To stop syncing your iPhone contacts to iCloud, go to Settings, tap your name, tap iCloud, then tap See All (or Show All) under Saved to iCloud and turn off Contacts. Your iPhone asks what to do with the contacts already on the phone. Choose Keep on My iPhone to keep a local copy, or Delete from My iPhone to remove them from this phone only. Your contacts stay in iCloud either way.
Below is what each choice does, how to back up your contacts before you start, and how to fix the most common reason people turn this off: someone else’s contacts showing up on your phone.
Back up your contacts first
Turning off iCloud Contacts doesn’t delete them from iCloud, but a backup is good insurance.
- On a computer, go to icloud.com/contacts and sign in.
- Select all contacts (Ctrl + A on Windows or Command + A on a Mac).
- Click the share or settings button and choose Export vCard.
Save the .vcf file somewhere safe. You can import it into iCloud, Gmail or Outlook later.
How to turn off iCloud Contacts on an iPhone
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap your name at the top.
- Tap iCloud.
- Under Saved to iCloud (or Apps Using iCloud), tap See All.
- Turn off Contacts.
- Choose Keep on My iPhone or Delete from My iPhone.
Keep on My iPhone vs Delete from My iPhone
| Keep on My iPhone | Delete from My iPhone | |
|---|---|---|
| Contacts on this iPhone | Stay, saved locally | Removed |
| Contacts in iCloud | Unchanged | Unchanged |
| Changes you make later | Stay on this iPhone only | Not applicable |
| Your other Apple devices | Keep syncing with iCloud | Keep syncing with iCloud |
| Choose this if | You want to keep using these contacts on this phone without syncing | You’re removing someone else’s contacts, or switching to Gmail or Outlook contacts |
Local contacts appear in the Contacts app under On My iPhone. They’re still included in your iPhone backup, so you won’t lose them if you restore the phone from a backup.
Stop syncing contacts from Gmail, Outlook or other accounts
iCloud isn’t the only place contacts sync from. To turn off another account’s contacts:
- Go to Settings > Apps > Contacts > Contacts Accounts. On iOS 17 and earlier, go to Settings > Contacts > Accounts.
- Tap the account, such as Gmail or Outlook.
- Turn off Contacts.
That account’s contacts are removed from your iPhone but stay in the account online.
Seeing someone else’s contacts on your iPhone?
This usually happens when two people share one Apple Account, such as a parent and child or a couple. Everything synced through iCloud, including contacts, merges between their devices. Turning off iCloud Contacts on one phone stops the mixing, but the better fix is to give each person their own Apple Account:
- Back up the contacts as described above.
- On the second person’s iPhone, sign out of the shared Apple Account in Settings > their name > Sign Out, choosing to keep a copy of the contacts.
- Sign in with their own Apple Account and turn on iCloud Contacts there.
- Delete the contacts that belong to the other person.
- Use Family Sharing to share purchases and subscriptions without sharing contacts.
Turn off iCloud Contacts on a Mac or iPad
- iPad: Same steps as the iPhone.
- Mac: Open System Settings, click your name, click iCloud, click See All or Show More Apps, and turn off Contacts.
How to turn iCloud Contacts back on
Go back to the same setting and turn Contacts on. Your iPhone asks whether to Merge its local contacts with iCloud. Choose Merge to upload them, and then check for duplicates in the Contacts app, which can offer to merge them for you.
Related: transfer contacts from an iPhone to a computer.
Related: delete contacts on an iPhone.
Related: sync iPhone contacts to iCloud.
Frequently asked questions
Will turning off iCloud Contacts delete my contacts?
It doesn’t delete them from iCloud. If you choose Delete from My iPhone, they’re removed from that phone, but they’re still on icloud.com and your other devices.
Why don’t I see a Keep on My iPhone option?
Some versions of iOS only ask when you sign out of iCloud completely. If you aren’t asked, export a backup first so you can import the contacts back if they disappear.
Can I sync some contacts to iCloud and not others?
Not with iCloud alone. You can keep some contacts in another account, such as Gmail, and turn off contacts for that account on specific devices.
Kermit Matthews is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with more than a decade of experience writing technology guides. He has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Computer Science and has spent much of his professional career in IT management.
He specializes in writing content about iPhones, Android devices, Microsoft Office, and many other popular applications and devices.