How to sync your contacts to iCloud and access all of your contacts from any device

August 2024 ยท 4 minute read

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When you sync your contacts to iCloud, you'll be able to access them anywhere, regardless of whether you're using your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or even a Windows computer. All of your contacts will be stored on the cloud so that you have access to them anywhere you can sign in. 

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An important note โ€” you cannot sync your contacts from iCloud.com or iCloud for Windows. However, if you have already synced them from another device, you can still edit them using these programs.

Before you sync your contacts, you should note that unsyncing them does not automatically delete them from the devices synced to your iCloud โ€” it just means that no new contacts you add will be synced. If you want to delete already synced contacts, you'll have to do it manually.

How to sync contacts from an iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch

1. Open the Settings app on your device.

2. At the top of the Settings menu, tap on your name and Apple ID.

In the Settings app, tap your name and Apple ID at the top. Melanie Weir/Business Insider

3. In the Apple ID menu, tap "iCloud."

Select "iCloud" on the Apple ID page. Melanie Weir/Business Insider

4. Under "Apps using iCloud," toggle the "Contacts" switch to the on position.

Toggle "Contacts" to the on position. Melanie Weir/Business Insider

5. A pop-up will appear asking if you want to cancel or merge your contacts with your iCloud account โ€” tap "Merge."

How to sync contacts from a Mac computer

1. On the menu at the top of your screen, click the Apple symbol in the left corner.

2. Select "System Preferences" in the dropdown menu.

Click "System Preferences" in the dropdown Apple menu. Grace Eliza Goodwin/Business Insider

3. In the System Preferences window, click "Apple ID" in the top right corner.

Click on "Apple ID" in the top right corner of the System Preferences window. Grace Eliza Goodwin/Business Insider

Note: If you are using MacOS Mojave or earlier, you can skip this step.

4. Click "iCloud" from the menu on the left side.

Click on "iCloud" on the left side of the Apple ID page. Grace Eliza Goodwin/Business Insider

5. On the iCloud menu, click the checkbox next to "Contacts." This will sync any contacts not specified as "On my Mac."

Click the box next to "Contacts." Grace Eliza Goodwin/Business Insider

If you want to sync contacts specified as "On my Mac," you will have to manually drag them from "On my Mac" to "All iCloud."

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Freelance author Melanie Weir is a freelance author for Insider, mainly focusing on the Tech Reference section, but occasionally contributing to Lifestyle and Entertainment topics as well. She is also a freelance writer for ScreenRant, and is the Lead Weekend News Editor at TheThings.com. In her spare time she writes plays for both stage and screen. She can be reached at melanie.weir1008@gmail.com, or through LinkedIn. Read more Read less

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