could have two address books !! however...

So I want to extract hers and keep them somewhere safe so we can re import if required.

Cheers

Slightly different situation

Inherited my wifes work iphone which she wants to keep all the contacts from. She no longer can access itunes log in - former company so no access to email that was tied to it for PW recovery. The one we had written down isn't working.

I want my contacts on teh iphone but not mixed up with hers - ideally if one could have two address books !! however...

So I want to extract hers and keep them somewhere safe so we can re import if required.

Cheers

Reply to this one not the other - I won't see the email notification ( two Apple ID's)

As I understand your contacts are not on iCloud, but just synced locally with your Mac. What I do is to share them to Gmail from your Mac: Preferences > On my Mac > synchronize with Google.

That way you'll have two ways syncing between Gmail and your Mac + your Mac will sync with your iPhone.

Also, I've tried iPhone Transfer mentioned in another post, and it can transfer contacts from iPhone easily.

There is also another app, Contact Sheet (https://itunes.apple.com/app/id894488957?mt=8), that will allow you to export your contacts to a spreadsheet (CSV) file, to a backup contact file (VCF) and will also save a printable version (PDF). This app is not free (it cost $1.99) but it is really convenient and it will allow you to back up just the contacts that you want to back up / share / print out.

VCF files (also called vCard files) are contact files which contain the most complete contact data possible (i.e. contact photo, contact notes, contact phone numbers and types, etc). It is always recommended that you back up your iPhone contacts in vCard format as you can use this file type and export your iPhone contacts to another iDevice or to your email account. You can adopt iCloud backup to backup your iPhone contacts and here are some guidance of backup with iCloud: How to back up your devices using iCloud or iTunes - Apple Support. When you want them back, you could restore them with choosing "Restore from iCloud backup" in turning on your iPhone to reset the settings, so that it is possible to export your iPhone contacts easily.

The email adddresses are listed under the HOME column (my column U). I hope this helps.

Hi all,

I have a similar-but-different problem.

My mother's old iPhone 3 was really playing up with txts - losing txts, refusing to play any noise for incoming txts. My father bought her a new iPhone 5, and did the whole rigmarole of transferring all the photos and contacts and so on. When she started using the new iPhone 5 she found it had simply inherited the same problems - lots of problems with txts.

We took the new iPhone 5 to the Apple shop, and they tried a 'Restore' which wiped out all the recent txts, but didn't fix the problem. "Oh," said the helpful Apple employee, "It shouldn't have done that." He explained that the txting database must be corrupted, and the next thing we must try is a full erase and Restore. he told us to back up the phone first.

I can't synch the phone on my computer. It tells me I don't have a new enough version of iTunes, but when I try to get a newer version it tells me my computer can't use a newer version. So my choice is to find another way of backing up or buy a new computer. i can't afford a new computer.

I've backed up all the photos to iPhoto. I hope I'll be able to reload those if we get the phone working, but it isn't all that important whether they're on the phone or not.

The next problem is how do I back up the contacts in such a way that I can reload them onto an iPhone 5, if we get it working? I've tried various links to software in this thread and others, but some of the software is PC-only, some requires a 'jailbroken' phone, some can download Contacts but don't say they can upload.

Can anyone suggest a programme that definitely can both download/backup the Contacts *and* put them back on an iPhone 5 after it's done an Erase and Reset?

Thanks very much if you can help.

The tools mentioned above is not work for me. I don't know why. Are there anything else could be try?

TThe post you responded to is 4 years old. I suggest you post a new question rather than tag on to this out of date thread.

Changing PAYG SIM from EE to O2, and want to sync contacts from iPhone 5 using iTunes on PC before change over. Looked in iTunes but cannot find any instructions. How do I do this please?

Simple language because a bit of a dunce.

Granma Rocks wrote:

Changing PAYG SIM from EE to O2, and want to sync contacts from iPhone 5 using iTunes on PC before change over. Looked in iTunes but cannot find any instructions. How do I do this please?

Simple language because a bit of a dunce.

You have several options:

Sync your iPhone to a Contact app on your computer using a USB cable

• Connect the phone to a USB port on your computer
• If iTunes doesn't launch, launch it
• Click on the iPhone icon in the top bar of iTunes
• Click on Info in the left menu
• Choose an app to sync contacts to
• Click the Sync button

Back up the phone to iTunes - You should do this regularly, in addition to any other sync option

• Connect the phone to a USB port on your computer
• If iTunes doesn't launch, launch it
• Click on the iPhone icon in the top bar of iTunes
• Click Back up now
• This will not save contacts in a useable form, but it will allow you to restore all of the phone's content back to the phone

Use iCloud Sync

• On the phone, go to Settings/iCloud and turn on Contacts
• This will sync your contacts to iCloud. You can see them on your computer by going to https://icloud.com and logging in with your Apple ID and password
• If you have a Mac you can also turn on Contacts in System Preferences, iCloud and they will appear in your Contacts app.

Use gmail contacts sync

If you have a gmail account go to Settings/Mail, Contacts, Calendars, tap on the gmail account, and turn on Contacts

Use Microsoft Office contacts sync

If you have a Microsoft Exchange account or Office 365 account go to Settings/Mail, Contacts, Calendars, tap on the Office or Exchange account, and turn on Contacts

TThanks Lawrence I shall try this tomorrow. Thank you for a speedy reply too

HI Lawrence. Did the back up to iTunes option before changing from EE to O2. Then restored back up after and all contacts on iPhone as good as new. Thanks for your help

Adding a new reply to this janky old aging thread. It is not intuitive but in the recent years, apple has begun pushing icloud on people, including free storage enough for your contacts and a bit of other stuff.

To export your contacts, you can no longer do it through itunes. You now need to go log into icloud.com

Select contacts

Go to the settings gear in the bottom left corner

select all

select export to vcard - which will download them all to your downloads folder.

you can then import to gmail or your android device.

hope this helps anyone else save an hour of their life.