How to Import Contacts to Mac from iPhone, CSV and Excel

This article will show you how to import contacts to Mac from different sources such as Excel, CSV and iPhone. Previously known as Address Book, Contacts is the address book app built-in to macOS. The app allows you to import contacts to Macintosh computers from certain types of files. How do I import contacts to my Mac? Please read on to find easy ways to import contacts to iMac, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, etc.

 

How to import contacts to Mac from CSV file

This part talks about two ways to import CSV contacts to Mac address book.

Method 1. Use Contacts app

Step 1. In Contacts, from the menu bar at the top of your Mac screen, select File > Import.

Step 2. In the Finder window that appears, select the CSV file from which you want to import contacts to Mac. Click Open.

Step 3. A new window will show up. The first card that appears allows you to customize field labels. To not import a field, you can click the arrows next to it and select Do not import. Note that the change(s) you have made will be applied to all the contacts to be imported.

Step 4. If needed, you can click the arrow icons to go through and preview each contact card. Click OK to complete the import.

Tips

If the contact that you want to import to Mac already exists in your Contacts app, a window will pop up, providing you with multiple options: Keep Old, Keep New, Keep Both and Update. Select an option and click Import in the bottom right corner.

If you want to import contacts to a group in your Mac's address book, select the group before you do Step 1.

With some CSV files, you may need to prepare the CSV file before you import CSV into Mac Contacts. To get your CSV contacts ready for import, there are several things that you can do.

• Make sure the CSV file is in UTF-8 format.
• If there are any line breaks, remove them.
• Make sure that fields are separated by commas rather than other characters.

Method 2. Use ContactsMate

You can also use contact management software Cisdem ContactsMate to easily import contacts to Mac. ContactsMate provides the following benefits.

• Work with contacts from apps and services like Mac Contacts, iCloud, Exchange, Facebook, Google, etc.
• Smoothly sync contacts between them
• 1 click to import contacts from CSV and VCF
• Directly export contacts from Mac, iCloud, Google and more to 8 formats: CSV, VCF, TXT, DOCX, HTML, Excel, Numbers and Pages
• Allow you to conveniently view, search, delete, add, edit, update, group, tag, print, share, backup and restore contacts
• Let you easily quickly find and remove /merge duplicate contacts from supported apps and services
• Scan for and fix issues such as Incomplete Name, Blank Name, Invalid Characters, etc.

Free Download

Step 1. Download and install Cisdem ContactsMate. The app is compatible with macOS 10.11 or later, including macOS 12 Monterey. Click OK when it asks for permission to access your contacts. And it will automatically sync with your Mac's address book.

Step 2. To import contacts to Mac, select the group On My Mac (or a subgroup under it) on the left sidebar. Click Import in the toolbar. Select the CSV file and click Open.

Now you can find the imported contacts in the Contacts app on your Mac. This is how to import contacts to Mac address book easily.

Tips

You can also easily import contacts to Mac from iCloud, Exchange, Google, LinkedIn and more.

• Step 1. In ContactsMate, click Add Account in the toolbar, which will bring up the Internet Accounts window.
• Step 2. There, select the desired platform or service. I will take iCloud for example. To import iCloud contacts to Mac address book, select iCloud. Log in to it. Click Sign in.
• Step 3. Select the box before Contacts, as shown in the screenshot. Click Done.
• Step 4. Quit ContactsMate and relaunch it. On the left sidebar, you will find the group iCloud. To add contacts to Mac, batch select all the iCloud contacts in the middle column and drag them into the group On My Mac. A green plus icon will appear during the dragging. You can follow the same steps to import contacts to your Mac from other services/platforms supported by ContactsMate.

To export Mac contacts to CSV, right-click the group On My Mac and choose Export. Choose CSV as the export format.

How to import contacts to Mac from Excel

How to import contacts from Excel to Mac address book? It’s easy. You can convert Excel to CSV first and then follow the methods above.

There are two common ways to do the conversion. You can convert Excel to CSV in Microsoft Excel or do it online. Once you finish converting the file, you can use one of the two methods recommended above.

How to import contacts to Mac from iPhone

How do I import iPhone contacts to Mac? This is a frequently asked question. There are actually several ways on how to transfer contacts from iPhone to Mac address book.

Method 1. Via iCloud

One common choice is to import contacts from iPhone to Mac with iCloud. It’s easy and wireless.

Step 1. On your iPhone, go to Settings and tap your name. Now tap iCloud.

Step 2. There will be a list of apps that use iCloud. Toggle the switch next to Contacts to On. And your iPhone will sync contacts with iCloud.

Step 3. Open Contacts app on your Mac. From the top menu bar, select Contacts > Add Account.

Step 4. In the Choose a Contacts account provider window, select iCloud. Click Continue. Sign in to it with your Apple ID and password.

Step 5. Check the box next to Contacts. Now the iCloud group will appear in your Mac address book. If it doesn't appear, quit and open the address book again.

Tip

There is also another choice coming with iCloud. Once you finish the first two steps, go to iCloud.com and manually export your iCloud/iPhone contacts to vCard. To import contacts to Mac, import the vCard file to Mac’s Contacts app.

Method 2. Via AirDrop

How to import contacts from iPhone to Mac without iCloud? If you are not a fan of iCloud, you can use AirDrop to do the import.

AirDrop is a utility included in both macOS and iOS. It lets you transfer contacts, videos, photos and other files among Mac and iOS devices nearby. This method is convenient if you only need to transfer a few contacts from iPhone to Mac address book. You can only AirDrop one contact from iPhone to Mac at a time. If you need to import all iPhone contacts to Mac in one go, you can consider using iCloud.

Before getting started, make sure that your Mac and iPhone are within Wi-Fi and Bluetooth range.

Step 1. On your iPhone, turn on AirDrop, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Go to the Control Center by swiping downward from the top right corner. For iPhone models with physical Home button, swipe upwards from the bottom. There, you can turn things on or off.

Step 2. On your MacBook Air, MacBook Pro or iMac, from the menu bat at the top of your Mac's screen, click the Bluetooth icon and turn it on. Make sure that Wi-Fi is also on. Open Airdrop on your Mac, you will find that AirDrop is activated automatically. In the AirDrop window, set your Mac to be discovered by Everyone or Contacts Only.

Step 3. On your iPhone, go to Contacts. Tap the contact that you want to import to Mac. Tap Share Contact.

Step 4. An interface will appear. Tap AirDrop and then tap your Mac's name displayed there.

Step 5. On your Mac, click Accept to receive the transferred contact.

It’s also possible to import contacts to Mac from your iPhone via iTunes using the USB cable, which is a bit complicated when compared with the two wireless methods talked about above.

Conclusion

It’s easy to import contacts to Mac from files or iPhone. The instructions provided here are effortless to follow. If it’s a CSV, Excel or VCF file, the first part of the article will be helpful. If you need to add contacts to Mac from iPhone, there are also multiple methods available.