Export

Export iPhone contacts to CSV in under a minute

On-device CSV export. No iCloud login, no cloud sync, no third-party servers. The file lives on your phone until you choose where to send it.

Download on the App Store CSV · Excel (.xlsx) · vCard (.vcf) · 4.7 ★ from 136+ ratings

Why iPhone has no CSV export

Apple chose vCard (.vcf) as the iOS Contacts export format because it's the round-trip-safe standard: a vCard exported from iPhone can be re-imported into iPhone, Mac Contacts, Outlook, Gmail, or Android with all fields intact. CSV doesn't have a standard schema for contacts, so different apps interpret it differently.

But CSV is what most people actually want when they say "export my contacts." Spreadsheet-ready. Filterable. Editable. Shareable with a non-technical recipient who can open the file in Numbers or Excel.

Delete Contacts bridges the gap: native iOS vCard generation under the hood, CSV conversion on-device, no cloud step. You get the modern spreadsheet-friendly format without losing the privacy guarantees of on-device processing.

Step-by-step

  1. 1

    Open Delete Contacts and grant Contacts access

    First-time setup: allow the app to read your address book. Access is purely on-device; no upload.

  2. 2

    Tap Export

    From the main screen, tap the Export icon. Choose CSV from the format options (also available: Excel .xlsx and vCard .vcf).

  3. 3

    Save or share the file

    iOS share sheet appears. Save to Files (recommended for portability) or send via AirDrop, Mail, or Messages. The file lives on your device until you choose to send it elsewhere.

  4. 4

    Open in any spreadsheet app

    The CSV opens in Numbers, Excel, Google Sheets, or any text editor. Each row is one contact; columns are name, phone numbers, emails, addresses, organization, notes.

FAQ

Export to CSV — FAQ

Why export iPhone contacts to CSV?
Three common reasons: (1) backup before bulk-deleting — a vCard is fine for restore but a CSV is better for analysis; (2) migrating to another platform that imports CSV — Mailchimp, HubSpot, Outlook contacts in bulk; (3) decluttering — sorting your contacts in a spreadsheet helps you decide what to keep.
Can iPhone export contacts to CSV natively?
Not directly. iOS Contacts only exports to vCard (.vcf) format via Share. To get CSV, you either need a third-party app like Delete Contacts or you convert a vCard to CSV on your computer (clunky but possible). Delete Contacts handles the conversion on-device.
Does the CSV include all contact fields?
Yes — name (first, middle, last, prefix, suffix), every phone number with labels (mobile, home, work), every email, every postal address, organization and title, notes, birthday, and any custom fields. Multi-value fields (multiple phones) are exported as separate columns or comma-separated, depending on your preference.
Where does the CSV file go?
Wherever you choose in the iOS share sheet. By default, Delete Contacts saves to Files → On My iPhone → Delete Contacts. From there you can AirDrop to a Mac, email it to yourself, save to iCloud Drive, upload to Dropbox, etc. The export file stays on-device until you actively send it.
Is the export uploaded to a server?
No. The CSV generation happens entirely in the app on your iPhone. There's no network call, no cloud step. You can verify this in iOS Settings → Privacy & Security → App Privacy Report.
Can I import the CSV back into iPhone later?
CSV isn't iOS's native import format — vCard is. If you want a round-trip-safe backup, export to vCard (.vcf). The CSV is great for analysis, migration to other systems, and one-way exports; the vCard is for restoring back to iPhone Contacts.

Ready to feel proud of your contact list?

Join iPhone owners around the world who manage hundreds of contacts with the most intuitive, gesture-first cleanup tool.

Download on the App Store Requires iOS 17 • 13.5 MB download
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Related guides

Back up to CSV, Excel, or vCard

Compare the three export formats and pick the right one.

Recover from a backup

Restore a vCard back into iPhone Contacts.

Why exports stay on-device

Architectural details of why no contact data leaves your phone.