How to Sync Contacts Between iPhone and Mac

Syncing contacts between iPhone and Mac is a useful feature, which can quickly be done using iCloud, a USB connection, or AirDrop.

Your contacts will be synced between your Mac and iPhone if you use the same Apple ID and enable the appropriate settings in iCloud’s preferences.

Note: You can make and receive messages or phone calls on your Mac if you are connected to the same Wi-Fi network as your iPhone.

Sync your iPhone contacts to your Mac using iCloud

First, ensure that both devices are logged in to the same Apple ID. Then, follow these steps to sync your contacts using iCloud:

1. Tap Settings.
   

   

2. Tap your Apple ID name at the top.

   

3. Tap iCloud.

   

4. Enable Contacts in the list of apps that are using iCloud.

   

5. If you’ve turned it on before, you’ll be asked to Merge your previously backed-up contacts. This will ensure that your contacts from the previous backup don’t get deleted. Tap Merge if you want to keep them.

   

6. On your Mac, click on System Preferences in the Dock.

   

7. Click on Users & Groups.

   

8. Click Open next to “Contacts Card”.

   

9. You’ll be able to view all your contacts here.

   

   Your iPhone and Mac will now always be up-to-date with the most recent contacts and their information. All you have to do is set it up once, and your contacts will stay synced!

Manually syncing iPhone contacts to Mac using Finder or iTunes

If you don’t want to use iCloud, you can sync your contacts using Finder or iTunes, but note that this is a manual process – they will only sync if you actively repeat these steps.

Before starting, make sure you have a charger cable (USB to lightning cable) to connect your iPhone to your Mac or PC.

If you’re not sure if you should use the Finder app or iTunes: iTunes is for users using MacBook with macOS Mojave and earlier. It can be downloaded from here. You can use the Finder app if you’re using macOS Catalina or above. For this guide, we’ll use Finder, but they both have the same interface, so you won’t have trouble following these steps.

1. Connect your iPhone to the Mac using your charger cable (USB to lightning cable and open a Finder window by clicking on its icon in the Dock.

   

2. Click on the Info button.

   

3. Check the Sync contacts button.

   

4. Click on Apply.

   

5. A grey bar will appear at the bottom to show that your Mac or PC has started synchronizing contacts.

   

AirDropping Contacts from Your Phone to Your Mac

If you want to sync a few specific contacts, you can AirDrop them to your Mac. These contacts will be transferred to your Mac as a “vCard” file (VCF). Here’s how to do it:

1. Open the Contacts app on your iPhone.

2. Find the contact you want to AirDrop to your Mac and tap on the name.

   

3. Scroll down and tap Share Contact.
   

   

4. From the list of available AirDrop devices, select your Macbook.

   

5. The contact will be sent to your MacBook in a few seconds, and you’ll get a notification that you’ve received a file.

   

6. To import it to your Mac, double-click on the VCF file.

   

7. Click on Import to add the contact to your Mac.