There are two major file formats come into action at the time of contact management; .csv (Excel) and .vcf (vCard). You can use Contact app in your iPhone to send your contacts one by one through Gmail and other messaging apps, but that process is not suitable for a large number of contacts. Your phone simply create a vCard file (.vcf) and transfer it through third-party apps. Almost all phones support vCard files. By following the given procedures, you can backup, or export iPhone contacts to your computer as .vcf or .csv file.
How to Backup or Export iPhone Contacts?
As I said before, there is no direct method to create a backup for your iPhone contacts to export into other devices. But, I have listed some procedures that will help you to export all of your contacts easily.
How to Export iPhone Contacts to iCloud as vCard
Every iDevice comes with a 5GB of iCloud storage to keep a backup of your media files, contacts, notes, etc. You can use iCloud to export all of your contacts as a .vcf file into your computer.
Before going ahead, make sure that your device is connected to a network and iCloud backup option is enabled for contacts.
1) Open the Settings app and tap on iCloud.
2) If you’re not logged in, then login into your iCloud account.
3) Once logged in, turned on the switch for Contacts.
4) After that, wait for a minute or two to let the contacts sync with the cloud server. Now you are ready to proceed further.
Export iPhone Contacts as a .vcf File from iCloud
The export feature doesn’t work on the Google Chrome browser. Use Safari or Firefox to create a backup and export iPhone contacts to PC.
1) Login to iCloud.com from your Windows or Mac computer.
2) Click on Contacts.
3) From the bottom-left of the window, click on the Settings icon and then click on Select All. You can select/deselect contacts by holding the Ctrl key.
4) Now, again click on the Settings icon and select “Export vCard…”
A .vcf file will be stored on your computer which you can use for importing on other devices.
Export iPhone Contacts to CSV or Excel
If you want to backup or export iPhone contacts to Excel to manage them on your computer, you need a third-party app for that. You need to download “My Contacts Backup” on your iPhone. It is a free app that you can download from the App Store. This is a simple app which allows you to export iPhone contacts to both vCard and CSV (Excel) file formats. Once you are done with downloading the app on your iPhone, follow the below procedure to make a backup.
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1) Open My Contacts Backup on your phone and click on the Settings icon from the bottom-right of the screen.
2) On the Settings page, you can switch export types in between vCard and CSV (Excel).
3) Now, come back to the main page and tap on the “Backup” button.
4) It takes few seconds to create the backup. Once the backup is created, it will be displayed an Email button to send the created backup to your email.
After sending your contacts file successfully, you can download it from the given email account. Or, you can store it in your email account as a draft. My Contacts Backup only allows you to take backup up to 500 contacts. If you have more contacts, then go with the Pro version or use “Easy Backup” app for that purpose.
Easy Backup is a free app to export iPhone contacts to vCard (.vcf) format only. The Pro version allows you to send the backup to various third-party apps, but with the free version you can only send it by email.
How to Expert iPhone Contacts to Gmail or Android
Gmail and Android are the products of Google. The contacts from your Android device sync with Google contacts. So, whatever you add on your phone’s contact automatically added in Gmail contacts. In order to export iPhone contacts to Gmail, you need a CSV or vCard file. After creating one of these file formats, follow the below procedure.
1) Sign in into your Google account and open Gmail or google.com/contacts. On your Gmail page, you need to switch the mail page with Contacts.
2) From the left side, scroll down and click on the “Import Contacts…” option.
3) Now select the backup file you have created earlier and click on “Import” button. That’s it.
This was the complete tutorial on how to backup or export iPhone contacts to Gmail, Excel, vCard or Computer. By following this procedure, you can easily manage your contacts on your computer and transfer them to different devices. If you like it, then don’t forget to share with your friends.
