Having your contacts suddenly disappear from your iPhone can be frustrating and concerning. Your contacts list likely contains important phone numbers, email addresses, and other information you don’t want to lose. Fortunately, there are several methods you can use to try to recover deleted contacts on an iPhone.
Check Recently Deleted Folder
When you delete contacts on an iPhone, they are moved to the Recently Deleted folder. This folder acts as a holding place for deleted contacts for up to 30 days before they are permanently erased. Here’s how to access it:
- Open the Contacts app
- Tap Groups at the top of the screen
- Scroll down and tap Recently Deleted
If you see your deleted contacts here, tap Select > Recover All to move them back to your contacts list. This is the easiest way to restore deleted contacts as long as you act within 30 days.
Restore from iCloud Backup
If your deleted contacts no longer appear in the Recently Deleted folder, you may be able to recover them from an iCloud backup. iCloud automatically backs up your iPhone daily when connected to WiFi, charging, and with the screen locked. Here’s how to restore contacts from a backup:
- Go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud
- Tap Manage Storage > Backups
- Tap the name of your iPhone
- Tap Restore Contacts to overwrite your current contacts list with the iCloud backup
This will restore all contacts from your most recent iCloud backup. Keep in mind this will also overwrite any current contacts and changes made since the last backup.
Restore from iTunes or Finder Backup
If you sync your iPhone with iTunes on a PC or Finder on a Mac, you may have backups stored there that contain your deleted contacts. To restore from a backup:
- Connect your iPhone to your computer
- Open iTunes or Finder
- Select your iPhone and go to Summary (iTunes) or General (Finder)
- Click Restore Backup and select the backup you want to restore
- Check the box for Contacts and click Restore
This will overwrite your current contacts with the version from the selected backup. As with an iCloud restore, it will also apply any other data in the backup to your device.
Use a Third-Party Contacts Recovery App
If you don’t have an available backup that contains your deleted contacts, you may need a contacts recovery app. These apps scan your iPhone to look for residual data from deleted contacts. Popular options include:
- Fonelab iPhone Data Recovery: Scans your phone and extracts residual contact data from the internal memory. Can recover up to 22 different data types.
- iMyFone D-Back: Claims to recover deleted contacts directly from an iOS device, even without a backup.
- EaseUS MobiSaver: Recovers lost contacts by scanning storage space on the phone.
These apps offer free trials so you can test them out and see if they are able to detect your deleted contacts. Paid versions unlock the ability to fully restore the contacts back to your iPhone.
Sync Contacts From Another Source
If you have your contacts synced to another source like Gmail, Yahoo, or Outlook, you may be able to restore your contacts by syncing that account. Go to Settings > Password & Accounts and add the account that has your contacts. Once added, toggle Contacts on to sync your contacts from that account.
This works if you had previously set up contact syncing with the account and the deleted contacts still reside there rather than just on your iPhone. Your mileage may vary based on the account and when it was last synced.
Manually Add Contacts Back
As a last resort, you may need to manually recreate your deleted contacts if they cannot be recovered with any of the above methods. While extremely tedious, all is not lost. Here are some tips for manually recovering contacts:
- Check your recent calls list in Recents tab of the Phone app. You may find some of the numbers there.
- Go through old messages and emails to look for contact names, numbers, addresses.
- Check social media friends lists to find names.
- Use your email contact list to find names and email addresses.
- Ask people to text or call you so you have their latest contact info.
It will take some time, but you can gradually rebuild your contact list by gathering information from multiple sources. Make sure to backup your contacts regularly going forward to avoid this situation again.
Prevent Deleted Contacts in the Future
To avoid having to recover deleted contacts again, be proactive about regular contact backups. Here are some tips:
- Enable iCloud contact syncing: Ensures your contacts are always backed up to iCloud automatically.
- Sync with iTunes/Finder: Connect regularly to back up contacts to your computer.
- Export contacts to vCard files: Email them to yourself as an additional backup.
- Use a contacts management app: Apps like Contactually automatically back up your contacts.
- Don’t mass delete contacts: Delete unneeded contacts selectively to reduce mistake risk.
Adopting better contact backup practices makes it less likely you’ll need to recover deleted contacts again. But should it happen again, at least you now know the most effective recovery methods to get your contacts back on iPhone.
Recap
Here’s a quick recap of how to get deleted contacts back on an iPhone:
- Check the Recently Deleted folder in Contacts app
- Restore contacts from an iCloud or iTunes/Finder backup
- Use a third party iPhone data recovery app
- Sync contacts from another source like Gmail
- Manually add back contacts
- Enable regular contact syncing/backups to avoid deletes
With various recovery options, there are good chances to get back deleted contacts as long as you act quickly. In the future, be rigorous about doing regular iPhone and contacts backups to avoid needing to recover deleted data.
| Method | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Recently Deleted | – Quick and easy – Restores all deleted contacts |
– Only works up to 30 days from deletion |
| iCloud Backup | – Restore contacts from any point-in-time backup | – Overwrites all current data |
| iTunes/Finder Backup | – Restore contacts from any backup | – Overwrites all current data |
| Contacts Recovery App | -Deep scans can find residual contact data | – Paid versions often required for full recovery |
| Sync From Other Source | – Uses existing synced contacts as backup | – Requires previous sync setup |
| Manually Add | – Guaranteed to recover lost contacts | – Extremely time consuming |