How to Select All Contacts on iPhone

Written by Darlene Antonelli, MA

Last Updated: December 6, 2021

Without the use of a third-party app, you cannot select multiple contacts on your iPhone. When using your iPhone's Contacts app, you'll have to go through each contact individually.^{[1]
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Research source} If, however, your contacts are grouped with an email address (like an old work-related email address), you can uncheck that option from Settings > Contacts > Accounts in order to get rid of a bunch of contacts at once (those you contacted from that email). This wikiHow will show you how to select and delete multiple contacts from your iPhone by using the third-party app called Groups, which seems to be the easiest third-party app to use for this purpose.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Using a Third-Party App

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1
Install Groups from the App Store
. Groups is a free app that allows you to select and delete multiple contacts at the same time.
- Tap the search icon that looks like a magnifying glass at the bottom of your screen, then search "Groups".
- Select the search result for Groups offered by Qbix, Inc, which is next to a yellow, blue, green, and red icon with a web symbol inside it. Tap Get to download and install the app.
2
Open Groups. This app icon looks like a yellow, blue, green, and red icon with a web symbol inside it. You can find it on one of your Home screens or by searching.
- Alternatively, tap Open/Launch from the App Store if you still have that window open.
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It’s at the bottom of the screen. If it’s your first time using the app, you’ll have to provide access to your contacts by tapping OK.
You'll see this at the top of the screen. A list of all of your contacts will appear.
A checkmark will appear to the left of each selected name.
This is at the top of your screen where you tapped All Contacts and will prompt a pop-up menu to appear.
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Tap Delete Contacts. It’s the next-to-last option.
- Alternatively, you can select to remove any duplicate contact information, add the selected contacts to a group, email the contact info, or add a reminder to that contact's information.
The contacts are no longer on your iPhone and you can look through your default Contacts app to verify.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Using iCloud on a Mac to Delete Multiple Contacts

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Go to http://www.icloud.com/ and log in. You'll need to do this on a Mac since you need to access the web version of the site, not the mobile version.
This icon looks like the profiles of different people on an address book.
3
Press and hold Ctrl and select the contacts you want to delete. As long as you hold down the Ctrl key, you can select multiple contacts. Selected contacts will highlight in blue so you'll know who you've clicked.
- Ctrl + click a selected contact to de-select them.
The Delete key is on the right side of a Mac's keyboard and will prompt iCloud to delete your selection.
A window will pop-up to confirm that you want to delete the selected contacts; click Delete and they will be deleted from your iCloud and your iPhone.^{[2]
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