How to delete multiple contacts on iPhone

Highlight the contacts to delete by holding the Control key, then select other contacts. Click on the Settings icon, select Delete. Confirm your choice by selecting Delete.

If you want to delete multiple contacts on your iPhone at the same time, Apple has a nifty hidden feature to let you do this. This can be useful for cleaning up duplicate contacts or erasing all your contacts at the same time. 

It's not at all obvious because it's hidden by a gesture that was only introduced in iOS 17 last year, as such, if you don't know where to look it can be a real pain. 

Here are all the steps you need to follow to delete multiple contacts on your iPhone at the same time. 

How to delete multiple contacts on your iPhone

How to delete multiple contacts on your iPhone

• 1. Open Contacts or go to the Phone app and select Contacts from the bottom menu.
• 2. Find the contacts you want to delete.
• 3. Use two fingers to select one contact and drag up or down to select more than one contact to delete. You'll know if they've been selected as they'll be highlighted in gray
• 4. Once you've selected all the contacts that need deleting, release your fingers
• 5. Long press on the selected contacts and a menu will pop-up, asking you if you want to Copy, Share, Merge or Delete. Tap Delete

That's it. It's now incredibly simple to delete multiple contacts all at once from your iPhone. 

Of course, if the contacts you wish to delete aren't all in a row, you'll need to use a different method, outlined below. You'll have to use iCloud on your computer, so it's a bit more complicated, but you'll have more control over what you delete.

How to delete all contacts on your iPhone

If you want to delete all of the contacts on your iPhone, simply follow the steps above and use the gesture to highlight every single contact card in your list, before proceeding to delete them. 

How to delete iPhone contacts in bulk with iCloud

Delete multiple contacts on iPhone using iCloud

If you're using iCloud, your contacts are stored and backed up in the cloud so you can use them across all your Apple devices, including iOS and macOS. 

Thanks to iCloud, changes made to contact information are pushed out to all of your devices automatically. For example, when you change an email in the Contacts app on your iPhone, it's reflected on your MacBook Pro, and so forth.

Unlike the Contacts app on your iPhone, you can select multiple contacts to delete using the web version of iCloud on your Mac. Here's what you need to do: 

1. Visit iCloud.com on a computer (not a mobile device) and log in using your Apple ID and password
2. On the main page, select Contacts

Go to iCloud.com and log in with your Apple ID and password. Select Contacts. (Image credit: iMore)

1. Highlight the contacts you'd like to delete by holding the Control key on your Mac
2. Scroll down and select other contacts to delete
3. On the right, you'll see options to Create New List or Delete Contacts; select Delete Contacts
4. In the box that pops up, confirm your choice by choosing Delete

The contacts you selected are now deleted across all of your devices. You can now go into the built-in Contacts app on your iPhone and verify that the selected contacts have been deleted. These contacts are also no longer listed on your other devices, including your best iPad and Mac.

Delete multiple contacts easily!

So there you have it, iOS 17's easy (but hidden) way to delete lots of contacts all at the same time. Both options are a great way to quickly tidy up and clean up your phonebook, so you can find the numbers you need quickly.