Is your Android phone’s contact list getting cluttered with old numbers you no longer need? Deleting contacts one-by-one can be a tedious process, especially if you have hundreds saved. Luckily, Android provides a simple way to mass delete all of the contacts stored on your device in just a few taps.
In this article, we’ll walk through the step-by-step process to quickly and easily delete all contacts from your Android phone. We’ll also cover a few important things to keep in mind before erasing your entire contact list. Let’s get started!
1. Back Up Important Contacts First
Before we get into the steps to delete all contacts, it’s critical to first back up any important numbers you want to keep. Deleting all contacts is permanent and there is no way to recover them on your phone afterwards.
The best way to back up select contacts is to export them to your Google account or SIM card:
- Open the Contacts app on your Android phone
- Tap the three-dot menu icon and select Select all
- Tap the three-dot menu again and choose Export
- Select Export to .VCF file to save the contacts to your Google Drive, or choose SIM card to copy them to your SIM
Repeat this process for any contacts you want to save before proceeding with the steps to delete all contacts below.
2. Steps to Delete All Contacts on Android
Now that you’ve backed up any must-save numbers, you’re ready to clear out your Android phone’s entire contact list. Here’s how:
- Open the Contacts app on your Android device
- Tap the three-dot menu icon in the upper-right corner
- Select Select all from the dropdown menu
- All of your contacts will now be selected. Tap the trash can icon at the top
- A popup will appear asking you to confirm the action to delete all contacts. Tap OK to proceed.
That’s it! Your phone will now delete every single contact stored in its memory. Depending on how many you have, this process may take a few seconds to a minute to complete.
3. Deleting All Contacts from the Settings Menu
If for some reason the above steps don’t work on your particular Android phone model or version, there is an alternate way to delete all contacts via the Settings menu:
- Open the Settings app on your device
- Scroll down and tap Apps & notifications
- Find and tap the Contacts app in the list
- Tap Storage
- Select Clear data and then tap OK on the popup to confirm
This will erase not only your contacts but all data associated with the Contacts app. The end result is the same though – all of your contacts will be deleted.
4. Syncing Contacts After Deleting
If you use Google to back up and sync your contacts, it’s important to note that deleting all contacts on your phone does not delete them from your Google account in the cloud.
The next time your phone syncs with Google, it will simply re-download all of those contacts again, reversing the deletion. To prevent this, make sure to unsync Google Contacts before deleting:
- Open Settings and go to Accounts
- Tap your Google account
- Untick the Contacts option to turn off contact syncing
Once you’ve deleted contacts on your phone, you can then go to contacts.google.com to delete any old or unwanted contacts from your Google account as well. Then re-enable contact syncing on your phone.
Conclusion
Deleting all contacts from your Android phone is a quick and straightforward process that can help you declutter an overloaded address book. The key is to make sure you back up any contacts you want to keep before starting the mass deletion.
By following the simple steps outlined above, you can clear out your entire contact list in a matter of seconds. Just remember to unsync Google Contacts first if you don’t want them to reappear after syncing.
Regularly cleaning up your contacts is a good habit to keep your phone organized and running smoothly. So don’t be afraid to delete old, unused numbers taking up space. A streamlined contact list makes finding and communicating with the people that matter most much easier.
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