3 Ways to Import Gmail Contacts to iCloud Easily and Quickly

You may want to merge Gmail contacts to iCloud after switching from Android to iPhone, or because you want all contacts synced across your Apple devices. However, during the process, you may run into problems such as contacts not syncing properly, duplicate contacts appearing, or important contacts information going missing.

In this article, we will show you 3 easy ways to export contacts from gmail to icloud without errors or data lose.

 Cisdem ContactsMate

The Best Tool to Import Gmail Contacts to iCloud

• Support various contacts sources: Gmail, iCloud, Mac, Exchange, etc.
• Move contacts between Gmail and iCloud with a drag-and-drop
• Export/convert contacts to 8 formats: CSV, Excel, vCard, TXT, etc.
• Import contacts from CSV and vCard files
• Help you effortlessly transfer contacts between sources
• Help you effortlessly convert contacts between formats
• Let you view, search, add, edit, tag, group, share, print and sync contacts
• Find and delete/merge duplicate contacts
• Let you backup/restore contacts with a click
• Easy to use

Free Download macOS 10.11 or later

Method 1. Import Gmail contacts to iCloud easily with drag and drop

This method applies to Mac computers. If you are using a Windows PC or a phone, you can check out the second method.

Mac users can use Cisdem ContactsMate to transfer contacts between different services such as Gmail and iCloud. Unlike the manual export-and-import process, it lets you manage, transfer, and organize contacts in one place without any duplicates and syncing errors.

With it, you can:

• Transfer all Gmail contacts to iCloud with simple drag and drop.
• Transfer only selected contacts instead of the entire contact list.
• Move contacts from Gmail groups and iCloud groups.
• Transfer contacts without creating duplicates.
• Find and delete/merge duplicate contacts.
• Backup contacts before transferring or merging.
• Manage all your contacts in one app.

This is especially useful if you have large numbers of contacts, multiple contact groups, or duplicate contacts between Gmail contacts and iCloud.

Before getting started, download and install ContactsMate.

Free Download macOS 10.11 or later

When you open this contact manager for the first time, click “OK” to allow access to your contacts.

1. Click Add Account in the toolbar. This will open the Internet Accounts window.

2. On the right, choose Google. Sign in to it.

3. Make sure that the Contacts checkbox is selected. Click Done.

4. Click the plus icon + in the bottom left corner.

5. On the right, choose iCloud. Sign in to it. Select the Contacts checkbox.

6. In the sidebar on the left, click the refresh icon next to the Updated contacts detected message. Now Google and iCloud will appear in the sidebar.

7. In the sidebar, choose Google. Select all the contacts in it and drag the selected contacts into iCloud.

Then go to https://www.icloud.com/contacts, you will find that all Gmail contacts are imported to your iCloud. It’s that easy.

In a similar way, you can effortlessly and quickly migrate contacts between other services.

If you only want to transfer certain contacts (instead of all contacts) from Gmail to iCloud, here’s how. In step 7, select “Google” in the sidebar and then select specific Gmail contacts. Now drag them into “iCloud”.

Tip: How to merge duplicate contacts between Gmail and iCloud?

If some contacts exist in both your iCloud and Gmail accounts, there will be duplicate contacts after you transfer contacts. ContactsMate can help you find and remove the duplicates. You can choose to delete those exactly duplicate contacts, or merge the data from several contacts cards into one.

Why this method is better than manual export/import?

While the manual method is free, it usually involves more steps and can easily lead to problems, especially if you have a large contact list.

Here’s why we recommend Mac users using Cisdem ContactsMate instead of manually exporting and importing contacts:

If you still want to use the manual export and import method, check out Method 2 below.

Method 2. Import Gmail contacts to iCloud manually via export and import

Google Contacts provides useful features to help you manage Gmail contacts. It allows you to export Gmail contacts to different formats. One of the formats is vCard, which is fortunately supported by iCloud. Therefore, the transfer of contacts becomes easy if you export your Gmail contacts to a vCard.

1. To import Gmail contacts to iCloud, open your web browser.

2. Go to https://contacts.google.com/. Sign in with your Google account.

3. Tick the boxes next to the contacts you want to transfer to iCloud.

4. Click the 3-dot icon in the upper left part of the page. Click Export.

5. Select vCard for Android or iOS as the export format. Click Export.

Then you can find the exported vCard file (with the extension of .vcf) on your computer.

6. Go to https://www.icloud.com/contacts/. Sign in with your iCloud account.

7. Click the plus icon in the upper right corner.

8. Choose Import Contact to import the vCard containing your Gmail contacts.

It’s recommended to do the above steps on a computer because it will be easier to operate. That being said, you can use this method on an iPhone or Android phone without problems.

Some users like using Gmail app on mobile phone. To view and export Gmail contacts from the Gmail app, open the app. Log in. Tap your profile picture on the upper right corner. Select “Manage your Google account”. Go to the “People & sharing” tab. Select “Contacts”. Then you can view your Gmail contacts list and export them to vCard.

Method 3. Import Gmail contacts to iCloud on iPhone or iPad

This method is only available for iOS devices. Some people have multiple email address such as iCloud, Gmail, Exchange, etc. iOS’s built-in Contacts app supports importing contacts from other accounts. But it will sync all your current contacts in Gmail, which may result in many duplicate contacts. If you don’t mind this, follow these a few steps to transfer contacts from Gmail to iCloud via this Contacts app.

1. Go to Settings on your iPhone.

2. Click on Contacts > Account > Add account.

3. Choose Google and log in to your Gmail account. Switch on the toggle bar next to Contacts. Click on Save on the top right.

4. Go back to Settings. Click on your Apple ID on the top. Tap on iCloud and switch on the toggle bar next to Contacts.

After that, all your Gmail contacts will be synced to iCloud.

Tips

How to keep Gmail and iCloud contacts in sync

If you want to sync gmail contacts to icloud instead of making a one-time transfer, there are third-party apps that can help. Contacts Sync for Google Gmail is one of them. But this app is only available for iPhone and iPad. You can get it from the App Store.

Primarily designed to sync Gmail and iPhone contacts, this app can be used in a number of ways, including syncing your Gmail contacts with iCloud. Any changes made in one service will be synced to the other instantly and automatically. In addition, you can customize the synchronization. For example, you can choose to sync all fields or selected fields (e.g. name and phone number etc.) in your contact entries.

FAQs

How to merge Gmail contacts to iCloud and avoid duplicates?

After you import Gmail contacts to iCloud, it’s a recommended to find and merge duplicates. Duplicate entries of the same contacts could cause inconvenience. The most efficient way to merge duplicate entries is using Cisdem ContactsMate. Select the iCloud group. Click Scan in the tool bar. It’ll automatically search for duplicate contacts in your account.

Can I transfer contacts from Gmail to iCloud without exporting them manually?

Yes. By using method 1 or method 3 in this article, you can easily transfer your contacts from Gmail to iCloud without the need to export them manually.

Does iCloud support CSV contact files?

No. iCloud Contacts doesn’t support importing CSV files directly. It only supports vCard. So if your Gmail contacts are exported as a CSV file, you need to convert the CSV to vCard format first before importing it to iCloud.