How to Delete Contacts From Gmail

With Google Contacts, you can store or backup up to 25,000 contacts from any device. If you have a lengthy contacts list, there might be duplicate entries or ones that are of no use anymore. In that case, deleting unnecessary contacts can be useful to make your contacts more manageable.

Whether the number of contacts exceeds the limit of Google or you have any old useless contact, you can delete contacts easily by going through our step-by-step guide.

How to Delete Contacts From Gmail?

You can edit or delete contacts that you added to Gmail using Google Contacts. For Android, you need to install the Contacts app from Play Store and sign in with your Gmail account. 

If you are on PC, you can delete any or all contacts with the following steps. The same steps apply if you want to delete contacts from the Other Contacts tab as well.

On PC

Here’re the steps to delete a single contact:

1. Open Google Contacts on your browser.
2. A check box appears if you hover the cursor over a contact. Tick mark on any number of contacts that you want to remove. 
   
3. Now click on the three dots and click on Delete. 
   
4. On the pop-up info, click on Move to the bin/Trash.
   

Here’re the steps to delete all contacts:

1. Check mark any one of them first. 
2. Click down-arrow and select All. 
3. Now click on the three dots and hit Delete. 
4. Click on Move to the bin/Trash.

On Mobile

Follow these steps to delete a single contact on the Contacts app:

1. Long press the contact that you want to delete. 
2. Tap on the Delete icon.
   
3. Tap Move to the bin/Trash on this pop-up.
   

Follow these steps to delete Multiple contacts:

1. Tap three dots aside from the search bar.
   
2. You can choose either:
   
   • Select all: To delete all at once. 
   • Select: To select multiple contacts.
3. After selecting, tap on the Delete icon.
4. Tap Move to the bin/Trash on this pop-up.

How to Delete Gmail Contacts Permanently?

Deleting the contacts synced to Gmail will stay in the bin for 30 days and then be removed permanently. However, if you want to remove them immediately, you can delete them from the Bin section of the Contact app.

On PC

1. Go to the Bin section.
   
2. Check the box on how many contacts you want to remove.
   
3. Click on Delete forever.
   
4. In this pop-up, click on Delete forever.
5. To delete all contents from Bin, click on Empty bin/Trash now.
   
6. Then click on Empty the bin/Trash.

On Mobile

1. Tap Fix & manage.
   
2. Go to Trash/Bin.
   
3. Select the contact that you want to remove.
   • For single contact: Find the specific contact and long press on it to select.
     
   • For multiple contacts: Long press any one of them and then tap on others.
     
4. Now tap on the three dots.
5. Tap Delete forever.
   
6. Again, in this pop-up, tap on Delete forever.
   
7. To delete all Contacts, press Empty Bin now and then on Delete forever.
   

How to Delete Duplicate Contact From Google Contacts?

It’s common to have duplicate copies within the Contacts app, and removing them manually could be time-consuming. To solve this issue, Google Contacts has a Merge & Fix tool that easily finds and removes duplicate contacts. Let’s look at how you can delete the unnecessary copies of contact with this feature: 

On PC

1. In Google Contacts, go to the Merge & fix section. Click on the three bars if it’s hidden.
   
2. It will show you suggestions for merging if it finds any duplicate contacts.
   
3. Click on Merge if you want to merge any specific contact.
   
4. Click on Merge all if you agree to merge all suggestions.
5. The duplicate copies will move to the Bin and be deleted permanently after 30 days.

On Mobile

1. Go to the Fix & manage section.
   
2. Now tap on the Merge and fix option.
   
3. Tap on Merge duplicates if you see this option.
   
4. You’ll get two options for merging:
   • For any specific content, tap Merge.
     
   • For all suggested duplicates, tap Merge all.
     

How to Delete Synced Contacts From My Google Account?

When you add any Gmail account to your device for some days, the contacts from that account get synced to the Google Contact app on your phone. Those contacts do not get removed even after you remove the account from your device. If you are having a similar issue, there is a way to get around it:

1. Go to Google Contacts.
2. Click on the gear icon.
   
3. Click on Undo changes.
   
4. Choose a time frame just before you add that account to your phone. 
   
5. Choose the Custom option to restore before a week ago and up to the last 30 days.

How to Recover Deleted Contacts From Gmail?

When we delete any contacts within Google Contacts, it gets stored in the Bin/Trash folder. You can recover these deleted contacts anywhere within 30 days. After 30 days, the deleted contacts cannot be recovered. To restore deleted contacts from Google Contacts:

1. Go to Google Contacts.
2. Then go to the Trash/Bin section. 
   
3. Select the contacts that you want to recover.
4. Click on three dots and select Recover option.