To import a contact list on your Mac while avoiding unnecessary duplicates, first check which account Contacts is displaying, then import the file through File > Import and review any duplicate prompts before accepting. Contacts can offer “Keep Old,” “Keep New,” “Keep Both,” or “Update” when it detects duplicates. Those choices help resolve matches it finds; they are not a guarantee that every person represented differently in the file will be recognized as the same contact.

Before importing, check the destination and file

Open Contacts and look at the account or list where you expect the new cards to go. If you use multiple accounts, Contacts can show contacts from services such as iCloud, Google, or Yahoo together. Check that the account already holding your contacts is enabled; importing a file without checking the current setup can make it harder to tell where contacts are stored. New contacts may go to the default account when you use more than one. Apple documents the account and default-account controls in its guide to adding internet accounts to Contacts.

Keep an unchanged copy of the original file so you can refer back to it if the imported fields or duplicate choices are not what you intended. Contacts supports vCards (.vcf), CSV and tab-delimited text files, among other formats. Apple warns that importing an address book archive (.abbu) replaces current contact information, so do not treat an archive as an ordinary add-on list. See Apple’s Mac contact import guide for supported formats and import behavior.

Import a CSV or tab-delimited contact list

For a CSV or tab-delimited file, prepare the file before opening it in Contacts. Apple advises removing line breaks inside a contact’s information, keeping the same number of fields in each record, and separating fields consistently with commas or tabs. This matters because irregular rows can make the field preview difficult to map correctly. If your file comes from a spreadsheet, export or save it in a supported text format first.

  1. Open Contacts on your Mac.
  2. Choose File > Import, select the CSV or tab-delimited file, and click Open. If needed, change the encoding in the import dialog.
  3. Review the field labels shown for the text file. Match columns such as name, email, and phone to the intended contact fields; choose Do not import for unwanted columns.
  4. If the first row contains column headings, check the mapping. Contacts may present that row as a card; select Ignore first card so the headings are not added as a person. Apple notes that changes to the first card’s field labels affect all cards in the file, so review the mapping before continuing.

For a vCard file, use File > Import and select the .vcf file, or open or drag it into Contacts. Apple’s instructions say to click Add in the dialog that appears. Do not use File > Import with an .abbu archive unless replacing the current contact information is intended.

Resolve the duplicate prompt carefully

If Contacts reports duplicate cards, choose Review Duplicate(s) to inspect the choices. Keep Old retains the existing card and discards the imported one; Keep New keeps the imported card and discards the old one; Keep Both preserves both cards; and Update creates one card with information from both. For an important list, review each match rather than selecting Apply to All until you have confirmed the same choice is appropriate for every duplicate. Apple documents these options in Resolve duplicates while importing contacts.

Contacts also offers Import without reviewing duplicates, which accepts them without resolving the differences. If avoiding duplicates is your goal, use the review option when offered. Apple’s guide describes a prompt when Contacts finds duplicates; it does not promise that every similar person or differently formatted record will be detected. A changed email, nickname, shared phone number, or partial record may require your own judgment. Treat the prompt as a chance to compare cards, not as a guarantee that the resulting list is duplicate-free.

Check the imported cards and clean up matches

After import, search for a few names you know were in the file and open their cards to confirm that important fields landed correctly. Pay particular attention to entries with multiple email addresses, phone numbers, or organizations. If the import prompt did not resolve a match, use Card > Look for Duplicates, then click Merge, or select specific duplicate cards and choose Card > Merge Selected Cards. Apple says merging keeps unique information in one card. Use that command when records are genuinely the same person; similar names alone are not enough evidence. See Merge contact cards in Contacts on Mac.

When cards belong to different accounts, linking may suit your goal better than merging: linked cards remain in their respective accounts while Contacts displays their combined information. That distinction matters if you want to keep account-specific records intact. Apple describes linking in Link contacts in Contacts on Mac. After a final spot-check, keep the source file until you are satisfied with the names and field mappings.

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