How to Quickly Delete Multiple Contacts on iPhone At Once

Let me first state that it’s not easy to mass delete your contacts on your iPhone. The lack of this option is quite unusual for Apple since most of its apps do have the option to select multiple items at once. Think of mass deleting photos, for example. You just have to tap on Select on the upper right corner of your screen and then select multiple pictures to delete, send, group, duplicate them at once. Unfortunately, this option isn’t available in the Contacts app.

But there is a way to select multiple contacts and delete them at once outside of the Contacts app. Actually, there are various ways to mass delete contacts on your iPhone, and that’s exactly what we will talk about in this article.

In a Nutshell

To quickly delete multiple contacts on your iPhone, you need to: 

• Log in to your iCloud 
• Then go to your Contacts.
• Tap on the contacts you like to delete while holding the Shift Key (Or the Command Key if those contacts are scattered across your list.)
• Tap on the Backspace key on your keyboard.
• Confirm that you want to delete those contacts by tapping on Delete.

Mass Deleting Contacts on iPhone With iCloud

The first method to delete multiple contacts on your iPhone is by using the web version of iCloud. Every iPhone user has an iCloud account so I assume you have one too. If you’ve forgotten the password of your iCloud account, then check out this article to learn how to recover your password.

Once you’ve logged in to your iCloud account you need to follow the next steps to mass delete multiple contacts at once.

1. Go to www.icloud.com and log in.
2. Hover over your Contacts and tap on it.

3. Select the contacts you want to delete by holding the Shift Key (Or the Command Key if the contacts you want to delete are scattered across your list).
4. Hit the Backspace Key on your Keyboard.
5. Confirm that you’re sure about deleting these contacts by clicking on Delete.

You now may have deleted these contacts on your iCloud, but this deleting process has effect on all your devices. If you open your contacts in your iPhone for example, you’ll find out that the contacts you’ve just deleted are gone.

Read Also: My iPhone Can’t Scan QR Code. What To Do?

Delete Multiple Contacts With Your Mac

The process of deleting multiple contacts with your Mac is quite similar to what I’ve shown you in the previous step. To use this method, you need to have a Mac that you are logged into with the same iCloud as in your iPhone. 

The steps for this method are as follow:

1. First, hit the command and space bar to open Spotlight Search.
2. Then, type in Contacts and hit Enter.

3. Select the contacts you like to delete while holding the Shift Key (or the Command Key if those contacts are scattered across your list). 
4. Hit the Backspace Key on your Keyboard.
5. Confirm that you want to delete those contacts by tapping on Delete.

Delete multiple contacts by using a third-party app on iPhone

This method is my least favorite one since you need to download a third-party app to delete multiple contacts at once. The reason for this is because it may happen that a third-party app can collect your data while performing its task. And besides, downloading an app just for this action may require in-app purchases. 

But after doing proper research, I found an app that looks very legit, and the best part is that you can use it to clean up your storage as well. 

The app’s name is Smart Cleaner, and to delete multiple contacts with it, you need to go over the following:

1. Go to your App Store and search for Smart Cleaner. Download the App.
2. After launching the app, you will get the option to sign in. I recommend to Sign In With Apple since Apple will keep your email address hidden. 
3. After signing in, hit continue multiple times until you get the option to get “Unlimited Access to All the Features.”
4. Just click on the cross at the top left of your screen for now. You don’t need to purchase anything.
5. Now you get two options: Smart Cleaning or Manual Cleaning. Tap on Manual Cleaning.
6. Tap on Contacts. 

5. Tap once again on Contacts (You may now get and add since we’re using the free option)
6. Tap on the Select option on the top right of your screen. 
7. Select the contacts you want to delete and hit Delete Selected. 

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