How to Sync Contacts From iPhone to Mac (2025)

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This article teaches you how to sync your contacts from iPhone to Mac, looking at three different ways to do so. If you're having trouble, we'll also look at why your contacts aren't syncing.

How to Sync iPhone Contacts to Mac

The quickest way to keep your contacts synced across the iPhone and Mac is to use iCloud. The cloud storage service is baked into all Apple products making it simple to transfer data between devices. Here's how to get this set up:

1. On your iPhone, tap Settings.

2. Tap your profile name at the top of the list.

   Take a moment to make sure the iCloud account you're using on your phone is the same one you use on your Mac.

3. Tap iCloud.

4. Toggle Contacts on.

   

   If you don't see this toggle, tap Show All.

5. Tap Merge (if you see the prompt).

6. On your Mac, click the Apple icon in the top-left corner.

7. Select System Settings or System Preferences.

   

8. Select Apple Account (In some versions of macOS], this option is called "Apple ID.")

9. Go to iCloud > Show More Apps, switch the Contacts toggle on, and then select Done. Your devices will now sync contacts between them.

   

   On some versions of macOS, you just need to tick the box next to Contacts on the Apple Account screen.

   

How to AirDrop Contacts From iPhone to Mac

Another way to access your iPhone contacts on your Mac is to share specific entries over AirDrop. Here's how that works:

1. Open the Contacts app on your iPhone.

2. Find the contact you wish to share and tap it.

3. Select Share Contact.

4. Tap AirDrop and then pick your Mac from the list.

   

How to Sync iPhone Contacts to Mac Using a USB Cable

If you prefer, your contacts can be synced between your iPhone and Mac over a USB cable. It's fairly simple, especially if you've used your iPhone with your Mac before. Here's what to do:

1. Connect your iPhone to your Mac using a USB cable.

   You may need to press Trust on both devices after plugging in the iPhone.

2. On the Mac, open Finder, select your phone from the Locations section on the left, and then press Info.

3. Make sure Sync contacts onto iPhone is selected.

4. Select Replace Contacts, and then Sync, to sync the contacts to your Mac. The contacts will now be automatically updated every time you connect your iPhone to your Mac.

   

Why Are My iPhone Contacts Not Syncing?

If your iPhone contacts won't sync with your Mac, there are a few key reasons why.

• You're offline. If one or both of your devices are offline, you won't be able to sync your contacts until they have a connection again.
• Your devices are logged into different iCloud accounts. Both devices must be logged in to the same iCloud account to sync contacts.
• Your iCloud storage is full. If you've run out of iCloud storage, you won't be able to sync your contacts. Clear some space or upgrade your storage space to fix the issue.
  

If your contacts don't seem to be syncing automatically even though it's set up correctly, open Contacts on your iPhone and then swipe down from the top of the screen to force a refresh.Alternatively, restart your phone.