How to Find and Merge Duplicate Google Contacts

A Reminder from Google+

After weeks of diligent effort, I finally got my way through the invitation wall surrounding the news-making Google+ only to be reminded yet again that my Google contact list is out of control. I started using Gmail in 2005, when I received that invite during an extended period overseas. This also happened to be prior to much of my other globe-trotting adventures, so (as you can imagine) 6 years of real-life contact creation had resulted in quite an unwieldy list of friends. I realized the same situation when I first got my HTC EVO, which of course runs on Google’s Android OS.

The Problem: Duplicate Contacts

In addition to all the random contacts I met once and added an entry for, several of the people in my life with whom I do want to maintain contact have, themselves, been through several email addresses or phone numbers as well. To make a long story short, I had several entries that were duplicates and didn’t need to be. As a Gmail, Android, or Google+ user, perhaps you are in a similar situation. Fortunately, Google has made a very useful and easy tool to solve this problem.

How to Find and Merge Duplicate Google Contacts

Follow these quick steps to find and merge your duplicate Google contacts:

1. Go to your Gmail account
2. Find the “Contacts” option in the navigation menu
3. Above the list of your contacts there will be a button in the horizontal menu that says “More Actions.” Click it.
4. In the second section of the menu that drops down, there will be an option for “Find and Merge Duplicates…” Click it. An in-page window will pop up displaying what Google thinks are your duplicates.
5. Scan the results, unselecting any contacts that you don’t want to merge.
6. When you are happy with your selection, click the “Merge” button at the bottom of the pop-up.
7. Enjoy your duplicate-free contact list.

Next Steps

Now that I have my duplicates merged, I’m one step closer to having a clean, accurate contact list. Now I just have to go back and clear out those folks I haven’t talked to in years. Anyway, thanks for reading this quick post about how to find and merge duplicate Google contacts. Happy Googling!