How do I delete old Google Contacts?

Answer

1. Go to Google Contacts.
2. Select one of the following: A single contact: Check the box next to the contact name. Multiple contacts: Check the boxes next to all the contacts you want to delete.
3. Click More actions Delete.

You can delete contacts individually or in bulk. Deleting contacts that you no longer need conserves disk space on your computer. You can also delete inactive and spam contacts. Be sure to review each contact’s details before deleting them individually, as a number of the steps below require you to select which contacts to delete based on specific criteria.

Note: Contacts that are deleted may be undeleted if they were not synced with a third-party service prior to deletion or if recovery options have been enabled. Learn more about backing up Google data by visiting google.com/settings/sync/backup .

To delete individual Google Contacts from your account:

Click the Contact name in the list of results to view the contact page in your browser. In the top right corner of the contact, click More Delete Contact .

To delete multiple Google Contacts at once:

Sign in to your Google Account. On the left navigation panel, click the Find Contacts link. Scroll through your contacts list and check or uncheck each box to include only specific contacts for deletion. If you have exactly 500 selected, then a yellow notification appears telling you that only 500 selected will be deleted “to avoid overloading server”. Click Delete select number of contacts. A confirmation dialog appears with a warning that these contacts will be permanently deleted from your account and cannot be recovered. Click OK to confirm deletion of these contacts or Cancel to cancel this action. Based on which option you chose, the Contacts page is updated accordingly.

To bulk delete contacts from accounts that have never been synced with a third-party account:

Sign in to your Google Account. On the left navigation panel, click the Find Contacts link. Hover over More Options and then click Delete all contacts . In the confirmation dialog box that appears, type your password again and click OK to confirm deletion of these contacts or Cancel to cancel this action. Based on which option you chose, the selected number of contacts are deleted from your account (updating the contact list as appropriate) or nothing happens (if you clicked Cancel). Note: This feature is only available for accounts created after March 2012, not including Google Apps accounts created through Google Apps.

If you use Google Contacts:

To delete contacts from Gmail (or other Google apps) that have been synced with a third-party service, see Delete Google Contacts from Gmail. Learn about troubleshooting sync problems in your account at Troubleshoot sync problems with contacts or calendar events.

Delete multiple contacts through the Admin console (for company, school or group accounts only) If you manage one of these types of accounts and need to bulk delete many contacts, try this method first because it will attempt to preserve as much data as possible. Sign in to your Google Account. On the left navigation panel, click the Admin Console https://admin.google.com/. At the top right corner, click the down arrow More options. Click Contacts. In the left navigation panel, click on Admin settings . In the list of Google Apps accounts that you administer, check the box to include all of them in your bulk delete action. If there are no boxes checked under “Delete selected contacts”, then skip this step and go to Step 4. Check the box next to each account (you may need to scroll down). A yellow warning appears stating: “This order will permanently delete data from these accounts and cannot be undone.” With one of your selected accounts highlighted in yellow, click Delete data for this account only. You can now view details about deleting specific contacts or entire groups based on group membership or other criteria. Tip: When you finish deleting contact data, you can click a link to return your account list to the same view as before.

To bulk delete contacts from accounts that have been synced with a third-party service: Sign in to your Google Account. On the left navigation panel, click the Admin Console https://admin.google.com/. At the top right corner, click the down arrow More options. Click Contacts. All accounts will be listed under “All Services”. Under “Delete selected contacts”, select each of the services for which you wish to remove data and then check Delete data for this service only . A yellow warning appears stating: “This order will permanently delete data from these accounts and cannot be undone.” With one of your selected services highlighted in yellow, next to each account (you may need to scroll down) check the box next to any of these accounts. A yellow warning appears stating: “This order will permanently delete data from these accounts and cannot be undone.” At the bottom of this page are two buttons. Click Go ahead to initiate this mass sync action or click Cancel . If you chose “Go ahead” in Step 6, a confirmation dialog box will open. Click OK if you’re sure that you want to proceed with deleting contact data from all of the services that you selected in Step 5. Your contact list (and your user profile) is updated immediately after clicking Ok. Note: This feature is only available for accounts created after March 2012, not including Google Apps accounts created through Google Apps.

Delete Google Contacts from Gmail If you want to remove contacts that have been synced with Google Contacts: Sign in to your account at https://gmail.com . Click Settings gear icon (upper right). Choose People. Turn off the toggle next to Sync contacts (screenshot) or click More actions and select Remove all sync’d contacts above. You’re asked if you’re sure that you want to stop syncing contacts. Click Delete data for this service only if everything is ready, or click More Actions > Cancel if not ready yet (see note below). Tip: After removing sync’d contact data, it may take up to 48 hours before they are removed from your device/computer/phone – see Troubleshoot sync.

To delete contacts directly in Gmail, you may see this warning: “This order will permanently delete data from these accounts and cannot be undone” – click Continue. If you don’t see the warning message, no further action is needed to complete bulk deletion of your synced Google Contacts. Sign in to your account at https://gmail.com . Click Settings gear icon (upper right). Choose People. In the left sidebar, under More Actions > Manage other Google services that can access your account , choose one or more of the following options: Remove any service for which you want to stop syncing contact data if there’s a checkmark next to it; or

if there’s a checkmark next to it; or Click More actions > Remove all sync’d contacts if you want to stop syncing contact data for all services. If “More options” is available instead of “Remove All Sync’d Contacts”, click it and select Delete data for this service only . You’re asked if you’re sure that you want to stop syncing contacts or confirm the removal of a specific contact service: Click Continue

Click Cancel Note: After removing sync’d contact data, it may take up to 48 hours before they are removed from your device/computer/phone – see Troubleshoot sync.