How to Import Contacts from Excel File to Android Device

2025 Author: Jason Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2025-01-23 12:04

This wikiHow teaches you how to import contacts from an Excel CSV (Comma-Separated Value) document into the Contacts app on an Android device. Even if your Android device can't read CSV files, you can convert the CSV file into a suitable file by importing it into your Google account and then exporting it as a vCard file. Once that's done, you can move the vCard file to your Android device via Google Drive and use the Contacts app on your device to import the vCard file.

Step

Part 1 of 5: Creating a Contact Sheet in Excel

Step 1. Open Excel

Double-click the Excel program icon, which looks like a green box with a white “X” inside.

If you already have a CSV file that you want to import, move on to the next method or segment

Import Contacts from Excel to an Android Phone Step 2

Step 2. Click Blank workbook

It's in the upper-left corner of the Excel window. A blank spreadsheet will be opened afterwards.

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Step 3. Create a contact sheet title row

You can add a title row to a sheet by clicking the box in the top row and typing a description. To create a CSV title, follow these steps:

Type FirstName into the box " A1 ”.
Type LastName into the box " B1 ”.
Type Phone in the box " C1 ”.
Type Email in the box " D1 ”.

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Step 4. Enter each contact's information

Starting from the second line, enter your first name, last name, phone number, and contact email address (if available) in the “ A ”, “ B ”, “ C", and " D ”.

For example, if you have a contact named "Via Vallen" with a phone number "1234567890" and an email address "[email protected]", type "Via" into the " A2 ”, “Vallen” in the box “ B2 ”, "1234567890" in the box “ C2 ”, and “[email protected]” in the “ D2 ”.

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Step 5. Click File

It's in the upper-left corner of the Excel window (Windows) or screen (Mac). A drop-down menu will be displayed.

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Step 6. Click Save As

This option is in the drop-down menu “ File ”.

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Step 7. Save the document as a CSV file

Follow one of the following steps, depending on the operating system running on the computer:

Windows - Double click the option “ This PC ” in the middle of the page, type the name of the contact file, click the " Save as type " bar, select " CSV UTF-8 (Comma delimited) (*.csv) ” from the drop-down menu, click the folder “ Desktop ” on the left side of the window, and select “ Save ”.
Mac - Click the " On my Mac " button and enter a file name at the top of the window, click the " Where " box, click " Desktop ”, select the “Format” drop-down box, click the option “ CSV, and click " Save ”.

Part 2 of 5: Converting a CSV File Into a vCard File

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Step 1. Go to the Google Contacts page

Go to https://contacts.google.com/ via your computer's web browser. The Google Contacts page will open if you are already signed in to your account.

If not, enter your account email address and password when prompted

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Step 2. Click More

This option is on the left side of the page. Several options will be shown in the sidebar.

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Step 3. Click Import

This option is under the “ More After that, a pop-up window will be opened.

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Step 4. Click the CSV or vCard file

This option is at the bottom of the list of import options.

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Step 5. Click SELECT FILE

It's a blue button at the bottom of the pop-up window. A File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac) window will then open.

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Step 6. Select the CSV file

Go to the directory where the CSV file (eg desktop) is stored, then click the CSV file to select it.

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Step 7. Click Open

It's in the lower-right corner of the file selection window.

On a Mac computer, click “ Choose ”.

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Step 8. Click IMPORT

It's at the bottom of the window. After that, the CSV contacts file will be imported into your Google account.

Uploaded contacts will be added to the Google account that all devices are connected to, including Android devices if you are signed in using the same account. In this case, you don't need to create a vCard file and import it to your device, unless you want to save the contacts directly to the device's hardware

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Step 9. Select the imported contacts folder

Click the folder with today's date in the left sidebar to view the contact's CSV file.

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Step 10. Click Export

This option is on the left side of the page. After that, a pop-up window with the contents of the selected CSV file will open.

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Step 11. Check the box " vCard (for iOS Contacts)"

It's at the bottom of the pop-up window.

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Step 12. Click EXPORT

It's a blue button at the bottom of the window. After that, a vCard file named " contacts " will be downloaded to your computer. You will need to use this vCard file to import contacts to your Android device.

Part 3 of 5: Adding a vCard to Google Drive

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Step 1. Open Google Drive

Visit https://drive.google.com/ through your computer's web browser. The Google Drive page will open if you are signed in to your Google account.

If not, enter your account email address and password when prompted before moving on to the next step

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Step 2. Click New

It's in the top-left corner of the page. A drop-down menu will be displayed.

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Step 3. Click File upload

This option is in the drop-down menu. Once clicked, a File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac) window will open.

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Step 4. Select the vCard file

Go to the directory where the “contacts” vCard file you exported earlier, then single-click the file to select it.

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Step 5. Click Open

It's in the lower-right corner of the window. The vCard file will be uploaded to Google Drive.

Again, on the Mac computer, click “ Choose ”.

Part 4 of 5: Downloading the vCard File

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Step 1. Open Google Drive on Android device

Tap the Google Drive icon, which looks like a green, yellow, and blue triangle on a white background. The Google Drive page for the device's primary Google account will open.

You can switch to another account by touching the “ ☰ “and select the profile photo of the account you want to use.
If you are not signed into the same Google account as the account on your computer, tap the “ ☰ ”, select an e-mail address, touch “ Add account ", choose " Google ”, and enter the account login information.

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Step 2. Locate the vCard file

Browse the contents of Google Drive until you find the vCard file that has been uploaded from your computer.

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Step 3. Press and hold the vCard file

A drop-down menu will appear after a few seconds.

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Step 4. Touch Download

This option is in the drop-down menu. The vCard file from Google Drive will immediately be downloaded to the “Download” folder of your Android device.

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Step 5. Close Google Drive

Press the “Home” button to close the application. Once the file has finished downloading, you can import its contents into the Contacts app on your device.

Part 5 of 5: Importing vCard Files

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Step 1. Open the Contacts app on the device

Touch the Contacts app icon on the device's page/app drawer.

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Step 2. Touch

It's in the upper-right corner of the screen. A drop-down menu will appear after that.

On some Android devices, touch the “ ☰ “in the upper left or right corner of the screen.

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Step 3. Touch Settings

This option is in the drop-down menu.

On a Samsung Galaxy device, touch “ Manage contacts ”.

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Step 4. Touch Import

This option is on the “Settings” page. A list of import options will appear after that.

On a Samsung Galaxy device, touch “ Import/Export contacts ”.

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Step 5. Select the vCard format

Touch the option “ .vcf " or " vCard ” on the “Import” page. A File Manager window will open after that.

On a Samsung Galaxy device, touch “ IMPORT ” at the top of the screen.

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Step 6. Select the vCard file

Touch the directory where you want to download the vCard file (e.g. “ Internal storage "), select folder " Download ”, and touch the vCard file.

On Samsung Galaxy devices, the vCard file will be automatically selected when you select the correct save location

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Step 7. Select a save location

Touch Phone ” to save the contact to your phone, or tap one of the email accounts shown under the option “ Phone ”.

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Step 8. Touch IMPORT

It's at the bottom of the page. The contents of the vCard file will be imported into the device's Contacts app.

Tips

When the CSV file is uploaded to the Google Contacts page, the contents of the contacts will be synced to all devices connected to the same Google account, including your Android device. At this point, you don't need to import the contacts directly from the file to your device, unless you want to save the contacts on your device's or phone's storage space