How do I export all contacts from an iPhone?

On recent iOS versions open Contacts, tap Lists, touch and hold All Contacts (or All iCloud) and tap Export. On a computer, sign in at icloud.com, open Contacts, select all and choose Export vCard.

Why do phone numbers lose the + sign in Excel?

When Excel opens a CSV it treats +1 555... as a formula or number. Exporting to .xlsx with phone cells stored as text keeps the + and leading zeros.

How to export iPhone contacts to Excel

Q: Can I export iPhone contacts to Excel directly?

No. iPhone and iCloud export contacts only as a vCard (.vcf) file. Export the .vcf, then convert it to .xlsx or CSV with a VCF to Excel converter.

iPhone has no "export to Excel" button. It exports contacts as a vCard (.vcf) file. Get that file, convert it to a spreadsheet, and you have every name, phone, email and address in columns. No app needed.

1 Get a .vcf of your contacts

Option A: on the iPhone (recent iOS)

Open the Contacts app and tap Lists at the top left.
Touch and hold All Contacts (or All iCloud), then tap Export.
Choose which fields to include, tap Done, and save the file to Files or send it to your computer by AirDrop or email.

Option B: from iCloud on a computer

Make sure iCloud Contacts is on for the iPhone (Settings, your name, iCloud, Contacts).
Sign in at icloud.com and open Contacts.
Select all contacts (Ctrl+A or Cmd+A), open the menu (the ... or share button) and choose Export vCard.

On older iOS versions without Lists, use Option B.

2 Convert the .vcf to Excel or CSV

Drop the .vcf into the free VCF to Excel & CSV converter. Pick a simple layout (one column per phone, email and address) or the Google Contacts layout, check the preview table, and download .xlsx or CSV.

The .xlsx stores every cell as text, so numbers keep their + and leading zeros. The converter reads iPhone labels (item1. fields), vCard 2.1, 3.0 and 4.0, and runs in your browser: your contacts are not uploaded.

Open the converter

Free for up to 50 contacts per file. Unlimited is a $15 one-time Pro unlock (coming soon).

Tips

Need a backup, not a spreadsheet? Keep the .vcf itself. It re-imports into any phone. The spreadsheet is for sorting, cleaning or mail-merge.
Several single-contact .vcf files (shared one at a time)? Select them all at once in the converter and they are merged into one sheet.
Moving to Android or Google? Choose the Google Contacts layout and import the CSV at contacts.google.com, or import the .vcf there directly.

Going the other way? See how to import contacts from Excel to iPhone.

FAQ

Can I export iPhone contacts to Excel directly?

No. iPhone and iCloud export only .vcf files. Convert the .vcf to .xlsx or CSV afterwards.

I don't see Lists or Export in Contacts.

Your iOS version is older. Use icloud.com on a computer (Option B), which works with any iOS version that syncs to iCloud.

Why do phone numbers lose the + sign?

Excel treats "+1 555..." in a CSV as a formula or number. Download .xlsx instead: phone cells are stored as text.

Are my contacts uploaded?

No. The converter runs in your browser and never sends contact data to a server.