5 Ways to Restore Deleted Contacts on iPhone

With early exposure to Nokia Symbian phones, Subham got hooked on smartphones and consumer tech. He brings 1.5 years of writing experience with great investigative research skills. Subham is drawn to tech with aesthetic appeal and excellent UI; also, he primarily focuses on the Apple ecosystem. In his free time, Subham can be found diving into research and enjoying a good read.

Supreeth is passionate about technology and dedicates himself to helping people figure it out. An engineer by education, his understanding of the inner workings of all types of gadgets and devices ensures he provides top-notch guidance, tips, and recommendations to his readers. When away from the desk, you will find him traveling, playing FIFA, or hunting for a good movie.

Method 1: Enable iCloud or Google Contacts

Sometimes,contacts on your iPhonecan simply disappear with an accidental tap. Let’s fix this from the Settings and get your contacts back.

Step 1:OpenSettings > Contacts > Accounts.

Tip: On the Contacts settings page, glance at the Default Account. For example, in my case, it says Gmail, which means any contact I create and save on my iPhone will also be saved to my Google account.

Step 2: Here are all the accounts that show Contacts on your iPhone. If your contacts are stored in iCloud, tap iCloud; otherwise, tap Gmail or others.

Tip: If you don’t know if the contacts that disappeared from your iPhone were saved on iCloud or Gmail, you can try enabling them individually.

Step 3: TapiCloudagain and tapShow All.

Step 4: Now, ensure the toggle forContactsis enabled. Once done, press and hold the iCloud back button at the top left.

Step 5: A list of previous directories will open in a pop-up, tapAccounts > Gmail.

Step 6: Again, ensure that theContactstoggle is enabled.

That’s it. Now, all the lost contacts should appear back on your iPhone.

Method 2: Get Contacts Back on iPhone From iCloud Website

If you have deleted a Contact that was saved to your iCloud account, iCloud on the web allows you to restore contacts without doing much.

Note: Before accessing iCloud on the web, ensure that accessing the iCloud Data on the web is enabled from your iPhone. Here’s how to do it.

Step 1: Launch Settings on your iPhone, tap yourname/Apple ID, and go toiCloud.

Step 2: Scroll down and turn on the toggle forAccess iCloud Data on the Web.

Let’s move to a Mac or PC for further steps to access iCloud on the web and follow these steps:

Step 1: OpeniCloud in any browseron your Mac or PC and clickData Recovery.

iCloud (Web)

Step 2: ClickRestore Contacts.

Step 3: A list of contacts archive will open. Click onRestorein front of the recent ones to restore it.

Step 4: ClickRestoreto confirm the restoration of Contacts.

If you cannot recover your iCloud contacts with the help of the method mentioned above, we suggest youcontact Apple Supportto get more assistance as soon as possible.

However, if it wasGoogle contactsthat you were looking to restore, let’s move on to the next section.

Method 3: Recover Deleted Google Contacts on iPhone

Google also allows you to recover deleted contacts, whether it was deleted from an iPhone or an Android.

Step 1: OpenGoogle Contactsin any browser on your Mac or PC and clickTrash.

Step 2: Take your mouse pointer to thecontact you want to restoreand click to select it.

Step 3: Now, clickRecover. The contact should reappear soon on your iPhone.

Method 4: Restore Contacts From iCloud Backup

You can also try restoring from iCloud backup. But do note that you will need toerase your devicefirst and then follow the below steps to restore it from the iCloud backup. Your contact will get automatically restored to your iPhone, along with the device backup.

Note: This is a lengthy process, and you can’t use your device while erasing and restoring; hence, proceed cautiously.

Step 1: Turn on your iPhone and follow the prompts until you see the Apps & Data page. TapRestore from iCloud Backup.

Step 2: Now,sign inwith the same Apple ID.

Step 3: Tap on abackupto restore it to your iPhone. And let the iPhone restore.

Once restore completes, follow the prompts to finish setup, and you will get your contacts back on your iPhone.

Method 5: Recover Deleted Contacts From PC or Mac Backup

If you want to retrieve deleted phone numbers on your iPhone without using iCloud, you can also use a Finder backup of your iOS device. However, you must have taken your iPhone backup recently to ensure you can retrieve the deleted contacts.

Note: This is time-consuming, and you can’t use your device while erasing and restoring; hence, proceed cautiously.

Step 1:Connect your iPhoneto your Mac or PC with the help of a USB cable.

Step 2: Now openSettingson your iPhone and go toName/Apple ID > Find My.

Step 3: TapFind My iPhone.

Step 4: Now,turn offall the toggles on the Find My iPhone page, and enter the password for your Apple ID when prompted.

Now,move on to your Mac(computer) for further steps.

Step 5: OpenFinderon your Mac and click on youriPhone from the sidebar.

Tip: If you are using a Mac with macOS Mojave or earlier or a PC, open iTunes instead of Finder.

Step 6: Now, click onRestore iPhone. Then,choose a backup to restorefrom and follow the prompts to restore it.

Once the restore is done, your iPhone will boot up with the restored contacts. And that’s it.

You can restore the last ten versions of your iCloud contacts from the Restore Contacts archive.

No. A maximum of 10 versions of the contacts archive are usually available on iCloud; for further assistance, contact Apple Support.

They should appear shortly. Try restarting your iPhone or logging in and out of your Apple ID, and it should work.

Allow some time to sync; turn the battery saver off if enabled. And it should appear right away.

Also Read:How to add or remove contacts from Favorites on iPhone

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Last updated on 29 August, 2024

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