How to delete or merge duplicate contacts on your iPhone using Mac, iCloud, and more

You can simply delete one of the duplicate contacts on your iPhone in a few steps.

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• You can delete duplicate contacts on your iPhone through the Phone or Contacts app.
• On Mac, you can merge duplicate contacts in three clicks using the Contacts app.
• You can delete multiple contacts at once with iCloud by Ctrl clicking them.

Your iPhone's Contacts app can store the names, addresses, and phone numbers of your friends, family, and colleagues.

Unfortunately, the process of storing your contacts' information on your device isn't always foolproof.

iCloud errors or syncing issues between your iPhone and email account can cause contacts to be duplicated on your phone.

Thankfully, this issue has a few easy fixes that shouldn't take more than a couple of seconds to take care of. Here's how to do it.

How to delete duplicate contacts on iPhone

Duplicate contacts can be deleted using either the Contacts or Phone apps on your iPhone.

1. On your iPhone's home screen, locate the Contacts app icon and tap to open. 

Quick tip: Alternately, you could tap your Phone app, which appears as a phone inside a green box, and use the Contacts tab at the bottom of your screen to access this list.

Scroll through your contacts until you find the duplicate.

Jennifer Still/Insider

2.  Scroll through your list of contacts until you find the duplicate entry you wish to delete and tap to open.

3. On your contact's information screen, tap the Edit button in the upper right-hand corner of the screen.

4. Scroll down to the bottom of the screen to find the Delete Contact option. Tap this to delete the contact. A small pop-up will appear asking you to confirm your wish to delete this contact. Tap Delete Contact again to complete the action.

Select Delete Contact at the bottom.

Jennifer Still/Insider

How to merge duplicate contacts on iPhone

If you have different information in the duplicate entries, you can choose to merge that information.

1. Open the Contacts app icon and locate a duplicate entry.

2. On your contact's information screen, tap the Edit button in the upper right-hand corner of the screen.

3. Tap link contacts…

Tap on Link Contacts.

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4. Select a duplicate contact and click on the Link button in the top right corner. Steps 3 and 4 will need to be repeated until all of the contacts are linked.

Tap Link.

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How to delete duplicate contacts on iPhone using iCloud

You can delete multiple contacts at once using iCloud.

1. Go to icloud.com and sign in.

2. Click the Contacts button and select all of the contacts you wish to delete by holding down Ctrl (Command on a Mac) while you click.

Click on Contacts.

Kyle Wilson/Insider

3. Click on the gear icon in the bottom-left of the window and select Delete. In the popup that appears, confirm that you want to delete the contacts.

Click Delete.

Kyle Wilson/Insider

How to delete duplicate contacts on iPhone with your Mac

In order for this to work, you must have your iCloud contacts synced to your Mac. This is done in System Preferences by ensuring that Contacts is checked in the Apple ID submenu.

1. Open the Contacts app on your Mac and click Card then Look for Duplicates…

2. If you have duplicates, you will then be given the option to merge. Click Merge.

If duplicates are found, you will see this screen; click Merge.

Kyle Wilson/Insider

Quick tip: If you have multiple different people with the same name in your contacts, this would merge them into one contact card. You need to make sure that there is something different in their names to differentiate them.

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