How to Resolve Google Contacts Missing Issue?

  Mohit Kumar Jha
Written By Mohit Kumar Jha
Anuraag Singh
Approved By Anuraag Singh
Modified On September 25th, 2025
Reading Time 6 Min Read

Are your Google contacts missing? And wondering how to get back missing contacts. In this guide, I am going to explain the reasons for losing your Google contacts and how to recover the lost contacts from both personal Google and professional G Suite accounts.

You open Google Contacts for work and notice that some contacts are missing. This is a big problem as you are not able to do your work. But don’t worry, missing contacts in Google does not mean that they are permanently deleted. In most cases, they are not visible to you because of a sync issue, wrong account login, or the need to adjust settings.

For these reasons, personal users as well as G Suite users cannot see their contacts from their accounts. To get them back, there are several ways you can use. But, before going through the solutions, let’s learn the cause of your Google contacts missing.

Why are Google Contacts Missing?

If you are using a personal or professional Google account. The reasons why your contacts lost are the same. Below, I have mentioned factors that cause this problem.

  • As you know, Google Contacts is a cloud platform, and to sync it uses this to sync to other devices. If Google Contacts does not properly sync with your iPhone or any other device, then you will not see your data.
  • Many users have multiple accounts for personal, professional use. Sometimes, people confuse which one to open, and they log in to the wrong account. That’s why they do not see their data.
  • You have accidentally deleted or merged them in your Google contacts. But, luckily, you can restore your deleted data for up to 30 days.
  • Some contacts are hidden under other contacts or other labels. So, check on these labels to get your contacts.
  • Outdated browser apps, corrupted cache, etc. could also be the cause of the issue.
  • The admins of Google Workspace change the directory or contact sharing settings. This led to the disappearance of user contacts.

So, there can be several reasons why you are not seeing your contacts. To resolve the issue, I am going to provide the solutions for both personal Google and professional G Suite accounts. So, follow them properly.

Recover Google Contacts using Web Browser

If your contacts are accidentally deleted, then you can restore them within 30 days before they are permanently removed. To recover them, go to the Trash folder.

  1. First, open Google Contacts in your browser and sign in to your account.
  2. In the left panel, click on the Trash option.
  3. Choose the contacts you want to recover or select all the contacts.
  4. Then, click on the Recover button. Now, your data will be recovered.
  5. To restore the entire contact list to its previous state. Go to the Settings of the Google Contacts.
  6. Select Undo Changes and choose a time. Then, click on the Confirm button.

Fixing Sync Problem with Google Contacts & Mobile

If the problem is that Google contacts do not properly sync with your device. Then, follow these steps to solve it.

  1. First, check the settings of your phone contact apps. For this.
    • Go to the Contacts app.
    • Then, the application settings. Find the option Contacts to display or Display.
    • Select all the contacts, or you can choose the correct Google Account.
  2. You can force your mobile to resync with your Google account to fix temporary glitches.
    • In your phone settings and Accounts option.
    • Click on the Google button and then choose the Google Account.
    • Press the Account sync option and switch on the Contacts option.
  3. Corrupted app data and cache can also be the cause of syncing. Then, remove it
    • By going to Phone Settings and then the Apps option.
    • Click on the Contacts button. Select the Storage & cache button.
    • Select the Clear cache option. Also, you can clear your storage or clear data.
  4. Removing and re-adding your Google account can also help you resolve the problem.
    • Go to the mobile settings and click on the Accounts button.
    • Select the account that has missing contacts. Press the Remove account.
    • After that, restart the phone and then re-add the Google account.

Other than these solutions, you can also follow minor ways: to ensure you have signed in to the correct Google account and verify if the contacts are saved in the local device or in the account. So, all these ways help you to make your Google contacts visible. If your G Suit contacts are missing. Then, follow these solutions.

Recover G Suite Contacts by Administrator

When your Google Workspace contacts are lost, request that the super administrator recover your contacts. The admin will only be able to restore the contacts for the past 30 days. Here’s how they do it.

  1. Log in to the Google Admin Console, then go to the Directory option.
  2. Choose the users whom you want to recover the contacts.
  3. Click on the user’s name and then go to the contacts section.
  4. In the contact settings, you will see view and restore deleted items.
  5. Find the deleted contacts, select them, and click on the Restore button.

Check Google Workspace Contact Sharing Settings

In the G Suite, there is a collaborative feature where you can share your contact information with others. So, if you share contacts are missed. Then, a standard user can check their delegated access settings.

  1. Log in to the account using the administrator account.
  2. In the Directory section, go to the Directory settings.
  3. You can check the settings from the sharing settings tab.
  4. If the contact sharing is turned off, switch to the On button to enable the contact sharing.

These are the ways to get back your G Suite contacts. They will help you to recover your lost data, but they can’t secure it. So, it is also important to backup your G Suite contacts to avoid losing or retaining your data when needed. I have a perfect solution for these circumstances.

How to Secure G Suite Contacts?

Use professional software like SysTools G Suite Backup Tool to securely save your contacts. It is a great utility that allows you to save a complete contact folder or selective data. The tool allows you to save your contacts in an Outlook data file. You can make it easier to access them. This is a great option to get your contact data to protect it from disappearing.

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Concluding Words

Many users encounter problems like Google contacts are missing. So, here I have provided various solutions to get back your contacts. I have also explained the reasons why the contacts have disappeared and ways to recover personal Google and professional G Suite contacts. Last, I suggested a way to save your contacts from being lost.

  author

By Mohit Kumar Jha

Mohit is a Microsoft Certified expert for all things Microsoft. He brings a unique perspective gained from nearly a decade of active participation in various IT forums, blogs, and social media. Known in admin circles as the go-to guru for solving user queries in the domain of email and cloud migration, data backup, and digital forensics. The secret to his core expertise lies in solving problems practically. Through this hands-on experience, he has acquired knowledge in diverse domains like Microsoft 365 Cloud, On-Premise Exchange Server, AD, and Entra ID.