Most users of mobile phones whose contact list is not saved on the SIM card, namely on the mobile device, in order not to lose the necessary numbers, prefers to save such lists on a computer. But many have problems, because just like that, even with the usual connection of a smartphone to a PC, not everyone can export the list. The following is a few basic methods that will help solve the problem of how to copy contacts from a phone to a computer. And it is completely optional to use some additional software for this.
How to copy contacts from phone to computer: basic methods
When creating a list of contacts that should be transferred to a stationary PC or laptop, you should follow a few simple rules. It is their observance that will help to avoid many problems that may arise in the process of copying or creating a contact list.
Firstly, synchronization of the phone’s contacts with the computer can be done by saving the list in the most common and accessible formats directly on the mobile device. Secondly, you can use special utilities offered by the manufacturers of mobile equipment or developers of the corresponding software. For example, the question of how to copy contacts from a Samsung phone to a computer is solved quite simply using the stationary computer program Kies. But in this case, we will not focus on any particular application, but consider the problem, so to speak, in a global sense.
Synchronizing contacts from phone to computer: the easiest way to export
If such a need is ripe, the first thing on any Android device, and even without Google registration, in the main menu you just need to select the contacts section.
In this menu, you must use the import / export function, and then specify the location to save the list on the internal drive or external SD card in VCF format. Then you can simply copy the created file to the computer by connecting the device via USB.
Visible Contacts Filter and VCF Format
True, it is far from always that absolutely all contacts are copied to the list file (and sometimes it is necessary to copy not all numbers, but only some).
In this case, when exporting, a special filter is first set in the contact list itself, after which the system will offer not only to save the list, but also send it to the registered email address, which is used to enter Google accounts.
Transfer contacts via export in vCard format
The question of how to copy contacts from a Nokia phone to a computer or from any other device can be resolved by using the universal format of vCard lists. Actually, even when saving copies of the system of Android devices on Google’s servers, it is he who is used. In this case, we are talking only about those contacts that were saved directly on the mobile device, and not in the memory of the SIM card.
However, the question of how to copy contacts from a phone to a computer requires a special explanation (it will be further understood why).
You can create a vCard file directly on your phone or use the software installed on your computer for this. On the phone, you just need to save the list in the selected format, after which it can be opened in any mail application like The Bat, Outlook or Outlook Express.
If you use additional software, you can create an exported contact list in the computer application itself. But not all programs allow you to create such lists. But applications like MyPhoneExplorer support export in both Word and Excel. Agree, when there is nothing at hand, this option looks very convincing. Then, however, the contacts, for example, when restoring the phone to its factory firmware, will have to be entered manually. But the technique is good in that you can open the list using any editor, and not only related to the MS Office package.
Troubleshoot encoding issues
Finally, the main problem in how to copy contacts from a phone to a computer is that sometimes, depending on the mobile device itself or used to save the application, the list may not be displayed correctly only because the encoding is set incorrectly. Android operating systems use their own standards that are different from those used in MS Windows.
Here the way out of the situation is quite simple: open the file in any text editor such as the standard Notepad or Word and change the encoding from UTF-8, set by default, to Windows 1251, after which we simply save the document in its original format (Ctrl + S).
Do not like this option? Use the Sublime Text program, which allows you to save a contact list not only with a change in the selected encoding, but also with the use of Cyrillic characters, which are not supported by some English-language applets.
Brief Summary
On this, in fact, the question of how to copy the contacts from the phone to a stationary PC or laptop can be finished. As many have already guessed, in general, it is not necessary to use special software to transfer contacts from a mobile device to a computer. With Android devices, everything is quite simple. But if you are the owner of the "apple" gadget, then you can’t do without installing iTunes or something like that (especially since directly exporting the contact list in these devices is not supported).