If you've had your iPhone for a few years, then your contact list is probably looking a little bit long. After all, it’s easy to add new people’s details to your phone. But we don’t always remember to delete the contacts we don’t talk to anymore.
Perhaps you could bin off some old work colleagues you've lost touch with? Okay, maybe that sounds a tad harsh. But whatever your reason is, we've put together some top tips on how to delete one or even multiple contacts from your iPhone.
How to delete a contact on iPhone
You can remove a contact from your iPhone in just a few easy steps:
Open the Contacts app and then tap on the contact that you want to delete.
Tap on 'Edit' at the top-right corner of your screen.
Scroll down all the way to the bottom and tap 'Delete Contact'.
Bear in mind that you can also manage your list of contacts in the Phone app. Just tap on the ‘Contacts’ tab at the bottom of your screen.
Tech tip: Want to get rid of a contact even faster? Just press and hold their name on your contact list and a 'Delete Contact' button will appear. Press it, and they'll be gone from your mobile phone.
How to delete multiple contacts on iPhone
Removing several contacts one by one could take a while. That's why your iPhone lets you delete multiple contacts in one go. Just follow these simple steps to do it:
Open the Contacts or Phone app on your iPhone.
Navigate to the contacts you want to remove.
Tap on a contact using two fingers, then drag up or down to select adjacent contacts you also want to delete.
Let go and you'll see that the contacts you selected will be highlighted in grey (you can add more by repeating step 3).
Long press on one of the highlighted contacts.
Tap on 'Delete Contacts' to remove all the contacts you selected.
Tech tip: If this doesn’t work on your iPhone, try updating it to iOS 16 or later.
How to delete contacts on iPhone with iCloud
You can also delete multiple contacts on your iPhone by using Apple’s iCloud service. In fact, this might be easier than the method above as it's a bit less fiddly. But it'll only work if you've synced your contacts with your iCloud account.
Here's how to delete your contacts using iCloud:
Log in to your iCloud account in a web browser on your smartphone, tablet, laptop or desktop PC.
Click on the 'Contacts' icon to open your list of contacts.
Hold down the 'Command' key on your Mac (or the 'Control' key if you're on a PC) and click on the contacts you want to delete.
Select the gear icon on the bottom-left of your screen to open up a few options.
Click on 'Delete' to remove the selected contacts.
How to delete all contacts on iPhone
You'll need iCloud to delete all the contacts on your iPhone too. Well, you could delete them one by one — but this would take a while!
Here's how to wipe all the contacts from your Apple smartphone:
Open the Settings app on your iPhone and tap on your name at the top to access your Apple ID menu.
Tap on ‘iCloud’ in the middle of your screen.
On the iCloud menu screen, scroll down to the 'Apps Using iCloud' section and tap on 'Show All'.
Scroll down and check the toggle switch next to 'Contacts'. If it’s on, tap it to turn it off.
You'll then be asked about what you want to do with your contacts. Select the 'Delete from My iPhone' option.
How to delete iPhone contacts using Gmail, Outlook and Yahoo
Your iPhone lets you import contacts from an email account like Gmail, Outlook, or Yahoo. This means that you can use them to delete contacts on your iPhone too.
If you're looking to delete contacts on your iPhone via Gmail, Outlook, or Yahoo — follow these simple steps:
Log in to your preferred email account on your computer.
Go to your ‘Contacts’ section.
Click on the contacts you want to delete while holding down ‘Shift’ (for consecutive contacts) or ‘Ctrl’ (for non-consecutive contacts).
Click on the delete button.
Once you’ve deleted the contacts from your email account, they will also be removed from your iPhone if you’ve synced your contacts with that account.
Tech tip: If you’ve synced your contacts with multiple email accounts, then you’ll need to repeat these steps for each account to make sure that all contacts are deleted.
How to restore deleted contacts on iPhone
It's iCloud to the rescue, once again. If you've set up your iPhone to sync data to iCloud, then there's a good chance that you can restore deleted contacts from a recent backup.
Here’s how to how to retrieve deleted contacts on iPhone:
Log in to your iCloud account on any device with a web browser.
Scroll down and select 'Data Recovery'.
Click on the 'Restore Contacts' option.
You'll probably see a few archived lists of contacts. Click 'Restore' on the date before you deleted your contacts.
FAQs
How do I sync my iPhone contacts with iCloud?
Syncing your iPhone contacts with iCloud is a great way of backing up the details of your friends, family, and colleagues. And it’s super easy to do — just open the Settings app on your iPhone > tap your name > select ‘iCloud’. Then scroll down the list and move the slider next to ‘Contacts’ to the on position.
Does AnyTrans really work?
AnyTrans is a third-party app that lets you manage and transfer all kinds of iOS data across your Apple gadgets — like your iPhone or iPad. Just download it to your Mac or PC, then hook up your device with a USB cable.
Once connected, you can easily delete contacts from your device in just a few clicks. Select 'Device Manager' > click on 'More' > scroll down to 'Contacts' > manage your contacts from the list that appears.
Any more questions?
Now that you know how to delete contacts from your iPhone, why not learn more to get the most out of your Apple smartphone? Find out how to change the ringtone on your iPhone, or check out our guide on how to set a passcode on an iPhone.
