How to Sync Contacts from an iPhone to a Mac

Even with all the fancy features that modern iPhones have, the most important piece of data on them is still the contact list. Losing access to it can be a major issue, especially if you do not have a recent backup of your contact list. Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to do this. In fact, most iPhones will automatically sync your contact list to your Mac whenever the two are connected via a cable, Bluetooth, or WiFi connection.

However, if you would like to sync contacts from an iPhone to a Mac manually, then there are several ways to do this. Below, we will teach you the different ways to do this.

Sync Contacts from iPhone to Mac Using iCloud

The most popular way to handle all sorts of backups and data synchronization or iPhones is iCloud. To use it for your contacts, you will need to do the following:

1. Make sure that both your iPhone and your Mac are using the same iCloud account. Facing any issues with iCloud? Follow our guide on Troubleshooting iCloud Error Messages on Mac.
2. Using your iPhone, go to Settings -> USERNAME -> iCloud.
3. Make sure that contacts are Enabled, and then select the Merge option.
4. Now go to your Mac and select System Preferences -> iCloud.
5. Enable Contacts.

The synchronization process should happen automatically in the background. If your contacts are not synced yet, then you can force iCloud to do this. Go to your iPhone's Contacts application and swipe the list down. You should see a loading icon on top – this means that the sync is working.

An alternative but more bothersome way to do it, is to go to your iPhone's Settings -> USERNAME -> Sign Out. This will log you out of your iCloud account. Restart your device, then head to Settings -> Passwords & Accounts -> Add Account -> iCloud to re-add it.

Sync Contacts from iPhone to Mac via USB

If you want to use an old-fashioned cable connection instead of iCloud, then there is a way to do it. Make sure that both your iPhone and Mac are connected. Then:

1. Open iTunes and select your iPhone from the device menu.
2. Select Info -> Sync Contacts.
3. Finally, click Apply to start the process.

How to Use AirDrop to Transfer Contacts

AirDrop is another popular solution to handle this task. Go to your iPhone's Contacts app and then find the contact you want to synchronize. Keep in mind that this method works great for individual contacts, but it is unable to synchronize your entire list. Click on the contact you want to sync and select Share contact -> AirDrop. Finally, click on your Mac to complete the task. Is your AirDrop Not Working on Mac?