How to backup my contacts on android

Table of Contents Show

Don't lose your contacts when you get a new phone
What to Know
How to Sync Contacts to a Google Account Manually
How to Back Up Contacts on Android by Exporting Them
How to Import Contacts From a VCF File
How to use the Google Contacts app to make a backup
How to import SIM contacts to your Google account
How to export your contacts
Can you backup all of my contacts?
Does Google backup contacts on Android?
How do I transfer my contacts from my old phone to my new phone?
How can I backup my Samsung contacts?

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Don't lose your contacts when you get a new phone

Updated on October 21, 2021

What to Know

Go to Settings > Accounts > [your account]> Account sync > More (three vertical dots) > Sync now.
To export contacts, open the Contacts app and select Menu > Settings > Export. Select Save to download the .vcf file.
To import a .vcf file, open the Contacts app and go to Settings > Import > .vcf file. Navigate to the file and select it.

If you own an Android phone, Google automatically backs up your contacts, app data, call history, and more to Google Drive. This feature is turned on by default. When you log in to your Google account on a new phone, it syncs your data automatically. If you want to manually sync your contacts or export contacts into a separate file, you can upload the data to Google yourself. We show you how.

How to Sync Contacts to a Google Account Manually

Follow these steps to sync your contacts manually.

Manual syncing refreshes your account data for all Google apps, including apps that have auto-sync turned off.

Open your smartphone's Settings.
Select Accounts.
If you have multiple accounts, select the one you want to update.
Select Account sync > More (three vertical dots) > Sync now.

How to Back Up Contacts on Android by Exporting Them

You can take the contacts stored on your device's hard drive or SIM card and export those contacts into a .vcf file. This lets you import those contacts to a new phone.

Open the Contacts app on your Android phone.
Select Menu > Settings > Export.
If you have multiple accounts, choose the one you want to export your contacts from.
Select Save to download the .vcf file.
Once you have the .vcf file, store it in a safe place, either on removable storage like a SIM or memory card or in the cloud via services like Google Drive or Gmail.

How to Import Contacts From a VCF File

To upload your saved .vcf file to a new phone:

Open the Contacts app and select Settings > Import > .vcf file.
In the Downloads manager, select the Menu icon and navigate to where you saved the file (such as Google Drive or an SD card).
Once you select the .vcf file, Google automatically imports the data to your phone.

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Long gone are the days of little notebooks with phone numbers carefully scribbled inside. In these digital times it’s far more likely that the entirety of your friends’ and family’s details are stored in the Contacts app on your phone. That’s why it’s crucial that you back them up regularly, as this not only keeps them safe but also means when moving to a new device you’re much less likely to leave anyone behind.

How to use the Google Contacts app to make a backup

Before we look at exporting contacts and things like that, it’s worth noting that if you save your numbers into the Google Contacts app and have your account set to back up and sync to Google Drive, then they will automatically be saved in the cloud. It can also create entries from contacts stored in other apps, so long as they aren’t kept on your SIM card or are already syncing to cloud services (the example being Exchange).

As most Android phones come with more than one contacts app, the one you want has the icon of a white silhouette inside a blue circle and called Contacts.

Any details you create within this app will be stored in the Google servers and can then be easily restored when you move to a new device, as you just log in with your Google account and they should be there.

To ensure the feature is set up correctly, and to convert contacts from other apps, open Contacts and tap the three lines in the top left corner. From the menu that appears select Settings > Contact sync settings and you’ll be presented with two settings: Automatically sync Google contacts and Back up & sync device contacts.

On the latter, tap Manage settings and then turn on the Automatically back up and sync device contacts. You’ll need to confirm your Google account, but once this is done you’ll see your Backup Account listed on the Back up & sync screen and any contacts (except for the stipulations listed above) on your device should now also have Google Contact doppelgangers.

Back on the Contact sync settings page tap Manage settings under Automatically back up and sync device contacts then ensure that the Automatically sync option in enabled.

The last step is the open the Settings app on your phone then go to Google Settings > Backup and check that the Back up to Google Drive option is turned on.

If you also have an iPhones, then here’s how to back up an iPhone.

How to import SIM contacts to your Google account

While it’s not possible to use the method outlined above to create backups of contacts stored on a SIM card, there is a quick way to do it in a slightly more manual fashion. Go to the Google Contacts app and tap the three lines in the top left corner. From here select Settings and then scroll down until you find the Manage contacts section. Tap Import then select the SIM card option followed by OK.

You’ll now be able to choose the contacts you want to add to the Google Contacts app, which in turn will automatically back them up to the cloud. The same method can also be used to import any contacts stored on your phone in a .vcf format.

How to export your contacts

Should you want to create a backup of your contacts that you can store on your computer or different cloud storage service, it’s a simple process. Open the Google Contacts app and tap the three lines in the top left corner. Next, tap Settings, scroll down to the Manage contacts section and tap Export. You’ll automatically be taken to your Downloads folder with a file at the bottom named contacts.vcf. Tap the Save button and your backup will be deposited in the folder, leaving you free to do with it as you wish.

For more ways to get the best out of your Google-powered device, take a look at how to set up Face ID on Android, how to copy and paste on Android and Android 10 tips & tricks.

Can you backup all of my contacts?

You can back up the contacts stored on your phone or SIM card. If you lose or need to replace your phone, you can restore these contacts on the new phone. Restoring data varies by phone and Android version. You can't restore a backup from a higher Android version onto a phone running a lower Android version.

Does Google backup contacts on Android?

You can back up & sync contacts on your device by saving them as Google contacts. Google contacts are available across Google services. info Settings and features vary by device and Android version.

How do I transfer my contacts from my old phone to my new phone?

On your Android phone or tablet, open the Contacts app . At the bottom, tap Fix & manage Import from file. If you have multiple accounts on your device, pick the account where you want to save the contacts. Find and select the VCF file to import.