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Ultimate guide to import contacts to Mac and fix any issues (2021 edition)

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SyncMate

4.5 Rank based on 795+ users, Reviews(476)

Keeping contacts in sync between your computer, tablet and mobile device can simplify your life a lot. No one wants to add the same contact several times into several Contacts on different devices. If you have Mac and iPhone, this can be done directly via Finder, but what if you have an Android device that has no built-in synchronization with Mac? Syncing Mac contacts with Android can be as easy as with iPhone, if you have the right software of course. The latest software makes it easy to sync Android contacts to Mac, as well as your photos and other data. Let’s look at how to sync your contacts from your phone to your Mac and how to troubleshoot any issues you have while doing this. We’ve also included some handy FAQs for you to refer to.


I. Sync Android contacts with Mac

There’s no denying that contacts are the most important data we have on our phones. Who else has the number for your best friend from high school or that business contact you met at the networking event last week? Our contacts enable us to keep in touch with the most important people in our lives, and losing them could spell disaster. It’s sadly all too easy to accidentally delete contacts or lose your phone - or you may even need to restore your Android device to its factory settings, resulting in your contacts being wiped. That’s when you may need to sync Android contacts to Mac. While it used to be tricky to sync contacts with a Mac unless you had an iPhone, nowadays you can sync Android contacts with Mac quickly and easily using the latest software.


1. How to Sync Android Contacts with Mac using SyncMate

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SyncMate Expert


Requirements: macOS 10.13+. 60.62MB free space. Version 8.7.527. (5 Dec, 2023). 4.5 Rank based on 795+ users, Reviews(476)
Category: Utilities

SyncMate is a powerful sync tool that allows syncing files on Mac with your Android devices such as your tablet or phone.

SyncMate

While the Free version of SyncMate will sync contacts and calendars between your Mac and Android, the Expert (paid) version gives you access to even more sync options. With SyncMate Expert you can sync music, playlists, videos, images, and folders on Mac with Android; you can even manage SMS directly on Mac. Detailed information about Android and Mac sync can be found here.

Follow these steps to sync contacts on Mac with Android using SyncMate.

  1. Download SyncMate Free Edition and install it on your Mac. Once SyncMate is installed, launch it to display the main window.
  2. In the left pane click “Add New” link and choose an Android device and connect your phone or tablet to your Mac.
  3. SyncMate wizard

  4. Press "+" button in the top panel and choose “Contacts” from the plugins list; specify sync parameters.
  5. Syncing of Android contacts

  6. Once parameters are set, click “Sync” and contacts will be updated on your devices.
  7. Syncing of Android contacts

    It’s that simple! Just sit back and wait for your contacts to be updated across all your devices. Now, the next time you accidentally delete a contact, lose your phone, or need to restore your device to its factory settings, you can rest safe in the knowledge that your contacts are synced across all your devices.

2. Use MobileTrans to Backup Android Contacts to Mac

MobileTrans is a powerful tool that allows you to sync contacts to Mac with just a single click. It takes only a few minutes to backup Android contacts to Mac - and you can sync your photos, videos, music, Outlook calendar Mac, and all your other files too. What’s more, it’s 100% safe to use.

MobileTrans sync software


Here’s how to sync contacts on Mac with Android using MobileTrans:

  1. Download MobileTrans and install it on your Mac. Once it is installed, run the trial version.
  2. You can choose from four different modes including phone transfer, WhatsApp Transfer, backup, and restore. Select the "backup" mode on the home screen and then go to the backup screen.
  3. Connect your phone or tablet to your Mac.
  4. Select your contacts in the contents list, click on “Start Transfer” and contacts will be updated to your device.

MobileTrans is simple and intuitive to use and takes just a few minutes to transfer your contacts and other valuable data from your phone or tablet to your Mac, with zero data loss.

3. Try DoTrans to Transfer Contacts between Mac and Android

DoTrans is a powerful sync tool that’s compatible with most Android phones and tablets. It can help you sync Android contacts to Mac, and restore contacts onto your Android device or tablet at the click of a mouse.

DoTrans to sync contacts


Follow the below steps for how to import contacts to Mac using DoTrans:

  1. Download DoTrans and install it on your Mac. Once the software is installed, launch it to display the main window.
  2. Connect your Android phone or tablet to your Mac and you should see your device display on the interface.
  3. Click on “Contacts” on the left side menu and choose which contacts you want to transfer.
  4. The easiest way to transfer all your contacts is to click “Toolbox” then “Contacts Backup”.
  5. Click “Backup now” and your contacts will be updated on your devices.

DoTrans is simple to use and a great, free way to ensure your contacts are backed up across all your devices, so you need never worry about losing important numbers and email addresses again.

II. How to Fix Android Contacts Not Syncing Issue

If you’re experiencing the annoying issue of Android contacts not syncing with your Mac, there are a few easy solutions you can try to fix the problem. It’s best to try all of these solutions before reaching out for support.

Clear your cache.

Clearing your cache should help if your contacts are not syncing. Just follow these steps:

  1. Tap on “Settings” then “Apps”. Select Google and tap on “Storage”, then “Clear cache”.
  2. Tap “Force Stop”.
  3. Reboot your device and launch your Google account. Hopefully, your contacts are now syncing just fine.

Check if a passcode is enabled on your Google account

If you have enabled a passcode on your Google account, this could be preventing your contacts from syncing. Ensure your Google account does not have passcode protection enabled. If you do have a passcode enabled, go into your Google account settings to remove this.

Remove your Google account

If you’re still experiencing problems with your contacts not syncing Android, you could try removing your Google account from your phone. By doing this and re-adding it, the issue will hopefully be solved.

Download Mac sync software

Some people prefer to use sync software to address troubleshooting when it comes to Android contacts not syncing to Mac. You can find a range of sync software to choose from our list, so select the one you’d like to use (we recommend SyncMate) and try syncing your contacts again.

Check if your contacts are listed in your Google account

This is a more common problem than you might think. Many users don’t have their contacts listed in their Google accounts, which causes syncing to fail. Check your Google account contacts to make sure your desired contacts are there before trying to sync again.

III. Sync Contacts from iPhone to Mac

It’s not just Android users who might need to sync their phone’s contacts. If you have an iPhone then you may want to sync contacts from iPhone to Mac. You might want to backup your contacts in case your phone is lost or stolen, or perhaps you’ve been having phone issues and need to perform a factory reset. It may even be that you want to ensure your most important contacts are up-to-date across all your devices, avoiding any embarrassing phone calls to a wrong number. Syncing your iPhone contacts to your Mac means you’ll have a backup of those important numbers, email addresses and other contact information, should the worst happen. You can do this using a USB cable or iCloud, or download software to make the process easier, like SyncMate.

1. How to Sync Contacts from iPhone to Mac with iCloud

You can use iCloud to sync contacts from iPhone to Mac, and it can also be used to backup other data across all of your devices too. iCloud can also backup important files that will help you restore your iPhone if it malfunctions. Follow the below steps for how to sync contacts from iPhone to Mac with iCloud:

  1. Open your iPhone and tap on “Settings”.
  2. Tap your Apple ID name > iCloud.
  3. Under “Apps Using iCloud” find “Contacts” and turn on iCloud. If this is your first time backing up contacts with iCloud, you will need to tap “Merge” to combine any existing local contacts with those on iCloud.
  4. On your Mac, click the Apple menu at the top left of your screen.
  5. Go to “System Preferences > iCloud”.
  6. Switch on the Toggle next to “Contacts” and your contacts will start to sync.

It couldn’t be easier, and it takes just a few minutes to use iCloud to sync iPhone contacts to Mac.


2. Use SyncMate to Sync iPhone Contacts to Mac

SyncMate logo

SyncMate Expert


Requirements: macOS 10.13+. 60.62MB free space. Version 8.7.527. (5 Dec, 2023). 4.5 Rank based on 795+ users, Reviews(476)
Category: Utilities

SyncMate is a powerful, easy to use tool that’s a great alternative to iCloud for syncing your contacts and other data.

SyncMate

You can sync your contacts and calendar for free, but you’ll need to upgrade to the Expert edition if you want to sync your photos, videos, and other files. Follow the below steps, which explain how to sync iPhone contacts to Mac using SyncMate.

  1. Download SyncMate Free Edition and install it on your Mac. Once it is installed, launch it to display the main window.
  2. In the left pane, click “Add New” link and choose iPhone device. Select how you want to connect your device to your Mac (USB, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth) and connect your phone to your Mac.
  3. Press the “+” button in the top panel and choose “Contacts” from the plugins list, then specify your sync parameters.
  4. Click “Sync” to update contacts on your devices.

You can sync as many devices as you want with SyncMate, and it can also be used to sync contacts and other data from Android devices as well as your iPhone, making it a really useful tool.

3. Transfer Contacts from iPhone to Mac using a USB cable

You can Mac import contacts without using applications like iCloud or SyncMate, using iTunes and a USB cable. The process is simple and you can do this by following the below steps:

  1. Run iTunes on your Mac.
  2. Connect your iPhone to your computer with a USB cable.
  3. Click the iPhone device in the top left corner of iTunes, then click “This Computer” and “Back up now”.
  4. Click “Apply” and iTunes will start to backup all your iPhone data to your Mac, including your contacts.

Unfortunately, iTunes does not allow you to just export one type of data to your Mac (for example, contacts), so you have to back up everything on your phone, which can take a long time, depending on how much data there is to transfer.

IV. How to Fix iPhone Contacts Not Syncing to Mac

There’s nothing more frustrating than your contacts not syncing from iPhone to Mac - and you don’t want to risk losing your important contacts. Luckily, there are some tried and tested solutions to solve iPhone contacts not syncing to Mac. Here are the steps you need to follow:

Step 1: Ensure your device is enabled to show iCloud contacts

  1. Open “Contacts” on your Mac, then tap “Groups” in the top left corner.
  2. Ensure “All iCloud” is selected to save your contacts to iCloud on iPhone.

Step 2: Check whether your contacts are stored on iCloud

  1. Open “Contacts” on your Mac, then tap “Groups” in the top left corner.
  2. De-select the All [account] option for third-party accounts (like Yahoo or Gmail).
  3. Ensure “All iCloud” is selected.
  4. Tap “Done” and you should see a list of your contacts. If any are missing, it means that contact is stored in another account.

Don’t forget, Contacts can be exported to iCloud from a third-party service like Outlook or Gmail. If your device uses multiple accounts (like Gmail, iCloud, Yahoo) see step 3, below, to ensure iCloud is your default Contacts account.

Step 3: Ensure iCloud is set as the default Contacts account

  1. Tap “Settings” then “Mail, Contacts, Calendars”.
  2. Under the “Contacts” section, tap “Default Account” and ensure iCloud is selected.

V. FAQs

There are three ways you can do this:

  • With a USB cable and iTunes (although this backs up all your data, not just your contacts).
  • With sync software such as SyncMate.
  • With iCloud.

It’s up to you which of these ways suits you best, but many people prefer to use software to help with the syncing process.

Yes, you can! The quickest and easiest way to do this is by downloading the free version of SyncMate and installing it on your Mac. To transfer other data like videos or photos, you can upgrade to the Expert edition.
When choosing the best sync tool for Mac, it’s important to shop around and do your research, and make sure you check out these programs’ websites and reviews. We always recommend choosing a reputable tool that has been tried and tested by many other users, like SyncMate, which is free to use for transferring contacts to your Mac.
You can do this, but you’ll need to set up your phone to sync with your Google account. If you’re not sure what you’re doing, this can be fairly complicated. A sync app makes the whole process much quicker and easier - and it’s more reliable, too.
Contacts not syncing from iPhone to Mac can be incredibly frustrating. We recommend checking out our three-step solution under section 4 of this article: How to fix iPhone contacts not syncing to Mac.

When it comes to the best way to sync Mac contacts from your iPhone or Android device, there is no ‘one solution fits all’. Some people may prefer to use iTunes and a USB cable to perform regular backups of all their data, while others may prefer to use sync software as a more efficient way to sync contacts and other data with their Mac. Sync software such as SyncMate makes syncing your data quicker and easier, and you can even sync your contacts and calendars on the free version.

SyncMate Expert

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