Restoring deleted contacts on your iPhone without a backup requires the use of a third-party data recovery tool. If you want to protect yourself from this and other issues in the future, we recommend creating a backup so data can be easily/quickly restored.
Deleting contacts on your phone can be a frustrating accident that leaves you unable to call or reach out to your friends and family members (unless you remember their phone numbers).
Thankfully, there are ways to restore these contacts you accidentally deleted, such as having a backup. But even if you don’t have a backup, all hope is not lost. Read on to learn more about how to restore deleted contacts without a backup.
Contents
Key Takeaways
- If you want to restore deleted contacts on your iPhone without having a backup, you will need to use some sort of third-party data recovery tool to do so. After only a few steps, you should have your contacts back.
- To ensure this doesn’t happen again, it is a good idea to create a backup of your iPhone. This will make it easier and quicker to recover data that you accidentally deleted.
- When looking to download a tool to restore deleted contacts, make sure to look at the cost, the reviews/reputation of the tool, and the sorts of features that the software has.
Use a Third-Party Data Recovery Tool
If you don’t have a backup of your iPhone created, you will need to use a third-party iPhone data recovery tool in order to restore deleted contacts.
Next, choose the right one to download and install. Launch the software, and make sure your phone is connected to your computer. Once connected, the exact steps will vary slightly as each piece of software is a little different and will have its own unique interface.
Most programs will let you filter the types of files you scan for, and if this is an option, you can select contacts. If not, just run a general scan. Next, simply run the scan, which may often take a few minutes.
When the scan is done, it will provide you with a list of recoverable files. From the list of results, you can select the contacts that you would like to recover onto the device. To complete the process, you may need to press a Recover or Restore button on the screen.
It is a good idea to perform this data recovery as soon as possible on your device. The longer you wait, the higher the chance that the deleted files get written over before you can recover them properly.
Creating a Backup
While these tools are easy to use and readily available, there is no simpler or quicker way to restore deleted contacts than recovering them from a backup. Having a backup can be a real lifesaver and is quite simple and quick to create.
If you want to create a backup for your iPhone, you have a few options. You can back up using iCloud, using a Mac computer, or your PC.
For backing up using iCloud, you need to go to Settings > your name > iCloud > iCloud Backup on your device. Then, simply make sure iCloud Backup is turned on. Now, the phone will get backed up daily when it is plugged in and locked.
You can also do a manual backup by clicking Back Up Now. If you decide to create an iCloud backup, keep in mind that you only get 5 GB of space for free. While this may be enough for some people, others will certainly need to purchase additional space.
Backing up to your Mac involves connecting your phone to the computer and selecting your phone from the Finder sidebar. Next, click General, and then Back up all of the data on your iPhone to this Mac. You can encrypt your backup if you want, and then click Back Up Now.
Finally, if you have a PC, you can create a backup by connecting your phone to the computer, opening iTunes, pressing the iPhone button, clicking Summary, and then navigating to Back Up Now. Like with the Mac, you can also encrypt your backups if you see fit.
FAQs
Here are a few common questions about this topic, along with their answers.
How to choose which data recovery tool to use?
When deciding which data recovery tool to use, there are a few important considerations to make. You need to think about the reputation of the software, the sorts of features it has, and how much it costs.
Why did my iPhone suddenly delete all of my contacts?
If you mysteriously find all of your contacts gone off of your iPhone, it could be due to a number of reasons. It can occur after upgrading to a new version of iOS, a contact syncing issue, or even due to a software bug.
Final Thoughts
Whether you accidentally deleted a contact or woke up and had all the contacts mysteriously gone, we hope that this guide has been able to help you learn how to restore them. Having a backup is best, but there are a ton of data recovery tools that can help, too.
Do you think we missed mentioning or covering something in this guide? If so, don’t hesitate to leave us a comment below to let us know.