How to Remove Duplicate Contacts In iCloud?

Why Do Duplicate Contacts Appear in iCloud?

Before diving into the solutions, understanding the causes of duplicate contacts can help you prevent them in the future:

• Syncing from Multiple Sources: When you sync contacts from various devices (iPhones, iPads, other Macs) or accounts (Gmail, Yahoo), duplicates can occur.

• Importing Contacts: Importing contacts from different sources (e.g., vCard files, CSV files) can lead to duplicates if iCloud doesn’t recognize existing entries.

• Manual Entry Errors: Accidentally creating the same contact twice when manually adding information is a common cause.

• Software Glitches: Occasionally, iCloud or macOS software glitches can contribute to contact duplication.

It is necessary to understand these causes so that you can take preventive measures to avoid duplicates in the future. Now, let us find out if ‘Is there a way to delete multiple Contacts on iCloud?’

How Do I Remove iCloud Duplicate Contacts?

There are multiple ways to find and. Here, we will explain some of the commonly used methods. So, let us first explore steps to delete duplicates manually.

Method 1: Using the Contacts App on Your Mac (Manual Merge)

macOS has a built-in feature to identify and merge potential duplicate contacts:

1. Open the Contacts App: Launch the Contacts application on your Mac.

2. Look for Duplicates: In the menu bar at the top of your screen, click Card > Look for Duplicates.

3. Review and Merge: The Contacts app will scan your contacts and present potential duplicates.

4. Click “Merge”: Carefully review each suggested duplicate. If it’s genuinely the same person, click the Merge button to combine the information into a single contact.

5. Repeat: Continue reviewing and merging duplicates until the app finds no more suggestions.

Limitations:

• Only offers a “Merge” option, not a “Delete” option.

• Doesn’t show which contacts were merged, making it hard to verify.

• Tedious for large contact lists.

#2. Remove Duplicate Contacts on Mac Contacts App (Manual Deletion)

One option is to manually identify each duplicate contact and use a Delete card (right-click on Contacts) to delete them. However, if you are having a significant number of Contacts, it will be hectic. But, this solution is to find duplicate Contacts on Mac devices and merge them when found. Let us see how:

1. Open the Contacts App: Launch the Contacts application on your Mac.

2. Look for Duplicates: In the menu bar at the top of your screen, click Card > Look for Duplicates.

3. Review and Merge: The Contacts app will scan your contacts and present potential duplicates.

4. Click “Merge”: Carefully review each suggested duplicate. If it’s genuinely the same person, click the Merge button to combine the information into a single contact.

5. Repeat: Continue reviewing and merging duplicates until the app finds no more suggestions.

Limitations:

• Only offers a “Merge” option, not a “Delete” option.

• Doesn’t show which contacts were merged, making it hard to verify.

• Tedious for large contact lists.

So, let us switch to a better option to remove iCloud duplicate contacts.

#2: Delete Duplicate Contacts in iCloud

Follow the procedure below to delete or merge duplicate contacts from iCloud:

1. First, open your browser and go to iCloud Contacts.
2. Next, use your Apple ID and password to log in to iCloud.
3. Manually identify duplicate contacts by comparing names, phone numbers, and addresses.
4. Now, you can choose either to:
5. For exact duplicates, select any one of them. Click More and choose Delete Contact.
6. For partially duplicate contacts, merge the contact details and delete the unwanted duplicate.
7. Further, continue identifying and deleting duplicate contacts as needed.

To delete duplicate iCloud contacts, you need to log in to your iCloud ID and delete them manually one by one. However, we have another method using Google Contacts.

#3. Remove iCloud Duplicate Contacts Using Google Contacts

Here is how to eliminate identical contact details from iCloud using Google Contacts:

Save iCloud Contacts to VCF

1. First, open your browser and go to iCloud Contacts.
2. Click on More Options and then select All Contacts.
3. Then, click the Share button and choose “Export vCard.” This will download a vCard file containing all your iCloud contacts.

Import VCF Files to Google Contacts

1. Next, go to Google Contacts and log in with your Gmail account.
2. Click on Import and then choose the File option.
3. Upload the vCard file and hit the Import button.
4. Click on Merge and Fix, and then on Merge to combine duplicate contacts.
5. After that, click on the Export button.
6. From the label list, select iCloud contacts.
7. From the ‘Export as’ list, choose vCard (for iOS Contacts).
8. Then, hit the Export button.

Import Saved VCF to iCloud

1. Go back to iCloud Contacts, select All Contacts, and delete them.
2. Click the Add button in iCloud Contacts and choose Import Contacts.
3. Finally, import the vCard file you exported from Google Contacts.

This process allows you to eliminate duplicate contacts in iCloud in bulk. However, this can be difficult if you are not a Google Contacts user. Moreover, it gets lengthy and a bit confusing because of frequent import and export. Therefore, experts suggest using a professional tool that will directly remove all duplicates in one go.

#4. Professional Tool to Remove iCloud Duplicate Contacts

Since iCloud supports VCF format, use the DRS Softech vCard Duplicate Remover Tool to eliminate duplicates from iCloud. It is simple and the most effective tool to discard duplicate data from VCF as well as CSV. You can choose to filter duplicates either from All Fields or some specific fields. Let us go through the procedure in detail.

Steps to Delete Duplicate Contacts on Mac

Follow the steps directed below to add VCF to the tool and import it back without any duplicate entries:

1. Download All Contacts from iCloud in VCF format.
2. Now, download and install VCF Duplicate Remover on Mac.
3. From the two options, click on the first box (for VCF files).
4. Click on Add Files to add iCloud Contacts saved in VCF format.
5. Select files from the system and click Open. Then, Next.
6. Opt for Duplicate Filters and Saving Options accordingly.
7. Click Next, and all unique contacts will be saved in the destination folder.
8. Later, import the newly saved VCF to iCloud.

Hence, the process is complete. No more complicated steps and an easy-to-go solution to delete duplicate iCloud contacts.

Conclusion

This was a comprehensive blog, with multiple solutions to remove iCloud duplicate contacts. We have served you with three free procedures and one professional method. You can choose either of them as per your preference. Well, a manual process is a bit tricky, and lengthy, and applies to a few Contacts at a time. Whereas the professional tool is a one-stop solution, no matter how many Contacts you have.