How to sync contacts from your iPhone to Mac

Last Updated :  |  Wide Angle Software

Summary

Ensuring that you have all your important contact information wherever you go is imperative in this day and age.

Syncing your contacts between your iPhone and Mac doesn't have to be complicated. Here are 2 ways to achieve this; whether you want to use iCloud or not.

• Sync Contacts from iPhone to Mac without iCloud
• Sync Contacts from iPhone to Mac using iCloud

Sync Contacts from iPhone to Mac without iCloud

Whether you are getting a new phone and need to transfer your existing device's contacts, or whether you want to back up your address book for safe keeping, TouchCopy can help. You can copy iPhone contacts to your Mac as VCards, or directly into Apple's Address Book app.

To copy contacts from iPhone to your Mac, follow these instructions...

1. Download and install TouchCopy on your Mac.
2. Run TouchCopy and connect your iPhone.
3. When TouchCopy finds your device, select it, then click the Contacts tab.
4. Select the contacts that you wish to copy, or use the cmd+A combination on your keyboard to select the entire list of contacts.
5. Click "Copy to Mac" in TouchCopy.
6. Select the copy destination, and the copy will start.

The free trial version of TouchCopy, enabling you see if the software meets your needs, is available here:

Free TouchCopy Download For Mac

Further Details

Sorting Contacts

TouchCopy makes it easy to find contacts. Sort by first name or last name, or search for specific contacts by using the search box in the top-right corner of the application.

Copying Contacts to Mac

To copy contacts in VCard format, select the contacts you wish to copy, or use the cmd+A keyboard combination to select all of your contacts. Then, click the "Copy to Mac" button.

Copying Contacts to Address Book / Contacts

If you wish to copy your iPhone contacts directly into your Address Book / Contacts app, select the contacts you wish to copy, or use the cmd+A keyboard combination to select all of your contacts. Then, click the "Copy to Address Book" or "Save to Contacts" button (depending on the version of macOS that you are running).

Transfer contacts to a new device

If your Contacts app and your iPhone are set up to automatically sync with iCloud, your contacts will automatically appear on your device. If this is not the case, make sure that your contacts are stored in your Address Book / Contacts app. If you copied as VCard, you can import these files into the Contacts app by using File -> Import...

Once your Address Book is populated on your Mac, you can transfer your contacts to another iPhone.

To do this, open iTunes (or Finder in macOS Catalina or higher) and connect your iPhone. Click your iPhone's device icon, and hit the "Info" tab. Here you can select to sync your Mac's Contacts with your iPhone. Once complete, click "Apply".

Sync Contacts from iPhone to Mac using iCloud

To ensure that your contacts are always in sync between your iPhone and Mac you can use iCloud.

To do this, you'll need to ensure that iCloud Contacts is enabled on both of your devices.

Enable iCloud Contacts on iPhone:

1. Open Settings on your iPhone.
2. Tap your name, then iCloud.
3. Under "Apps using iCloud", toggle Contacts to ON.
4. Here, you may be prompted to merge your existing contacts with those in iCloud. Tap "Merge" to continue.

Enable iCloud Contacts on Mac:

1. Open System Preferences on your Mac.
2. Click "iCloud" (or "Apple ID" then "iCloud" on macOS Catalina and higher).
3. Click to check Contacts in your list. Your Contacts will start to sync from iPhone to Mac.