How to copy contacts from Android to computer? Backing up contacts using improvised means.

Sometimes, in the event of any problems with your Android device, you have to resort to such radical measures as, for example, resetting the settings (hard reset), thereby losing (sometimes irretrievably) all information, including contacts. Anyone who has encountered such a situation at least once wants to protect themselves and save numbers from their phone book on their PC.

In fact, there are many ways to perform this procedure, and now we will tell you about them.

Transfer contacts via Google account

First, you need to create an account on Google or create a Gmail.com email (which is basically the same thing). It must be said that the Android mobile device is closely connected with the Google service, so if you want to get 100% return on your smartphone, then creating this account is a must. You will have to do this procedure from your device, so you will need a network connection.

A window will open showing your account. Here, to start synchronization, you need to click on your account, or on the “Sync” button. everything" located at the bottom of the window:

So, we synchronize phone numbers from our gadget with gmail.com mail. (that is, with the Google service). Therefore, to start synchronization, click “Synchronize”:

It remains to wait a few minutes until the end of the procedure.

Three items will appear in the window that opens: Gmail, “Contacts” and “Tasks”.

By clicking “Contacts”, we open a list of data. Here, in addition to phone numbers, there will be a list of all friends from Google+. You can start saving data into a text document. To do this, click “Advanced”, after which the “Export” window will appear. By choosing the first option, saving will take place in Microsoft Excel, but you can save in any format convenient for you:

Transfer contacts via USB

It is possible that this method will be easier for you. What do we do in this case? First you need to connect your Android to your PC using a USB cable. Then open the phone book:

Now you need to open the context menu (display button at the bottom) and select “Import/export”:

A list of commands will open, from which you need to select “Export to SD memory card”, and then confirm by clicking “Yes”, which saves the data to the SD card:

Now open the external card with the computer. A file with the VCF extension (Microsoft Outlook format) appeared on it. This is where our copied information is located:

After this procedure, by setting up mail using Microsoft Outlook, the file will open in an easy-to-read format.

If you don’t have this program, or you use another email client, then without turning off your smartphone, go into your mail again, click “Advanced” and select “Import”. Then click “Select file” and find our file in CSV format via your computer:

Now, by clicking the blue “Import” button, we will receive the data, as in the first case. And by clicking the “Advanced” button and selecting “Print”, the data will be displayed in an easy-to-read form. Now you can select the list with the mouse or hot keys (Ctrl+A) and copy it to a Microsoft Word document or notepad.

It remains to add that there are also special applications that allow you to transfer contacts from Android to your computer. However, it’s probably not worth it to specifically take up gadget space to transfer contacts using a program, because the methods that we’ve just talked about cope with the task quite successfully.

Transferring contacts from a phone is the first question that arises when changing an Android device or updating the firmware. We will tell you how to quickly and safely save all your contacts and easily transfer them to another device, be it a PC or directly to Android.


There are many ways to transfer contacts and a phone book, we have created instructions for the simplest and most universal methods, choose the one that suits you: but keep in mind that to transfer to a PC you will need at least a USB cable or a Bluetooth receiver.

Transfer contacts from Android to Android using Google synchronization

This is the easiest way to transfer the phone book when changing the firmware or updating the device, and no third-party applications or complex manipulations are required at all. Google services installed on the device by default have a built-in synchronization function; it allows you to save data for transfer to the cloud:

How to transfer contacts to Android using PC

We need: a previous phone that supports connection via a USB cable and the USB cable itself, or a PC and a phone with Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.
Our task: save the phone book in 1 file in CSV or VCF format and transfer it to a new phone. Most old phones do not have such a built-in function, which is why we use a computer and a program that supports a large number of phones from different manufacturers MOBILedit! (You can also use your manufacturer's program to synchronize data - they are usually located on official websites).

This method is focused on transferring contacts from an old phone to a modern Android device, but in general it is universal.

Instructions


We will talk in more detail about transferring the .csv contact file to Google, because this is the most convenient of all methods and it has many advantages:

  • automatic synchronization with new contacts on your Android if the Internet is available, if this function is enabled on the phone
  • you can edit contacts even without a phone
  • transfer contacts to any other android simply by specifying your account
  • restore deleted contacts within 30 days
  • automatically or manually merge duplicate contacts from different services (phone book, social networks, email services, etc.)

To do this, you must have mail from gmail.com. How to create an email account in Gmail, why else you need an account in the Google Play Market, and what opportunities you will get after registration are described in detail in the article: Registration and setting up the Play Market.

Instructions for importing .csv copies of contacts into Google



By the way, in a completely similar way you can export all numbers from your Google account, in case of transfer to a device with an operating system other than Android.

How to transfer contacts to Android without a PC

The choice of method for transferring contacts to Android without a PC depends on capabilities of your previous phone. Let's look at the main ones:

Via Bluetooth

Connect your 2 devices: to do this, turn on Bluetooth on both phones, on your Android device go to: Settings - Bluetooth - checkmark (slider) on "Visibility to other devices". In your previous phone, go to the Bluetooth settings and turn on the search for a new device, select your Android in the list and confirm the connection - to do this you will need to enter any identical numbers (password) on both devices.


Select the contacts needed for transfer: in the options (functions) of the phone book of your previous phone, look for "Select multiple" or "Select all"(if you don't find such an option, try clicking first "Transmit (Send) via Bluetooth", and perhaps here your phone will prompt you to select several contacts). Not all phones have this feature, so you may have to transfer each contact individually or choose a different method. And the lucky ones need to select send via Bluetooth in the functions and wait a little.

Save contacts to SD card (not all regular phones support it)

In the phone book options, find “Save contacts to SD memory card”, then install it in your Android device and go to: Contacts – Options – Import/Export – SD card.

Via SIM card

This method is used in the most hopeless situation (the previous phone was just a “dialer” without additional features), since the number of contacts that you can transfer at one time is about 200 (depending on the capacity of the SIM card) and the length of the name is limited.


You need to transfer contacts to the SIM card memory on your old phone and install it in a new Android device (if you have a large phone book, you will have to do this action several times, remembering the name you settled on).


So, in this article we looked at how to transfer contacts to Android in the most convenient, simple and fastest ways.


Choose the method that suits you to transfer contacts to Android and be sure to sync them with your Google account or at least save your phone book on your PC or any cloud storage, for example Google Drive, and you will always have access to them, regardless of the location or state of your Android device.

  • June 11, 2017
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Smartphones and tablets have become an integral part of the daily lives of most of the population. To communicate with another user, just go to “Contacts” and call or send a text message to the subscriber in a few clicks.

Gadgets running on the Android operating system have a built-in function that allows you to synchronize contacts. However, not many people know about this, and therefore smartphone owners often face the problem of how to save contacts from Android to a computer or another phone.

What is contact synchronization and why is it necessary?

It's no secret that smartphone thefts have become more frequent in recent years. Also, many may simply lose their gadget. Sometimes, during unexpected situations, the phone can be seriously damaged. In such cases, it can be difficult to restore all contacts, since almost no one uses the address book anymore.

To avoid such problems, you need to prepare in advance and find out how to save contacts from Android to your computer. Due to the fact that the Android operating system was developed by Google, synchronizing contacts is quite simple.

All data is uploaded to cloud storage, where the user can view and edit it. In addition, data can be accessed from any device: smartphone, tablet, computer.

This function is useful when changing gadgets; just connect your Google account to your smartphone, and all contacts will be automatically restored.

How to synchronize on a smartphone or tablet?

Synchronizing contacts on a smartphone is quite simple. The following provides information on how to save contacts from Android to a computer step by step.

In order for data synchronization to succeed, you must be registered with Google. Then:

  • Open the Settings menu on your smartphone.
  • Go to the “Accounts and Synchronization” tab.
  • Click on the “Add account” item.
  • From the list provided, select “Add a new account” if you need to register with Google. Or “Link an existing one” if the mailbox is already registered.
  • Enter your account details.
  • Exit the Settings menu and go to Contacts.
  • Open the settings menu and select “Import/Export”.
  • From the drop-down list, select the location from which the data will be copied: SIM card, phone memory or memory card.
  • After selecting the contact location, you need to select the account with which the data will be synchronized.
  • Select the desired contacts and click “Copy”.

How to save contacts from Android to computer?

Contacts synchronization is complete. All that remains is to find out how to save contacts from Android to your computer. Now you can view all contacts transferred to cloud storage from your computer. To do this, you need to log in to Google through any browser.

You can view the data in the “Google Contacts” tab, which is located on the email page. This way you can not only view all contacts, but also perform several actions. Data can be edited, copied and deleted. The service allows the user to combine identical contacts.

All that remains is to figure out how to save contacts from Android to your computer and back. In the case of a smartphone, you just need to enter your account details, and they will appear in the phone book. Copying data to your computer is easy. Necessary:

  • Go to the “Contacts” tab.
  • Select "Advanced".
  • In the menu that appears, click on “Export”.
  • Select the format in which the data will be saved (vCard, CSV for Outlook and Google CSV).
  • Click "Export".

Synchronize data without an Internet connection

There is no need to despair; you can create an additional copy of your contacts using a backup. After this, you don’t have to worry about how to save contacts from Android to your computer. Via USB they will be transferred to secure storage in a few minutes.

Transferring data from a computer to an Android device

After all contacts have been synchronized with the Google account and then exported to the hard drive, the smartphone owner just needs to figure out how to transfer the information back to the phone.

There are several ways to transfer data:

  • Via USB connection. Thus, you need to transfer the contacts file from the computer to the phone memory.
  • Transfer a file via Bluetooth.

But the easiest way to restore contacts is to add a Google account to your smartphone.

Transferring contacts from an Android device to an Android or iPhone

You can transfer contacts from one smartphone to another without the help of a computer.

In order to copy data to another Android device, you do not need Internet access. Necessary:

  • Go to the “Contacts” menu.
  • Select "Import/Export".
  • Save data to memory card.
  • Transfer the file via Bluetooth or insert a memory card into another smartphone and import data from the file.

Unfortunately, this method may not work when transferring data to an iOS device. Different operating systems support different data formats. The most reliable way is to use synchronization through your Google account.

Performing the procedure for synchronizing contacts with your Google account or saving the data to a separate file takes a few minutes. But this action will help protect yourself from losing all contacts in the event of an unforeseen situation.

Thanks to a special application from Google, you can copy selected contacts to other devices via email. This method is most suitable for transferring contacts between devices that you do not want to associate with a common account.

Contacts in the form of a single VCF file will be attached to the letter. The recipient can save this document on their computer or smartphone. To add the entries stored in the file to the phone book of another Android device, just open the received VCF document using the Contacts application.

Method 1: Using a computer

The web version of Google's Contacts app allows you to save selected contacts on your computer as a single file, which you can use to copy them to any iOS or Android device. It is not necessary to link devices with a common account. But this method will be convenient only if you have a computer at hand.

  1. Launch a browser on your computer and open “Contacts”.
  2. Log in to the account to which the desired contacts are linked.
  3. In the menu on the left, click “More” → “Export”, and then “TO OLD VERSION”.
  4. Mark the contacts you need, then click on the “More” button and select “Export”.
  5. Complete the process using system prompts.

As a result, a document with contacts in the form of a VCF file will be downloaded to your computer.

  1. Contacts ".
  1. Contacts » on the iCloud website using the Apple ID to which you want to copy the entries.

Method 2: Using a Google Account


By connecting a new Android smartphone or iPhone to your Google account, you can immediately copy all the contacts linked to this account on your old device to the gadget. Unlike the previous method, you cannot choose which contacts will be copied. But you don't need a computer for this.

First, open the settings on the source smartphone, find the connected Google account and make sure that contact synchronization is activated.

If you are copying contacts to an Android smartphone:

  1. Go to the settings of the target device and open the section dedicated to accounts.
  2. Go back to the accounts section in settings and select Google.
  3. Open the added account and sync its contacts with your device.

If you are copying contacts to iPhone:

  1. Go to your iPhone settings and tap Contacts → Accounts → Add Account → Google.
  2. Add a Google account to which the necessary contacts are linked.
  3. Open the added account and sync its contacts with iPhone.

The Contacts web app lets you save selected contacts to your macOS or Windows computer as a single file that can be copied to any iOS or Android device. There is no need to link smartphones with a common account. But this method will be convenient only if you have a computer at hand.

  1. Launch a browser on your computer and sign in to “Contacts” on the iCloud website using the Apple ID from which you want to copy the entries.
  2. Select the desired contacts in the list.
  3. Click on the gear in the lower left corner and select “Export vCard”.

The selected contacts will be saved on your computer as a VCF file.

If you are copying contacts to iPhone:

  1. Launch a browser on your computer and sign in to “Contacts” on the iCloud website using the Apple ID to which you want to copy the contacts.
  2. Click on the gear in the lower left corner and select “Import vCard”.
  3. Specify the path to the contacts file and confirm the import.
  4. Open the Contacts mobile app on the target iPhone and refresh the contact list by swiping from top to bottom.

If you are copying contacts on Android:

  1. Send the file to the target device, for example via email.
  2. Open the received document using the Contacts application.

How to copy contacts from iPhone to another iPhone

Method 1: Using the Contacts mobile application


The Contacts app allows you to share selected contacts via instant messengers, SMS and other services. This method is most suitable for copying single contacts to devices that you do not want to associate with a common Apple ID with the source device. You don't need a computer for this.


By connecting a new iPhone to your Apple ID, you can copy to the gadget all the contacts associated with this Apple ID on your old iPhone. Unlike the previous method, you cannot choose which data will be transferred. But this method copies the entire phone book at once.

  1. Make sure the same Apple ID is connected to both devices.
  2. Go to settings on the source device and click on the profile name at the very top.
  3. Select iCloud and make sure that the switch next to “Contacts” is green.
  4. Scroll down and tap “iCloud Backup” → “Backup.”
  5. Make sure that in the iCloud settings on the target iPhone, the switch next to “Contacts” is also green.
  6. Launch the Contacts app on the target iPhone and update the data by swiping from top to bottom.
  7. Please wait a few minutes for the synchronization to complete.

How to copy contacts from an Android smartphone to a SIM card or vice versa

You will most likely find options for importing from and exporting to a SIM card in the contacts application preinstalled on your device. If not, then install the Contacts program from Google. Select “Export” or “Import” in its settings depending on your purpose and follow the prompts on the screen.

If for some reason you are unable to copy contacts using the pre-installed program and application from Google, look for alternatives on Google Play. For example, try the application “SIM cards and contacts. Broadcast".

How to copy contacts from a SIM card to iPhone

  1. Insert the SIM card into the iPhone.
  2. Go to settings and click “Contacts” → “Import SIM contacts”.
  3. Wait for the import to complete.

Unfortunately, you cannot copy contacts from iPhone to SIM card without jailbreaking iOS.

Device users often have a question about how to download contacts from an Android phone to a computer, is this really possible? In this article I will tell you ways to do this.

Download contacts from an Android phone to a computer so as not to lose them in case of breakdown or theft and use the computer as a backup storage. After all, photos, videos, music, etc. We store it on the computer, why not store contacts in the same way?

There are cases when it is not possible to transfer contacts from device to device. For example, the touchscreen is broken or the screen is broken, i.e. there is no way to control the phone. In this case, all that remains is to connect the phone to the computer via USB and download the contacts.

An easy way to download contacts

The easiest way to start trying to download contacts is the function built into the Android operating system.

  1. Go to the smartphone menu and go to “Contacts”

2. Then click on the three dots in the upper right corner and click on the “Import/Export” item

3. On some models, the “Import/Export” item may be located in a different location. For example, for Samsung phones, you need to go to “Contacts”, then click the three dots and then click “Settings” and there you will find the item we need.

4. So, a section that can import and export has been found. Let's get started. Find a button with the text “ Export to VCF file", the text may change depending on the device and the firmware. For example, " Export to storage."

5. The next step is to choose where we want to save our contacts. There are several options for where you can save your contacts. You can save contacts on your phone and then transfer them via USB to your computer, or you can save them to Google Drive cloud storage. But we will save the contacts to your phone.

6. Specify the name of the file under which the contacts will be saved.

7. Now let's download contacts from your phone to your computer. We connect the phone via USB, look for the saved file in the “Downloads” folder, you may have a different folder, depending on where you saved it.

8. To restore the contacts that we downloaded, you need to go to the same section from which we downloaded on a new device or on an old one. This time you need to click " Import from VCF file."

Download contacts using your Google account

If your contacts are synchronized with your account, then you can download contacts even without a smartphone. This method is suitable if the device is not in working condition.

Go to page contacts.google.com. We look for the “Export” button and click on it. You may need to expand the menu by clicking on the “More” button.

We select the contacts we want to export, or select all of them and click on the three dots in the upper right corner, then “Export”.

Saving contacts using third-party programs

If for some reason the methods suggested above do not suit you, then you can resort to using third-party programs. But you need to be careful when choosing programs so as not to fall for scammers and not to catch viruses that will send messages to your contacts. The Airdroid program has proven itself well. To do this, you need to install the application on your phone, and you only need an Internet connection on your computer. There is also a good program called MOBILedit. Using it you can download not only contacts, but also call logs, SMS messages and much more.

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