How to Transfer Google Contacts to Another Account: A Step-by-Step Process

Having a problem switching contacts from one Google account to another? Don’t worry, I have several ways to transfer Google contacts to another account. Read the article and properly follow the steps of the solutions to securely move your important contact data.

To save and manage your professional contacts. Google Contacts is a widely used program. It is a web-based program that also comes in a mobile application. This program easily connects with Google Workspace, where you can create a distribution list and manage multiple users’ contacts at once. Organizations often move their contact details from one account to another for various reasons. Some of them are mentioned below.

Benefits of Migrating Google Contacts

• Bringing contacts from different users into one account. Makes it easier for the organization to organize its address book.
• Many sync their Google contacts to another account to easily access and update the contact list across their devices.
• Some move their contacts from professional to personal accounts or vice versa. This improves productivity because whenever you need them, you can easily access them.
• If you want to share the client’s contact list with your senior or colleague. Also, you may need teamwork or shared projects.
• You also need to migrate Google Contacts when the company is doing your company is doing a full migration.

These are some of the reasons why you may need to migrate your Google Contacts to another account. To start the process, first follow some steps for a secure procedure.

Pre-Migration Checklist

Transferring business contacts is a critical procedure. If you follow the straightforward methods, there are chances that you face problems. Before that, you must follow the pre-migration checklist to safely move your contacts.

• First, check that the source and destination accounts have active login credentials.
• Then, backup your Google contacts. There is no guarantee that you will fully move your contacts manually for your data security.
• Check for any duplications and remove them. Google Contacts offers youthe  Merge & fix feature to help you with that.
• If you are using mobile devices, then make sure the contacts are fully synced to the Google cloud.

After you have followed these steps, you can now easily follow the methods to transfer the contacts.

Manually Move Google Contacts to Another Account in Desktop

Transferring the Google contacts to the computer is very easy. But the process is one-time. It means that you can use this option for bulk migration.

1. First, I am going to export contacts. So, log in to Google Contacts.
2. Select the contacts you want, then click on the More menu.
3. Click the Export option and choose Google CSV. Hit the Export button.
   
4. After that, go to your destination account. Run the Google Contacts.
5. Click on the Import button, and press the Select file option.
   
6. Browse your selected file and then hit the Import button.

Delegate Google Contacts Access to Another User

In a work or school Google account, you can set the delegate access of Google Contacts to allow others to view, edit, add, or delete your contacts. This feature is available in Google Workspace and can be done only on computers.

1. Go to the Google Contacts and log in to your work account.
2. Navigate to the Settings, then click on the Delegate access button.
3. Select the Invite delegate button and then enter the email address of the person you want to delegate.
4. After that, click on the Send option.

By delegating the access, you can only access the My Contacts group, but can’t access contact groups. This method is only used when you have to delegate to another user within the same organization.

Move Google Contacts to Another Account using Google Takeout

Google Takeout can also be useful to move contacts from one Google account to another in batches. This process is divided into two parts. First, export your contacts and then import them into another Google account.

• Log in to the Google Takeout with your source account details.
• Click the Deselect button and scroll down to Google Contacts.
• Scroll down to the bottom and click the Next step button.
• Choose the destination, file type & size. Hit the Create export option.
• After downloading the exporting file. Extract the files into a vCard file.
• Go to the destination Google Contacts account. Select the Import button.
• Click on the Select file button. Browse the exported file and import it.

Move Google Contacts to Another Account by Mobile App

Google has its own contacts mobile app, which you can use to easily move your contacts from one account to another. Below are the steps that are used in both Android and iPhone.

1. First, I have to export the contacts from the old or source account. So, go to the Google Contacts app.
2. At the bottom of the screen, click on the Fix & manage option.
3. Select the Export to file and then choose the source account.
4. Save the file in your phone in the format of a VCF file.
5. Click on the Import from file option in the Fix & manage menu.
6. Choose the destination Google account.
7. Find and browse the VCF file and import it to your account.

Shortcomings of the Manual Methods

Though these methods can successfully operate and move your contacts. However, it is associated with some drawbacks, such as:

• The manual method can create formatting inconsistencies in the destination account.
• It can create confusion, which can result in duplicate contact entries.
• The manual method can not migrate the contact photo to the destination user account.
• Shows errors when transferring more than 2000 Google address books to another account.

Professionally Transfer Google Contacts to Another Account

To overcome all the limitations of the manual solution, users can opt for a more reliable solution, such as the SysTools G Suite Migration tool. Using this tool, Admin can copy contacts from multiple Google accounts to different accounts simultaneously. Moreover, the tool offers various advanced features that make it easier for the user to work on it. The tool is user-friendly and has an interactive user interface that consists of a Help section for a detailed overview of every feature.

Download Tool Purchase Now

Professional Method Guide

1. Launch and activate the tool (tools are available for both Windows & Linux).
2. Select the source and destination as G Suite from the migration screen.
3. Select the category Contacts and set a date-range filter for it.
4. Provide the Source and Destination admin details. Validate the required permissions and click on Next.
5. Choose the Mapping option and import the users for mapping.
6. Validate the user accounts, apply Priority, and click on the Start Migration button.

Also Read: How to import Google contacts to Office 365 accounts?

Conclusion

Several times, users in an organization need to transfer Google contacts to another account – either due to a domain name change, when an employee leaves the organization, or other reasons. No matter your reasons, you can simply copy contacts from one Google account to another using the methods explained in this blog. We have provided step-by-step solutions for manual and automated solutions, and their advantages and disadvantages. Carefully select the right method for your organization and save time to do such a simple task.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. While using the export/import mechanism of the Google Contacts web app, I see that there are 3 distinct options to export. Out of these, which one is the most suitable and why?
A. As your primary objective is to perform a Google-to-Google account contact transfer, we recommend that you go for the Google CSV. It contains all the different hidden fields that Google reserves for its contact data types. So you won’t need to edit or alter any item before importing it into the target account. Additionally, vCard (VCF) is more universal but less optimal for Google-to-Google account transfers. Outlook CSV is entirely different, so you will have to do a lot of manual remapping.

Q. Should I construct my very own Google Contact API-based solution to perform the transfer?
A. It is a decent personal project idea, and you can approach it if you wish to learn app building and possess the necessary coding knowledge. However, keep in mind that API methods are overly complex for most users, so you face major challenges along the way. Not to mention, such an attempt is non-viable in an organizational setting. The tool we gave you does exactly this, but can be used by anyone regardless of technical skill or background.

Q. I asked my admin to unlock the Contact Delegation feature for my account. How can I use it to trigger a contact transfer between two Google accounts on the same domain?
A. The task you are trying to achieve with Contact delegation is not possible. It is a way in which a primary account can let other members of the organization manage the contact list on their behalf.
However, Delegates cannot:

• Import or export contacts.
• Merge duplicates.
• Change settings.
• Manage trash