Top 4 Ways to Recover Contacts from Broken iPhone
Imagine if your iPhone got frozen suddenly because of falling on the ground, and could not respond no matter how you tap on it. At this time it appears clearly that you are not able to access your contacts, which may definitely influence your work badly. There's no need to be worried and anxious as there exists several solutions to solve the issue.
Whether the screen of your iPhone gets damaged or the device can't be opened properly, you are capable of restoring those contacts from your broken iPhone with little effort as long as using the appropriate tool. Now let's take a look at the method on how to recover contacts from broken iPhone in the following tutorial.
Can You Recover My Contacts from a Broken iPhone?
Yes, you can often recover contacts from a broken iPhone, but the chances depend on the type of damage and whether your contacts were synced with iCloud, saved in a backup, or still accessible from the device. If the iPhone can be recognized by a computer or your data was previously backed up, there are several ways to restore your contacts without losing them.
How to Recover Contacts from Broken iPhone
A broken iPhone does not always mean your contacts are lost forever. Depending on whether your contacts were synced with iCloud, backed up before the damage, or whether the device can still be recognized by a computer, you may have several ways to get them back.
Before trying any recovery method, check your situation:
- Your iPhone screen is broken but the device still works: Try iCloud Contacts or a recovery tool.
- Your iPhone is damaged but you have an iCloud backup: Restore contacts from the backup.
- Your iPhone was backed up to a computer before it broke: Use Finder or iTunes backup.
- You don't have a backup: A professional recovery tool may help scan available data if your device is still accessible.
Method 1. Recover Contacts from Broken iPhone via iCloud Contacts
If you previously enabled Contacts in iCloud, your contacts may already be synced to your Apple Account. In this case, you don't need to restore the entire iPhone. You can directly export contacts from iCloud. Follow these steps:
- Step 1. Open iCloud.com in a browser and sign in with the Apple Account used on your broken iPhone.
- Step 2. Click Contacts to view your synced contacts.
- Step 3. Click the Settings (gear) icon in the bottom-left corner and choose Select All.
- Step 4. Select Export vCard to download your contacts as a
.vcffile to your computer.
After that, you can import the vCard file to another phone, email account, or contact manager.
Note
This method only works if your contacts were synced with iCloud before your iPhone was damaged. iCloud Contacts and iCloud Backup are two different features.
Method 2. Restore Contacts from an iCloud Backup
If your contacts were stored in an iCloud backup instead of iCloud Contacts, you can restore the backup to get your data back. However, Apple's official restore process has some limitations:
- It requires erasing your iPhone first.
- It restores the entire backup instead of only contacts.
- You cannot preview or select individual files before restoring.
To restore from iCloud Backup:
- Step 1. Turn on your iPhone and enter the setup process.
- Step 2. Follow the instructions until you reach the Transfer Your Apps & Data screen.
- Step 3. Choose Restore from iCloud Backup.
- Step 4. Sign in with your Apple Account and select the backup containing your contacts.
Wait until the restoration process finishes, then check whether your contacts are restored.
Method 3. Recover Contacts from Broken iPhone via Finder or iTunes Backup
If you previously backed up your iPhone to a computer, you can restore contacts from the backup using Finder or iTunes.
- On macOS Catalina and later, use Finder.
- On Windows or older macOS versions, use iTunes.
Follow these steps:
- Step 1. Connect your iPhone to the computer using a USB cable.
- Step 2. Open Finder or iTunes and select your iPhone.
- Step 3. Choose Restore Backup.
- Step 4. Select the backup file that contains your contacts and start restoring.
Note
This method works only if you created a backup before your iPhone was broken. If the computer does not trust your iPhone or the device cannot be detected, this method may not work.
Method 4. Recover Contacts from Broken iPhone Without Backup Using TunesKit iPhone Data Recovery
The question of "Can you recover contacts from a broken iPhone?" is common from our website community. In fact, the problem is not difficult to fix. As an efficient iOS data recovery tool – TunesKit iPhone Data Recovery will satisfy your needs to recover lost data. It provides 3 smart recovery modes, namely, Recover from iOS, Recover from iTunes Backup as well as Recover from iCloud Backup.
In addition to contacts, it is also capable of retrieving other files such as call history, text messages, calendar, photos, notes, videos and others adding up to 20 kinds of data from your device. The functions of preview data and selectively recovery guarantee the flexibility and accuracy of the data retrieval. What's more, it supports both Windows and Mac operating system so that you can use the comprehensive tool to perform recovery according to your needs.
Recover iPhone Contacts Without Backup
Quickly scan your broken iPhone, iCloud, or iTunes/Finder backup to preview and recover lost contacts selectively.
600,000+ Downloads
Option 1. Recover Contacts Directly from Broken iPhone
As mentioned above, if you don't have a backup, you can also recover contacts form your device when it is broken. TunesKit iPhone Data Recovery allows you to recover data from your device without backup. You can follow the detailed steps below to recover contacts from your broken iPhone directly.
Step 1. Connect iPhone to PC
On your computer, launch TunesKit iPhone Data Recovery and connect your broken iPhone to it via a USB cable. Then, choose iPhone/iPad Data Recovery on the main interface.
Step 2. Scan and Preview
Then, you can choose the categories you want to recover on the interface. Then, hit on the Scan button and wait a few minutes for the scanning process to finish.
Step 3. Recover Contacts from Locked iPhone
Now, you can preview all recoverable files shown on the interface. Then, choose the files you want to retrieve and hit on the Recover to PC button.
Option 2. Recover Contacts from iCloud Backup
As it's known to us all, the official way Apple offers to complete the restoration -- using iCloud -- needs erasing all the current files on your device. It may bring other data loss issue inevitably. With TunesKit iPhone data recovery, you don't have to worry about this problem. Simply follow the step-by-step guides below to recover contacts from broken iPhone via iCloud backup selectively.
- Step 1. Open TunesKit iPhone Data Recovery and choose Recover Data from iCloud.
- Step 2. Sign in with your Apple Account and select the backup file.
- Step 3. Choose Contacts, scan the backup, preview the results, and recover the required contacts.
Option 3. Recover Contacts from iTunes/Finder Backup
This method is highly recommended if your iPhone can neither open normally or detected by the computer, but you have synced your device to iTunes before it broken. Now let's start taking a look at how to recover contacts from broken iPhone via iTunes Backup selectively.
- Step 1. Open TunesKit iPhone Data Recovery and select the second mode Recover Data from iTunes. Wait for a few minutes while the recovery software is detecting all iTunes backup files on your computer.
- Step 2. Choose the correct iTunes backup file and tap the Scan button, then the program will extract all deleted or lost files from the backup. You can also select Contacts only by clicking the "gear" icon of the backup file.
- Step 3. When it completes scanning, all recoverable data in the iTunes backup will be listed in different categories. You are allowed to preview them separately and choose the exact ones you want. Click Recover button after selection to get them back to your computer instantly.
What If Your Broken iPhone Cannot Turn On?
If your iPhone is completely dead, cannot be recognized by a computer, and has no previous backup, recovering contacts becomes much more difficult.
In this situation:
- Check whether contacts are synced with iCloud from another device.
- Look for previous backups on iCloud, Finder, or iTunes.
- Consider repairing the device first if important data is stored only on it.
Further Reading: How to Factory Reset iPhone with Broken Screen
Hot FAQs about iPhone Contacts
-
Can I recover contacts from a broken iPhone without backup?
It depends on the condition of your broken iPhone. If the device can still be detected by a computer, a professional iPhone data recovery tool may help scan the device and find available contacts. However, if the iPhone is completely damaged and no iCloud or computer backup exists, recovering contacts may require repairing the device first.
-
Does iCloud automatically save my iPhone contacts?
Not always. iCloud Contacts and iCloud Backup work differently. If Contacts is enabled in iCloud settings, your contacts are synced automatically and can be accessed from iCloud.com. If this feature is disabled, your contacts may only exist in an iCloud backup, Finder backup, or on the device itself.
-
How do I recover contacts from a dead iPhone?
If your iPhone cannot turn on, first check whether your contacts are available through iCloud or a previous backup. If there is no backup, recovery depends on whether the device can still be recognized and accessed. For severely damaged iPhones, professional hardware repair may be required before attempting data recovery.
The Bottom Line
Recovering contacts from a broken iPhone depends mainly on whether you have iCloud sync, a previous backup, or an accessible device. Start with free Apple methods such as iCloud Contacts and backups. If you need selective recovery or want to extract contacts without restoring the whole backup, TunesKit iPhone Data Recovery provides a more flexible option to check and recover available data.
