How to restore contacts from iCloud - 4 updated ways

Getting back lost or deleted iPhone contacts from iCloud is not a difficult task. Read this post carefully and you will know how to restore contacts from iCloud.

You have several simple methods to make iCloud restore contacts that were deleted or lost.

As an important communication tool for iPhone users, Contacts record each other's phone numbers, email, addresses and other detailed information. Therefore, the disappearance or deletion of contacts can cause great trouble to personal life and work.

Luckily, the iCloud service that comes with iPhone can help you backup and manage your contacts and other data, giving you the opportunity to restore contacts from iCloud to iPhone, especially when your contacts are lost or missing.

Don't worry, this post will show you various effective ways to restore contacts from iCloud. You will also learn tips to get your lost contacts back on iPhone from iCloud backup without losing data through iPhone Data Recovery tool.

Table of Contents

• How to restore contacts from iCloud.com
• How to restore contacts on iPhone from iCloud
• How to restore lost iPhone contacts from iCloud backup
• Recover deleted iPhone contacts from iCloud via iOS Data Recovery
• The difference between iCloud sync and iCloud backup in restoring contacts

How to restore contacts from iCloud.com

With iCloud for Contacts enabled on your iPhone, the user's contact data can be regularly saved in the cloud through iCloud's automatic archiving function. You can directly visit iCloud.com to restore lost or deleted contacts to iPhone with an earlier archive.

Note:

• The existing contacts on iPhone will be backed up in iCloud before the restoration begins.
• The earlier version of the contact list will replace all your current contact information.

1. Visit iCloud.com on a browser and sign in with your Apple ID and password.

2. Click the "App Launcher" button in the upper right corner of the homepage and select "Data Recovery."

3. Locate the "Restore Contacts" tab and you'll see the contacts you've archived earlier.

4. Select the version to be restored based on the archive date, and then click "Restore."

5. Click "Restore" again in the confirmation window that pops up.

Do not make any changes (add, delete, or edit) while restoring iCloud contacts to iPhone. And the restored iCloud contacts will be synced to devices using the same Apple account.

If your Contacts icon has missed from iPhone, you can refer to the jump article to get it back.

How to restore contacts on iPhone from iCloud

In the case of having multiple Apple devices, you can sync contacts uploaded to iCloud from other devices to the iPhone you are using. This method allows you to restore your contacts from iCloud to your iPhone without overwriting data, as you don't need to go through a full restore.

You simply merge the contacts stored in iCloud with your iPhone contacts, and you'll get your iCloud contacts on iPhone without affecting other data, integrating a complete contact list.

1. Open Settings app on your iPhone.

2. Tap [your name] > iCloud and find the Contacts option. Or tap "Show All" to find the Contacts.

3. Switch the Contacts button to On. If you have enabled the Contacts option, turn it off and then toggle it on.

4. Select "Keep on My iPhone" to keep your original contact list.

5. Tap "Merge" to get iCloud contacts on iPhone.

After the merge is done, the restored iCloud contacts will appear in the iPhone's Contacts app together with the original contact list.

Note:

• Make sure you're signed into the correct Apple ID on both your iPhone and iCloud to ensure smooth syncing.

How to restore lost iPhone contacts from iCloud backup

If you lost your phone numbers because you reset your iPhone, or you are switching to a new iOS device, restoring contacts from iCloud backup is a suitable method. But make sure your contacts are backed up and available for restoration.

• Check your iCloud backup. Go to Settings > iCloud > Manage Storage > Backup to check the date of the most recent backup.
• Factory reset your iPhone. Navigate to Settings> General > Reset and choose "Erase All Content and Settings."
• After your iPhone restarts, follow the instructions to set up your iPhone and choose "From iCloud Backup" when you get to the Transfer Your Apps & Data screen.

Also read: How to restore photos after a factory reset on iPhone

Recover deleted iPhone contacts from iCloud via iOS Data Recovery

In fact, if you created an iCloud backup before your contacts disappeared, instead of performing a full iCloud restore that would erase your current data on the iPhone, you can use iPhone Data Recovery to separately extract the contacts from your iCloud backup and restore them in HTML format on your PC or Mac.

This software not only allows you to recover your contacts from iCloud without resetting your device, but it also lets you preview the specific details of the contacts stored in iCloud, including phone numbers, emails, addresses, and more. It can selectively restore iPhone contacts from iCloud, which is a capability that other methods of recovering contacts from iCloud do not have.

Here's how to retrieve contacts from iCloud via iPhone Data recovery:

Step 1. Launch the software on the computer, and choose "Recover from iCloud" mode, then enter your Apple account credentials to sign in.

Step 2. When you are given a list of all available iCloud backups, choose the one that contains the contacts you've lost, and click the "Download" button.

When the data category window pops up, check the "Contacts" option to scan the contacts from your iCloud backup. If you have other data you wish to recover, you can select them as well.

Step 3. Preview and restore your iCloud contacts. After the scan is completed, you can preview the iCloud contact information in the result window and choose the wanted contacts to restore.

Step 4. Once you've made your selections, click the "Recover" button to start retrieving the contacts from iCloud.

In addition to recovering iPhone contacts, this software can also recover deleted notes on iPhone or retrieve other lost data.

The difference between iCloud sync and iCloud backup in restoring contacts

Understanding the difference between restoring iCloud contacts from iCloud Backup or iCloud Sync can help you choose the most suitable method.

iCloud Backup creates a snapshot of your entire device data (including contacts) at a specific time. Restoring your contacts from iCloud Backup means that all existing data on your device will be replaced by the content from this full backup. This is ideal when you're setting up your iPhone from scratch or you need to recover lost iPhone contacts after a factory reset.

iCloud Sync means that any changes you make to contacts on one device will automatically update on all devices connected to the same iCloud account. The contacts you restore will be synced in real-time across all devices without affecting the status of other data. For example, using the Restore Contacts option on iCloud.com or making iCloud contacts merge on your iPhone follows this principle.

If your iPhone contacts are missing or lost, it's recommended to first use iCloud Sync to recover your contacts to the iPhone.

FAQs

1. Where to find my lost iCloud contacts?

Actually, you can't view the lost iCloud contacts in iCloud or iPhone. You can only restore them through backup or archive, but cannot directly preview the specific information of the lost contacts before restoring. You could find and retrieve the lost contacts based on the time the iCloud backup was created or whether iCloud Contacts was enabled.

But with iOS data recovery, you will be able to preview and selectively restore your lost or deleted contacts from the available iCloud backup.

2. How to restore deleted contacts from iCloud to iPhone?

To restore missing or deleted iCloud contacts on iPhone, if iCloud for Contacts is turned on on your iPhone, you can access iCloud.com to use Restore Contacts, or navigate to Settings > [your name] > iCloud on iPhone and re-enable the Contacts option to retrieve your contacts from iCloud.

3. Can I restore iCloud contacts on iPhone without losing data?

If you restore your iCloud contacts on iCloud.com, the contacts restored from the archive will replace the original iPhone contact list, which means that newly added contacts may be lost; if you merge your iCloud contacts on iPhone, you will not lose any data. But performing a full iCloud backup restore to retrieve contacts will erase the iPhone.

4. How to restore iCloud contacts archive?

• Sign in to iCloud.com with your Apple account.
• Click the "twelve-dot" icon in the upper right corner and select "Data Recovery."
• Select "Restore Contacts" and pick the correct archived version from the list.
• Hit "Restore" to start restoring contacts from your iCloud archive.

5. Why aren't the contacts I restored from iCloud showing up on my iPhone?

• Make sure you have turned on iCloud for Contacts. Head to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Contacts to check it.
• Check if you have enough space in iCloud. Go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Manage Storage to verify available space.
• Log into the correct Apple ID.
• Restore from a wrong iCloud backup or iCloud archive that does not include your lost or deleted contacts.
• Syncing delays, you need to give it some time to load the contact list synced from iCloud.

Also read: How to restore contacts on iPhone without backup