While it is easiest way to use Gmail for syncing contacts and calendar on Android, but some devices has certain issues on this features and also it is certainly not required.
In this lesson you will learn how to backup export and import all your contacts between your Android phones or email or both. You can also keep a contacts backup copy on your Google Drive for any time easy retrieval, when you need it.
Generating Android Contacts Export File:-
In order to export your Android Smartphone contacts, follow these steps —
- Open contacts application on your Android device.
- Now make sure the page is displaying all contacts, and not Contact groups etc unless you just want to back up selective groups.
- Next hit the menu button followed by selecting Import/Export button
- Select ‘Export to USB storage’ and it will prompt you to export your contacts into Contacts.vcf file on SD card or internal device memory.
- Tap ‘OK’ button and it will get generate the backup file showing you the progress on notification area.
- Once backup file is generate, you can access it by visit your Android device Menu -> My Files -> All Files.
- You can move/copy backup file to your laptop or upload it to Google Drive or wherever else you like, may be by connecting your Android device to your PC or whatever.
Importing contacts to any Android Device:-
Generated backup file can be imported to any Android device, you can send it over Bluetooth, download from Google Drive, via USB.
- Open contacts application on your Android device
- Now make sure the page is displaying all contacts to you
- Hit the menu button followed by selecting Import/Export button
- Select ‘Import from USB storage’, locate file and import it.
Importing Android Contacts to Google Contacts:-
- Visit the old version of Google Contacts.
- On the top left, click More -> Import.
- Click Choose File, locating your export file, may be Contacts.vcf.
- Click Import.
That’s all with the process, if you are looking for a way to export your Gmail contacts i.e. Google Contacts then you can easily do that also.
Exporting Google Contacts:-
- Visit the old version of Google Contacts
- On the top left, navigate to More -> Export option
- Select what contacts you would like to export
- “My Contacts” are contacts you’ve created yourself
- “All contacts” are contacts you’ve created and Other Contacts you’ve emailed.
- Select Google CSV format.
- Click Export to download and save your backup file
All done. Now on the top right, click your photo, then click Sign out. One more thing you should know that importing more than 3,000 contacts at one time is not possible so in-case you have 3k+ contacts in exported file then first split them into multiple CSV files before you attempt to import them on Google Contacts.