Recovering and Restoring Deleted Contacts on Android

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Locate and restore your missing contacts
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If you accidentally deleted contacts you didn’t mean to, or noticed some of your contacts are missing, don’t worry. There are several ways you can recover and restore your contacts. This wikiHow article teaches you how to recover and restore your deleted contacts on Android.

Recover Your Deleted Contacts.

  • Deleted contacts are stored in the Trash for 30 days on Google Contacts and Samsung Galaxy. During that time, you can restore your deleted contacts from the trash.
  • If you have a cloud backup of your device, you can restore your contacts from a backup. If you export your contacts as a CVF, you can use that file to restore your contacts.
  • As a last resort, you can use third-party recovery software, such as Disk Drill, Dr.Fone Data Recovery, or EaseUS MobiSaver, to recover your contacts.
Method 1
Method 1 of 8:

Restoring from Trash on Google Contacts

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  1. 1
    Open the Google Contacts app. By default, Google Contacts stores deleted contacts in the Trash for 30 days after they are deleted. As long as they haven’t been permanently deleted, you can restore your contacts from the Trash. Tap the Google Contacts app to open it.
  2. 2
    Tap Organize . It’s the icon that resembles a page with a bookmark in the lower-right corner.
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  3. 3
    Tap Trash . It’s in the Organize menu. This displays all contacts in your trash.
  4. 4
    Select the contacts you want to restore. To select a single contact, tap the contact you want to select. To select multiple contacts, tap and hold the first contact you want to select, then tap all the other contacts you want to restore.
    • To select all your contacts, tap the icon with three dots (â‹®) in the upper-right corner. Then tap Select all .
  5. 5
    Tap â‹® . It’s the icon with three dots in the upper-right corner. This displays the “More” menu.
  6. 6
    Tap Recover . This restores the selected contacts back to your Contacts list. [1]
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Method 2
Method 2 of 8:

Restoring from Trash on Samsung Galaxy

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  1. 1
    Open the Contacts app. By default, the Contacts app on your Samsung Galaxy will hold deleted contacts in the trash for 30 days after they have been deleted. As long as they have not been permanently deleted, you can restore your contacts from the trash within 30 days. Open the Contacts app on your Samsung Galaxy.
  2. 2
    Tap â‹® . It’s the icon with three dots. It’s in the upper-right corner above your list of contacts. This displays the More menu.
  3. 3
    Tap Trash . This displays all contacts in your Trash folder.
  4. 4
    Select the contacts you want to restore. To do so, tap and hold the first contact you want to restore. Then tap and hold any additional contacts you want to restore.
    • Once you select one contact, you can tap All in the upper-left corner to select all contacts in your Trash folder.
  5. 5
    Tap Restore or Restore all . It’s the first button at the bottom of the page. It has an icon that resembles a circular arrow. This restores your contacts back to your Contacts list.
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Method 3
Method 3 of 8:

Undoing Changes on Google Contacts

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  1. 1
    Open the Google Contacts app. In addition to allowing you to restore contacts from the Trash folder, the Google Contacts app also allows you to undo any changes you have made to your contacts list within the last 30 days. Open the Google Contacts app to revert changes.
    • Warning: Not only will this restore any contacts you deleted within the selected time frame, but this will also remove any contacts you have added within the time period you select.
  2. 2
    Tap your profile icon. It’s in the upper-right corner. If you have not selected a profile icon, it will appear as a colored circle with your initial.
  3. 3
    Tap Contacts Settings . This displays the Settings menu.
  4. 4
    Tap Undo Changes . It’s about halfway down the Settings menu.
  5. 5
    Select an account. Tap the account with the contacts you want to restore.
  6. 6
    Select a time frame to undo the changes. You can tap the radio option next to “10 min ago,” “1 hour ago,” “Yesterday,” or “1 week ago.” You can also select Custom and select a custom time frame within the last 30 days.
  7. 7
    Tap Confirm . It’s in the lower-right corner. This displays a pop-up informing you that your contacts list will be reverted back to what it was at the time you selected.
  8. 8
    Tap Ok . This undoes the changes you made to your Contacts list.
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Method 4
Method 4 of 8:

Restoring from a Backup on Google Contacts

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  1. 1
    Open the Google Contacts app. If you have made a backup of your Android device, you can use that to restore your contacts from the backup. Open the Google Contacts app to get started.
  2. 2
    Tap Organize . It’s the icon that resembles a page with a bookmark in the lower-right corner.
  3. 3
    Tap Restore contacts . It’s about halfway down the menu. It’s next to an icon that resembles a cloud.
  4. 4
    Select a Google account. If you have more than one Google account, tap the one with the backup of your device.
  5. 5
    Tap Restore . It’s the blue button on the page.
  6. 6
    Enter your lockscreen password. You’ll need to log in to your phone to make this change to your contacts list. Once done, this will restore your contacts from a backup.
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Method 5
Method 5 of 8:

Restoring from a Backup on Samsung Galaxy

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  1. 1
    Open the Settings menu. If you have made a backup of your Samsung Galaxy device to your Samsung account, you can restore your contacts from a backup in the Settings menu. To open the Settings menu, swipe down from the top of the screen. Then tap the Gear icon in the upper-right corner.
  2. 2
    Tap your Samsung Galaxy username. It’s at the top of the Settings menu. It has your profile icon and says “Samsung Account.”
  3. 3
    Tap Samsung Cloud . It’s below the “Apps and Features” header. It’s next to an icon that resembles a cloud.
  4. 4
    Ensure “Contacts” is enabled. Ensure the toggle switch next to all items you want to restore is toggled on. To restore your contacts, ensure the toggle switch next to “Contacts” is on.
  5. 5
    Tap Restore data . It’s at the bottom of the menu. This begins restoring your contacts.
  6. 6
    Tap Done . When your contacts are finished restoring, tap Done to confirm. Your contacts should now be restored from a backup. [2]
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Method 6
Method 6 of 8:

Restoring from a File on Google Contacts

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  1. 1
    Open the Google Contacts. One of the best ways to back up your contacts is to export them as a VCF file . This gives you a backup of your contacts on your device, and you can use the VCF file to restore your contacts to other devices, such as an iPhone or your computer. Open the Google Contacts app if you want to restore your contacts from a file.
    • Alternatively, you can use the website to import contacts from a file on your computer.
  2. 2
    Tap Organize . It’s the icon that resembles a page with a bookmark in the lower-right corner.
  3. 3
    Tap Import from file . It’s a little ways down the menu. It’s next to an icon that resembles an arrow next to a tray.
  4. 4
    Select your backup file. Navigate to where your VCF file is located on your device. Tap it to select it. This will import the contacts from your VCF file to your Google Contacts account. [3]
    • To import contacts from a CSV file on the Google Contacts website, click Create Contact in the upper-left corner. Then click Create multiple contacts . Click Import contacts in the pop-up window and select a CSV or VCF file. Click Import.
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Method 7
Method 7 of 8:

Restoring from a File on Samsung Galaxy

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  1. 1
    Open the Contacts app. One of the best ways to back up your contacts is to export them as a VCF file . This gives you a backup of your contacts on your device, and you can use the VCF file to restore your contacts to other devices, such as an iPhone or your computer. Open the Contacts app on your Samsung Galaxy device.
  2. 2
    Tap â‹® . It’s the icon with three dots. It’s in the upper-right corner above your list of contacts. This displays the More menu.
  3. 3
    Tap Settings . This opens the Settings menu.
  4. 4
    Tap Import contacts . This opens the Import Contacts menu.
  5. 5
    Tap Phone or cloud storage . This allows you to import your contacts from a file on your device.
  6. 6
    Navigate to and select a VCF file. Tap Internal storage to browse your phone’s internal storage. Alternatively, you can tap OneDrive , or Google Drive at the top of the page. Tap the VCF file to select it.
  7. 7
    Tap Done . This imports your contacts from the VCF file.
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Method 8
Method 8 of 8:

Using Recovery Software

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  1. 1
    Download and install third-party recovery software to your computer. If you cannot recover your contacts from your Google or Samsung account, you can try to use third-party software to recover your contacts. This should be used as a last resort, and there is no guarantee they will work. There are many options you can choose from. Some of them are paid software, and some offer a free trial. The following are a few options you can choose from:
    • Disk Drill Recovery Software
    • Dr.Fone Data Recovery
    • Ease Us MobiSaver
    • iMobie PhoneRescue
  2. 2
    Open the software on your computer. Once you finish installing the software, open it on your computer.
  3. 3
    Connect your phone to your computer. Use a USB charging cable to connect your Android device to your computer.
  4. 4
    Follow any instructions you are given. Your computer is going to need special access to your phone storage. Generally, you will need to select your phone model and then follow the instructions to put your phone in USB debugging mode.
  5. 5
    Select the option to recover your contacts. Once the software is able to interface with your phone, select the option to recover your contacts and follow any prompts you are given. With any luck, the software will be able to recover some or all of your contacts.
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      Tips

      • You should back up your Android every week or so, just to ensure that your information is as up-to-date as possible should you need to restore.
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      • Export your contacts as a CVF so that you’ll have a local backup of your contacts.
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      Warnings

      • If possible, stop using your Android immediately when you realize you've lost your contacts. The less recent data you have on your Android, the more feasible recovery will be.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://support.google.com/contacts/answer/7280886
      2. ↑ https://www.samsung.com/ph/support/mobile-devices/how-to-backup-and-restore-contacts-on-your-samsung-galaxy-smartphone/
      3. ↑ https://support.google.com/contacts/answer/15147365

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      1. Go to https://contacts.google.com/ .
      2. Select More .
      3. Select Undo changes .
      4. Select a restore point.
      5. Select CONFIRM .

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