Export iPhone Contacts to Excel or CSV
Get a vCard out of the iPhone or iCloud, then turn it into a spreadsheet.
The Short Answer
The iPhone can’t save contacts as a spreadsheet. It exports them as a vCard, a .vcf file that holds all the contacts you pick. iCloud.com exports the same kind of file.
So it takes two steps: export a .vcf from the iPhone or iCloud.com, then convert that file to Excel or CSV. Neither step needs an app.
Convert a .vcf to Excel or CSV →Step 1, Option A: Export on the iPhone
Apple documents this for iOS 18 and later:
- Open the Contacts app and tap Lists at the top left.
- Touch and hold a list, such as the one with all your contacts.
- Tap Export, choose the fields you want to include, then tap Done.
- Pick a way to send or save the file, such as Mail. Send it to an address you can open on the computer you’ll use Excel on.
Step 1, Option B: Export From iCloud.com
This needs a computer or tablet, and works when your contacts are stored in iCloud.
- Go to icloud.com/contacts and sign in with your Apple Account.
- Select the Actions button at the top of the list, then choose Select All Contacts. To export only some, hold Command (Mac) or Control (Windows) and click each one.
- Select the Share button, then choose Export vCard.
When several contacts are selected, iCloud saves them all in one vCard file.
Step 2: Convert the .vcf to Excel or CSV
- Open the Contacts Converter and switch to the vCard → Excel/CSV tab.
- Choose the .vcf file. The converter says how many contacts it found and shows the first few.
- Pick the Column headings: Plain for a list that is easy to read, Outlook or Google Contacts if you plan to import the file there.
- Click Download Excel or Download CSV.
With Plain headings you get one row per contact and columns like these:
| Column | What’s in it |
|---|---|
| Full Name, First Name, Last Name | The contact’s name |
| Company, Job Title | Work details |
| Mobile Phone, Home Phone, Work Phone | Numbers by type; two of one type are separated by “; ” |
| Email, Email 2… | As many columns as the contact with the most addresses needs |
| Home Address, Work Address | Each address on one line |
| Birthday, Notes | Birthday as YYYY-MM-DD, and the note text |
The file is converted in your browser, so your address book isn’t uploaded anywhere.
Things That Trip People Up
- Phone numbers lose their 0 or +. When Excel opens a CSV it treats numbers like 07700900123 as numbers and drops the leading zero. Download the Excel file instead: it stores every value as text, so numbers stay exactly as they were on the phone.
- Contacts missing from iCloud.com. iCloud.com only shows contacts stored in iCloud. On the iPhone, check Settings → [your name] → iCloud → See All → Contacts. Contacts in a Google or Exchange account stay in that account.
- Only one contact in the file. On iCloud.com, a single click selects one contact. Use Select All Contacts before exporting.
- No photos. Photos in the .vcf are skipped, because a spreadsheet can’t hold them.
Mac, Windows and Outlook
Mac: in the Contacts app, select the contacts and choose File → Export → Export vCard, then convert that file the same way. Windows: use iCloud.com in a browser, as in Option B.
Moving the contacts into Outlook? Use the Outlook CSV rather than the .vcf. Outlook for Windows reads only the first contact in a .vcf file; see why, and the fix.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I export iPhone contacts straight to Excel?
No. The iPhone and iCloud.com export contacts as a vCard (.vcf) file, not as a spreadsheet. You export the vCard first and then convert it to an Excel or CSV file.
How do I export all my contacts on the iPhone itself?
Apple's iPhone User Guide (iOS 18 and later) says: in Contacts, tap Lists, touch and hold a list, tap Export, choose the fields to include, tap Done, then pick a way to send or save the file, such as Mail.
How do I export all contacts from iCloud.com?
Go to icloud.com/contacts on a computer or tablet and sign in. Select the Actions button at the top of the list and choose Select All Contacts. Then select the Share button and choose Export vCard. All the selected contacts are saved in a single vCard file.
Should I download Excel or CSV?
For reading the list in Excel, choose Excel. The converter stores every value as text, so phone numbers keep their leading + or 0. Choose CSV with Outlook or Google headings when you want to import the contacts into Outlook or Google Contacts.
Why are some contacts missing from the iCloud.com export?
iCloud.com only has the contacts stored in iCloud. Contacts kept in a Google, Exchange or other account on the iPhone stay in that account. Export from the iPhone instead, or from that account's own website.
Are contact photos included?
The .vcf export can include photos, but a spreadsheet has no place for them, so the converter skips them. The rest of each contact, including notes, addresses and birthdays, comes across.