You can recover deleted or changed contacts from your Google account by logging into your Google account, accessing your contact list, selecting a recovery period, and performing the restore process. After restoring contacts, it is recommended that you back up your contact list. Google can only undelete or change a contact within 30 days, so if you wait too long, you may not be able to restore the contact.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Recover Google Contacts
Step 1. Visit Google Contacts in a browser
Enter your Google account username and password, then click Sign In. You will be taken to the contact page.
You can also access Google Contacts by logging into Gmail and selecting Contacts from the Gmail menu in the upper-left corner of the screen
Step 2. Click Restore Contact on the left bar
You will see a new window to select a recovery period.
If this option does not appear, click More on the left bar of the screen to open the menu. After clicking, various menus will appear
Step 3. Select the contact recovery period from the list provided
For example, if you made a contact change two days ago, select a recovery period of at least three days ago.
You can customize the recovery period yourself if the period you want is not on the list, but you can still only recover deleted/changed contacts within a 30 day period
Step 4. Click Restore at the bottom of the recovery period window
The recovery process will begin, and your contact list will be restored to the state according to the recovery period.
Method 2 of 3: Exporting Backup Files
Step 1. Visit Google Contacts in a browser
Enter your Google account username and password, then click Sign In. You will be taken to the contact page.
Step 2. Click the Export menu on the left bar
Currently, the contact export function is not yet available in the new version of Google Contacts (which is automatically enabled). After clicking Export, you will be taken to the old version of Google Contacts
Step 3. Click the More > Export menu under the search bar
The contact export window will appear.
Step 4. Select export settings
The Export All option will be selected automatically. You can also export only specific contacts or groups.
To export specific contacts, select the contacts you want to export before clicking the Export button from the menu
Step 5. Select the export file format you want
You can export contacts to Google CSV format (suitable for importing contacts to another Google account), Outlook CSV, or vCard. Both formats are suitable for Microsoft or Apple products.
Step 6. Click Export
The file save window will appear on the screen.
Step 7. Select the location to save the file, then click Save
Your Google contacts backup file will be saved in the location you choose.
Method 3 of 3: Importing Backup Files
Step 1. Visit Google Contacts in a browser
Enter your Google account username and password, then click Sign In. You will be taken to the contact page.
Step 2. Click Import… in the left bar
A window for selecting the import source will appear.
Step 3. Click Choose File
A new window for selecting import files will appear.
Step 4. Select the contact file, then click Open
The file you selected will appear in the import window.
Step 5. Click Import to start importing files to Google contact list
Tips
- Currently, you can only restore contacts through the Google Contacts site. You haven't been able to restore contacts via the phone app.
- Save the contacts file in a safe place, such as an external drive.
- Export the contacts file periodically if you update your contacts frequently.
