IPhone Users: Delete all annoying duplicate contacts once and for all. here’s how

iCloud is great for syncing information across your Apple devices, but there is a pesky bug among the mobile parts of the cloud that sometimes leaves your contact list overflowing with duplicates. These doubled contacts don’t take up much storage space, but it can still be annoying having to scroll through multiples – not to mention the fact that it’s good to declutter your virtual space every now and then. At the very least, a concise address book makes it easier to find the information you really want without sifting through duplicates, triples, or multiple copies of the same contact.

For iPhone users, however, this can be a bit of a challenge. iOS doesn’t allow you to manually swipe to delete a contact like you would with an email. Instead, you need to open the contact, tap Edit then scroll down to finally hit Delete contact. To make the process even longer, you must then confirm the deletion. This is in addition to having to manually scroll through your contact list, which may already have thousands of lines. Talk about a slow process.

But if you have a Mac computer, you can speed it up. We found a feature in Contacts that automatically locates and merges duplicate contacts and cards so you don’t have to do it manually. We will tell you how. (We also have instructions on how to delete multiple contacts in iCloud too.)

How to delete duplicate iPhone contacts on your Mac

1. Make sure iCloud contacts are synced with your Mac. To do this, click on the Apple logo in the upper left corner of the screen, clicking on System Preferences, and make sure Contacts is checked under Apps on this Mac using iCloud. You can exit settings after that.

2. Go to the Contacts app on your Mac. (If you can’t find it, use Command + space bar for Spotlight search or go to the top right corner and activate the magnifying glass icon to search it.)

3. In the People app, you’ll see all the names, numbers, and addresses you’ve collected and synced across all devices over the years. To collect all your duplicate contacts at once, go to the top of the screen, click Map and select Find duplicates.

4. After a while or two, Apple will tell you how many copies you have and give you the option to overlay them in a merge. This pop-up also includes a checkbox that asks if you want to merge contacts with the same name but different information listed under them, for example one with an email address and the other with a phone number. If you want to do that as well, check the box before tapping blue Merge button on the right. The app will take it from there.

It is important to note that if you have two different contacts with the same name and you follow these steps, both numbers will be added to the remaining contact. To avoid mixing up different people, go to each person’s card and use something in their names to tell them apart.

Ultimately, your phone should be free from a dozen contacts. And instead of potentially taking hours, it only takes a few keystrokes.

For more information, see all the best features of iOS 14 and everything we know about iOS 15.