Export, back up, or restore contacts

You can use your computer to transfer contacts to another email account.

You can back up the contacts stored on your phone or SIM card. If you lose or need to replace your phone, you can restore these contacts on the new phone.

Restoring data varies by phone and Android version. You can't restore a backup from a higher Android version onto a phone running a lower Android version.

If you save your contacts to your Google Account, they automatically show on your phone after you sign in. You won’t need to restore contacts this way. Learn about syncing.

Export contacts

1. On your Android phone or tablet, open the Contacts app .
2. At the bottom, tap Fix & manage  Export to file.
3. Choose one or more accounts to export contacts from.
4. Tap Export to .VCF file.

Turn automatic backup off or on

When you first set up your Google Account on your phone, you’ll be asked if you want to back up your data. To change this setting: 

1. Open your phone’s Settings app.
2. Tap System Backup.
3. Turn Back up to Google Drive on or off.

Restore contacts from backups

Important: To restore a backup from a higher Android version onto a device with a lower Android version may be unavailable or can result in missing transfer data. Ensure your device has the latest version of Android before you restore data. Learn how to check and update your Android version.

1. Open your phone's Settings app.
2. Tap Google.
3. Tap Set up & restore.
4. Tap Restore contacts.
5. If you have multiple Google Accounts, to choose which account's contacts to restore, tap From account.
6. Tap the phone with the contacts to copy.
7. If you don’t want to copy contacts from your SIM card or phone storage, turn off SIM card or Device storage.
8. Tap Restore, then wait until you see "Contacts restored."
9. To avoid duplicates, your phone restores only contacts that it doesn't already have. Your restored contacts also sync to your current Google Account and other devices.

Tip: To restore contacts from other apps, like Outlook or WhatsApp, you’ll need to re-install those apps.

More ways to back up & restore

Learn more about how to back up or restore data on a Pixel phone or on an Android phone.