Re-connect iMac to the network and let it sync back to iCloud and related devices. Look through all contacts to spot any obvious problems.Įxport all contacts from Contacts.app to a vCard named something like "All-Contacts–2012–02–18.vcf" and keep it somewhere safe. Run Contacts Cleaner until it fixes all problems (which may require running the app several times).Įxport a copy of the cleaned-up data for safe-keeping. (This won't produce as many duplicates as you'd expect.) Import all of the contact information gathered in step 1.
#Contacts cleaner app mac
Sync each device and make sure each Mac and iOS device has zero contacts.ĭisconnect your iMac from the network (unplug the Ethernet adapter and turn off Wi-Fi). (Seriously, you verified those exports before, right?) Move of all those exported contacts somewhere really, really safe.ĭelete all contacts from. (Tip: if you use QuickLook on a vCard file, it will show you how many contacts are in it.) Here's the rundown:Įxport contacts from each Mac, iOS device and. I only use Smart Groups which I can easily recreate, so this is not an issue for me, but if you have extensive groups, this may not work for you. My step-by-step process does not preserve group information. Please note: If you need to preserve group information, be sure to use the Contacts app's native format instead of vCard export as "Contacts Archive." instead. Select all your contacts (you can use the Command-A shortcut for this purpose), then Export vCard.
On, the export menu item is found under the small gear icon at the lower-left corner of the page. vCard exports should be very "portable" you should be able to use them for importing into Google or other places if needed. otherwise you will only export the currently selected contact. To export all of your contacts as a single vCard archive, you need to select them all before choosing File » Export » Export vCard. I cannot guarantee that it will work for you, but it has worked for me.Īpple's Address Book / Contacts app creates backup files in its own format, but I prefer to export my contacts in the industry-standard vCard format to purge them of any lingering iCloud metadata.īy subscribing, you are agreeing to Engadget's Terms and Privacy Policy. The Nuclear Option is a backup of my contacts from every single device and from the iCloud web client, followed by a complete purge, reimportation and de-duplication pass.
Having dealt with this problem for several years, I am now accustomed to performing "The Nuclear Option" when it comes to fixing my contact database.
The way I usually discover this is when I realize that some device does not have some piece of information which was either added or changed on another device. For some reason, iCloud periodically stops working in some non-obvious way. Most of the problems relate to syncing contact data. Well, OK, maybe that's an exaggeration, but I have had plenty of problems with iCloud sync well back into the MobileMe days. There are two kinds of people in the world: those who have no problems with iCloud sync, and people who use iCloud sync.
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