Easy Tips to Remove Multiple Contacts on iPhone at Once
If you have amassed an extensive list of contacts on your iPhone and want to remove several of them in one go, follow these simple steps:
Using Search and Select
- Navigate to the Contacts app on your iPhone.
- Tap on the Search Bar at the top of the screen and type the common name or characteristic of the contacts you wish to delete (e.g., "work" or "old friends").
- Once the search results appear, tap on Select at the bottom left corner of your screen.
- A checkmark will appear next to each contact that matches your search term; select all the contacts you want to delete by tapping the checkmarks.
- Tap on the Delete Contact(s) button that appears at the bottom left corner of your screen when contacts are selected.
- Confirm your action by tapping Delete Contact(s) again in the pop-up dialog box. Repeat these steps to delete additional groups of contacts.
Using Import/Export Feature
Another way to remove multiple contacts involves using the import and export feature:
- Go to Settings > [your name] > Contacts.
- Tap on Accounts, then select your iCloud account or other account where your contacts are stored.
- Tap on Delete All Data. This will delete all contacts from your iPhone but keep them in your iCloud account (and synced to your other devices). If you wish to permanently delete the contacts from all devices and the iCloud server, you should delete the vCard files manually from other devices or computers where they might be saved.
Remember that deleting a contact does not recover the data, so make sure you've backed up any important information before proceeding with these steps. If you accidentally delete a contact, you can usually restore it from an iCloud backup within 30 days.