How to backup your Gmail contacts

It is an ideal option to keep a secondary copy of you contact to serve as a safety net when an emergency occurs. Sometimes you just need to keep a soft copy or even a print of it in a secured area as a backup as you cannot afford to miss them.

In this article, you would get to know how to make secondary backup(s) of your contact in Gmail. Google make it as simple as possible on both their mobile and desktop platforms of Gmail.

How to backup your contacts on Desktop in print

1. Open your browser and launch Gmail.
2. Click on the box looking Google apps grid in the top-right corner between Settings and your profile picture. Or you may, simply head over to Google Contacts.
3. Click on Contacts on the left pane and wait for the total number of your contacts to populate.
4. Scroll down the left side panel and click on Print to start off a print backup. If you wish to select some and not all of your contacts to print, click on the Contacts drop-down arrow and select the category you want to print.
5. Click on Print.
6. A print preview page will open showing you your contact details. From here, you can view the number of pages as well as set your printing preferences.
7. Select your printer from the drop-down.
8. Then, click on Print. Your Google contacts should now start to print at your printer.

How to backup your contacts on Desktop in soft-copy

1. Open your browser and launch Gmail.
2. Click on the box looking Google apps grid in the top-right corner between Settings and your profile picture. Or you may, simply head over to Google Contacts.
3. Click on Contacts on the left pane and wait for the total number of your contacts to populate.
4. Scroll down the left side panel and click on Export to start off a softcopy backup. If you wish to select some and not all of your contacts to export, click on the Contacts drop-down arrow and select the category you want to export.
5. Select you preferred backup format based on your projected usage. (Select Google CSV if you would be using it on Android, Outlook CSV if you would be using it on Microsoft product, vCard if you would be using it on Apple product.)
6. Click on Export.
7. Choose a destination to save your Google contacts. You have made a backup

How to backup your contacts on Mobile in print

To make a back of of your Gmail contacts via print on mobile;

1. Head over to your Gmail app.
2. Touch on the three-line hamburger menu in the top-left corner.
3. Scroll all the way down the left side panel and click on Contacts.
4. Touch on the three dots (More actions) button next to your profile picture.
5. Touch Select to choose specific contacts, otherwise, tap Select all. You can also choose to select from categories like Phone contacts, Email contacts, and Company. You’ll find these options just beneath the search box.
6. Touch the Share button next to the bin icon.
7. Touch on the printer icon and select a printer. If you’ll rather download a copy of your contacts, tap on other sharing options such as email, WhatsApp, etc.
8. Set your printer preferences and click on Print to start printing your Gmail contacts. You’ll need to ensure that both your printer and your phone are connected to the same Wi-Fi network or that Wi-Fi Direct is on.

How backup your contacts on Mobile in soft-copy

1. On your Android phone or tablet, open the Contacts app .
2. At the bottom, tap Fix & manage 
3. Select Export to file.
4. Choose one or more accounts to export contacts from.
5. Tap Export to .VCF file.

More Information

– Google Contacts
– The Contacts are gone – how to avoid loosing contacts on Android