How to Delete Contacts on iPhone

Konnichi wa / Great Outdoors

Introduction

Are you looking for a way to delete contacts on your iPhone?

Whether you need to delete a single contact, multiple contacts, duplicate contacts, or unwanted contacts, this guide will provide you with the steps you need to take.

We'll cover how to delete contacts from the contact app, from iCloud, from a third-party app, and from your device's factory settings.

We'll also discuss how to delete contacts from an Apple ID, email account, iCloud website, iOS device, web browser, and Mac computer.

By the end of this guide, you'll know how to delete contacts on your iPhone X, iPod touch, or any other iOS device.

Watch this video on How to Delete Multiple Contacts at Once!

Delete Contact From Contact App

The first step in deleting contacts on your iPhone is to open the iPhone Contacts app.

Once the app is open, you can select the contact or contacts that you want to delete by tapping on their contact card.

Once the contact card is open, you'll see a delete button at the top right corner of the screen.

Tap this button to delete the contact from your device.

Delete Contact From iCloud

If you have previously synced your contacts with iCloud, you can delete them from the iCloud website.

To do this, open a web browser and go to icloud.com.

Log in with your Apple ID and password and select Contacts from the list of options.

Select the contact or contacts that you want to delete and click the delete button at the bottom of the screen.

This will remove them from all devices that are synced with your iCloud account.

Delete Contact From Third-Party App

If you're using a third-party app to manage your contacts, such as Groups or Address Book, the steps for deleting contacts may vary slightly.

Generally speaking, however, you'll need to open the app and select the contact or contacts that you want to delete.

Then tap on the edit option and select delete contact.

This will remove them from your device and any other devices that are synced with the app.

Delete Contact From Factory Settings

If you want to completely remove all of your contacts from your device's factory settings, there is a nuclear option available: resetting your device to its factory settings.

To do this, go to Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings.

This will erase all of your data and settings from your device and restore it to its original factory settings.

Keep in mind that this will also remove any previously synced iCloud contacts as well as any contacts stored in third-party apps.

Delete Contact From Apple ID

If you have an Apple ID associated with an email account or iCloud website, you can also delete contacts from there.

To do this, log in with your Apple ID and password and select Contacts from the list of options.

Select the contact or contacts that you want to delete and click the delete button at the bottom of the screen.

This will remove them from all devices that are associated with your Apple ID.

Delete Contact From iOS Device

If you have an iOS device such as an iPhone X or iPod touch, you can also delete contacts directly from it.

To do this, open the Phone app and tap on Contacts at the bottom of the screen.

Select the contact or contacts that you want to delete and tap on the edit button at the top right corner of the screen.

Select Delete Contact and confirm that you want to delete them by tapping Delete Contact again.

This will remove them from your device's address book as well as any other devices that are synced with it.

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Delete Contact From Web Browser

If you're using a web browser such as Safari or Chrome on your Mac computer or PC, you can also delete contacts directly from it.

To do this, log in with your Apple ID and password and select Contacts from the list of options.

Select the contact or contacts that you want to delete and click on the delete button at the bottom of the screen.

This will remove them from all devices that are associated with your Apple ID or iCloud account.

Delete Contact From Mac Computer

If you're using a Mac computer running Mac OS X 10.7 or later, you can also delete contacts directly from it.

To do this, open Contacts in Finder and select the contact or contacts that you want to delete.

Then click on Edit > Delete Selected Contacts at the top right corner of the screen.

Confirm that you want to delete them by clicking Delete again and they will be removed from all devices that are associated with your Apple ID or iCloud account.

Delete Contact From New Device

If you're setting up a new device such as an iPhone X or iPod touch for someone else who has their own Apple ID or iCloud account, they may already have some previously synced iCloud contacts stored on their device which they don't want included in their new device's address book.

To delete these previously synced iCloud contacts from their new device's address book, open Contacts in Finder and select Home Screen > Contacts > Groups > All Contacts > Edit > Select Delete Contact > Confirm Delete Contact at the top right corner of the screen.

This will remove all previously synced iCloud contacts from their new device's address book without affecting any other devices associated with their Apple ID or iCloud account.

Delete Individual Contact

If you only need to delete a single contact without affecting any other devices associated with their Apple ID or iCloud account, open Contacts in Finder and select Home Screen > Contacts > Groups > All Contacts > Edit > Select Delete Contact > Confirm Delete Contact at the top right corner of the screen for that specific contact information only.

This will remove only that individual contact without affecting any other devices associated with their Apple ID or iCloud account.

Conclusion

Now that we've gone over how to delete contacts on an iPhone X, iPod touch, Mac computer running Mac OS X 10.7 or later, web browser such as Safari or Chrome on a PC/Mac computer, iOS device such as an iPhone X/iPod touch/iPad/Apple Watch/Apple TV/HomePod/AirPods Pro/AirPods Max/Apple CarPlay/HomeKit/CarKey/AirTag/Apple Pencil/Apple Card/Apple Pay Cash/Apple Music/Apple TV+/Apple Arcade/iCloud website/Apple ID associated with an email account etc., we hope that this guide has provided you with all of the steps necessary for deleting unwanted contacts from any of these sources quickly and easily!

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January 29, 2023 — Konnichi wa