How to Extract iPhone Contacts from iPhone Backup in Four Ways

Backing up your contacts on your iPhone is easy, but restoring them isn't. If you follow the default way to restore your iPhone from iTunes or iCloud backup, you're likely to lose all of your existing data as the restored backup will erase your device first and then replace your current data with that in the backup. This is not advisable unless your device is a brand new one. If not, you'd better adopt a safer method that won't cause data loss, such as the method we're going to introduce below.

Whichever way you decide to use, bear in mind to back up your iPhone first and then follow the guide below to extract contacts from iPhone backup with or without data loss.

Part 1. Extract Contacts from iPhone Backup without Data Loss

If you want to extract contacts only from iPhone backup (iTunes or iCloud backup) without data loss, try using this safe iPhone data recovery tool - EaseUS MobiSaver. With which installed on your computer, you can recover deleted contacts, messages, videos, photos, and more other iOS data from iTunes/iCloud backup or from your device directly when there is no backup available. 

The best part of this tool is that it won't cause data loss during restoring. Besides, it allows you to preview data before restoring, which helps you avoid restoring unwanted data. 

To extract contacts from iPhone backup:

Step 1. Connect your iPhone to the computer > Launch EaseUS MobiSaver > Choose the recovery mode you wish to use > Click on the "Scan" button.

Step 2. EaseUS MobiSaver will start scanning your device, and then display all deleted data on your device.

Step 3. You can preview and select the contacts you wish to restore, then click "Recover."

Part 2. Export iPhone Contacts from the iCloud Website

If you don't like using a third-party recovery tool, you can also extract contacts from icloud.com. To use this method, you must make sure your contacts have been synced with iCloud before deleting them. If not, you can't find and recover contacts in this way. 

Before getting started, go to check if you've enabled contacts syncing in iCloud: Open the Settings app on your iPhone > Tap "iCloud" > Tap "Contacts" > Verify the "Contacts" is toggled-ON. Then, you can open a browser on your computer and follow the steps below to finish the rest of the steps. 

Step 1. Enter icloud.com on a new web browser.

Step 2. Log in to the iCloud website with your Apple ID.

Step 3. Click "Account Settings" under your name.

Step 4. Under the Advanced Section, click "Restore Contacts."

Step 5. Select an archive of contacts to restore. If it shows "No archives available," that means your contacts failed to sync with iCloud, and you have to follow other methods to retrieve them.

Part 3. Restore iPhone Contacts from an iCloud Account

If you don't mind data loss, you can also restore your iPhone from an iCloud backup that contains your deleted contact. First of all, you'll need to check whether you've made a copy of your device before you lost your contacts. If you did, then you can jump to the next step. If you didn't, then you can try using other methods instead. Here are the steps.

Step 1. Check whether you've backed up your iPhone before you lost your contacts.

• On your iPhone, open the Settings app and tap "iCloud."
• Scroll down to find "iCloud Backup," from where you can see the date of your last backup.

Step 2. Reset your iPhone. (Ignore this step if your device is new)

• Go to the Settings on your iPhone.
• Tap "General," then "Reset."
• Tap "Erase All Contents and Settings."

Step 3. Set up your iPhone and restore it from an iCloud backup.

• Follow the on-screen instructions to set up your iPhone.
• When you come to the "Set up your iPhone" page, tap "Restore from iCloud Backup."
• Sign in to your iCloud account and then choose a backup to restore.

As we mentioned earlier, these steps will erase all of your current data on your iPhone. If you don't want that, you can also use EaseUS MobiSaver to extract contacts only from iCloud backup, which won't cause data loss. More importantly, it allows you to preview contacts before restoring. These are the steps.

Step 1. Download and install EaseUS MobiSaver on your computer > Connect your iPhone to the computer > Choose "Recover from iCloud Backup" > Sign in to your iCloud account.

Step 2. You will see all the iCloud backups in your account > Choose the one that contains your deleted contacts > Proceed by clicking "Scan."

Step 3. After scanning, it will show all data to you > Choose the data you wish to restore > Click "Restore."

Part 4. Retrieve iPhone Contacts from iTunes Backup

iTunes is our last as well as the least recommended method to extract contacts. Not only because it will erase all of your current data on your iPhone but also because of its poor performance. But if you like to use iTunes, we will also show you the steps to extract iPhone contacts.

Step 1. Connect your iPhone to the computer and launch iTunes.

Step 2. Right-click your iPhone under the Devices list and click "Restore Backup."

Step 3. Select the latest backup and click "Restore."

The Bottom Line

Through the four methods we mentioned above, you can easily export your contacts from iPhone backup. Of the four methods, EaseUS MobiSaver is the most recommended since it allows you to preview data before restoring, which can help you avoid restoring unwanted files. Beyond that, it won't cause any data loss during the process of restoring. All of these great features make it a great recovery tool. Don't miss it if you need to recover deleted files on your iOS devices.