How to backup iphone contacts to computer

iPhones and iPads work independently these days, not requiring a PC or iTunes to perform tasks like OS updates (remember those days?) and content management. They can automatically back themselves up to iCloud and you can buy apps, games, music, movies, books and more on the iDevice itself.

However, if you need to copy all your contacts from your iPhone to your PC, there are several options available. We’ll explain the simplest of the bunch, which doesn’t involve installing any software and won’t cost any money: iCloud.

In fact, it’s a similar process to transferring photos from your iPhone to a PC.

Of course, you can use iTunes, or any number of third-party apps which can copy stuff from your iPhone to your PC.

How do I turn on iCloud?

First, you’ll need to enable iCloud on your iPhone, or just double-check that contacts are already being synced with iCloud.

To do this, open the Settings app and tap on your name right at the top. If you’re running an older version of iOS, you’ll have to scroll down or search settings for iCloud.

Assuming you have a recent version of iOS, after tapping your name you’ll see iCloud about halfway down the screen. Tap it, then in the ‘Apps using iCloud’ section, check that the toggle next to Contacts is enabled.

It’s worth pointing out that you do not need iCloud backup to be enabled for contacts to be synced.

Next, open a web browser on your PC. Go to iCloud.com and log in with your Apple ID. You might be prompted to enter a verification code (which you’ll get from your iPhone) if two-factor authentication is enabled on your account.

If so, tap Allow on the prompt on your iPhone, then enter the code displayed and choose to ‘Trust this browser’.

You’ll see all the available iCloud apps, with contacts second from the left. Click on it and you should see all the contacts stored on your iPhone.

This may be all you need, but if you want to copy those contacts to another application or service, you’ll need to export them.

To export iCloud contacts, first click on a contact in the list. Then press Ctrl-A to select all contacts (it will look like the screen above).

Now click on the cog icon at the bottom-left corner and choose Export vCard…

This brings up a window where you can choose an application with which to open the file (such as Outlook) or you can save the file on your hard drive.

If you wanted to import the contacts to Outlook, choose that first option. If it’s another service or an application that isn’t listed the choose to save the file.

Go to the app or webmail (such as Gmail) where you want to copy the contacts and look for an import option.

If Gmail, contacts are somewhat hard to find on the web version. You need to click the nine dots icon in the top-right to show Google Apps, then click on Contacts. The site opens in a new tab, and you’ll then need to expand the ‘More’ section to find the Import option.

Now choose the CSV or Vcard file option, browse to the file you just downloaded from iCloud and your contacts will be added to Gmail.

You might also like our guide on how to get videos off your iPhone to your PC.

Need to transfer your iPhone contact to your computer? Well, you can complete the job in just a few clicks. In this article, we are going to talk all about how to transfer iPhone contacts to a PC or a laptop.

Earlier, it used to be a pain to transfer data from your iPhone to your desktop, but with the latest software and apps, it has become rather easier to make the transfers. Now, you can transfer files and contacts from your iPhone to your computer in just seconds. So, let’s see how:

Part 1: Transfer Contacts from iPhone to PC with MobileTrans

Wondershare MobileTrans is the simplest solution for your iPhone data transfers. You can transfer contacts from your iPhone to your PC with one click. Moreover, MobileTrans helps you transfer contacts and other files between phones running on different platforms.

Here are the features that make Wondershare MobileTrans such a great app:

MobileTrans - Backup iPhone Contacts

Backup iPhone Contacts to PC and Mac Easily!

• • Backup 18+ important data on your device to a computer with one click.
• • Easily restore backup files to iOS/Android devices.
• • Supports transfer 18+ data between 6000+ mobile devices.
• • Supports transfer WhatsApp data between iOS and Android devices
• • Fully compatible with Windows 11 or Mac 12.0.
• • Fully compatible with iOS 15 and Android 12.0.

4,085,556 people have downloaded it

Now, let’s see how to export contacts from iPhone to PC:

Step 1: Launch MobileTrans on Your Computer

Install MobileTrans on your computer and connect your iPhone to the computer using a USB cable and launch it.

Step 2: Backup iPhone Contacts

Select the ‘Backup & Restore’ module and click on ‘Backup’ under ‘Phone Backup & Restore, and then choose to backup Contacts to the computer.

Step 3: Backup Completed

Click on the Start button to begin the backup. Now just sit back and wait for the process to be completed.

Make sure the phone is connected to your PC until the transfer is complete, else it will disrupt the transference. Once the process is complete, your contacts are saved on your computer now.

Part 2: Transfer Contacts from iPhone to Computer with iCloud

If you own an iPhone, you would have definitely come across the iCloud feature of Apple. For those who want to access data from different devices. The iCloud is a great option. As for now, let's see how you can backup contacts from iPhone to PC using iCloud.

Step 1: Switch on your iPhone, and go to Settings > Your Account Name > iCloud.

Step 2: Swipe down to turn on Contacts to sync your iPhone contacts to iCloud.

Step 3: Connect your iPhone to your computer via lightning cable.

Step 4: Go to iCloud.com and sign in with your Apple account.

Step 5: Click on “Contacts” to view your contacts, and then click on the cog icon to choose “Export vCard…”

Part 3: Transfer Contacts from iPhone to Windows PC with iTunes

Another way to backup contacts from iPhone to PC is via iTunes. The steps to save contacts are simple here.

Step 1: Connect your iPhone to your PC using a lightning cable and launch iTunes on the PC.

Step 2: Click on the iPhone icon on the left-hand side. From there, you need to click on the “info” option.

Step 3:  Now, depending on whether you want to transfer all the contacts or some of them, select one from the “sync all your contact” or “only selected groups.” Once you have selected, click on “apply.” This is it, now you have all the contact on your personal computer.

Part 4: Transfer Contacts from iPhone to a Computer with Email

If you have only a couple of contacts to be transferred from your iPhone to computer, then one of the feasible options is to use email. This method comes in handy as all you need to do is to send an e-mail to yourself. Let us see how you can transfer contacts from iPhone to a computer with email.

Step 1: Go to the Contacts app on your iPhone.

Step 2: Select the contact that you wish to send.

Step 3: Scroll down and click on the “Share Contacts” option and choose “Mail”.

Step 4: Send an e-mail to yourself.

Step 5: Check e-mail on your computer and download the attached contacts files.

Part 5: Transfer Contacts from iPhone to Mac with AirDrop

For those who want to transfer a few contacts from an iPhone to a Mac computer, one of the easiest ways is through the Airdrop app.

Step 1: Turn on the AirDrop on your iPhone by clicking on the Control Center.

Step 2: Make it available for “everyone.” You can turn it off once the transfer has been completed.

Step 3: Turn on the AirDrop feature on your Mac, and make sure it can be discovered by Everyone as well.

Step 4: Go to your iPhone and open the "contact" app.

Step 5: Within the "contact" app, select the contacts that you want to transfer, and tap on "Share Contacts”

Step 6: Among the options tap on “AirDrop” and then select your Mac system.

Step 7: On your Mac, you will receive a notification for acceptance click on “accept,” and you will start receiving the contacts.

Conclusion

Now that you have a list of ways to transfer contacts from iPhone to both windows and Mac systems, select one that suits your requirement. Each method has its benefits, and the efficiency depends on how much data you want to transfer and to which device.

If you are looking forward to transferring a large number of contacts from your iPhone to a personal computer, then we would suggest going for MobileTrans. It is a powerful application that dramatically simplifies the way we transfer data from one device to another, especially if you are using iPhones.

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