Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 3: Restore Google contacts
• Method 2 of 3: Export a backup
• Method 3 of 3: Import a backup
• Tips
• Warnings

You can restore your Google contacts in case they are accidentally deleted or changed. To do this in your Google account, open the contacts list, choose a restore period and restore the list. Afterward, it's a good idea to back up your contact list. Google can only recover contact information up to 30 days ago, so if you wait too long after making changes, you may not be able to successfully restore the list.

To step

Method 1 of 3: Restore Google contacts

1. Go to Google contacts and log in with your Google account. Enter your Gmail address and password and click "Next". You will be taken to the contact profile of your account.
   • You can reach this page at any time by logging into Gmail and then selecting "Contacts" from the Gmail menu in the top left corner.
2. Click on "Undo Changes". This option can be found in the left box and it opens a pop-up window for selecting a restore period.
   • If this option does not appear, click "More" in the left box to expand the menu. The menu is expanded by default.
3. Choose a period to recover from the list. You must specify a period for the changes you have made to your contacts (such as changes made yesterday, choosing a period to restore from at least two days ago).
   • You can also specify a custom period if you don't want to use the default periods, but they are still limited to 30 days ago.
4. Click on "Confirm". This button is located at the bottom of the window for the restore period and ensures that your contacts are returned to the selected restore period.

Method 2 of 3: Export a backup

1. Go to Google contacts and log in to your Google account. Enter your Gmail address and password and click "Next". The contact profile of your account will open.
2. Click on "Export". This button can be found in the left box.
   • Export is currently not supported by Google contacts preview (enabled by default) and will automatically redirect you to the old version of Google contacts.
3. Open the "More" menu and select "Export". This menu can be found just below the search bar. A pop-up window will appear for the file to be exported.
4. Choose an export setting. By default, "Contacts" is selected. You can also choose to export only specific groups or contacts.
   • To export only specific contacts, check the boxes next to each name you want to export before choosing the "Export" option from the menu.
5. Select the file format to which you want to export the contacts. Google CSV is the format for importing into another Google account (and is the best choice as a backup for your Google account). You can also opt for Outlook CSV or vCard, if you regularly use Microsoft or Apple products.
6. Click on "Export". A dialog box for saving the file appears.
7. Choose a save location and click "Save". A backup file with your current Google contacts will be saved in the selected location.

Method 3 of 3: Import a backup

1. Go to Google contacts and log in to your Google account. Enter your Gmail address and password and click "Next". The contact profile of your account will open.
2. Click on "Import ...". This button is located in the box on the left side of the page and opens a window for selecting a source for the import.
3. Click on "Select file". A window will then open to browse for the contacts file you created while exporting.
4. Select a contact file and press "Open". The file appears in the import window.
5. Click on "Import". This will import the contacts from the file into your Google contacts list.

Tips

• Keep your contacts in an export file in a safe place, such as an external backup disk.
• Currently, contacts cannot be restored via a mobile app and must be done via the website.
• Export a contacts file regularly if you update your contacts regularly.

Warnings

• Even if you specify a custom time period, Google will only back up contact information for up to 30 days. You must perform the operation within this period, or create a backup yourself, before permanently losing the data.