Not long ago, we used feature phones and stored our contacts on our SIM cards or directly on the phone, both of which had downsides. Most SIM cards only allowed you to save 200 to 250 numbers, which you lost if someone stole the line. The phones had more storage capacities, reaching 500 contacts, but would require a messy copying process if you wanted to change your device.

Smartphones and Google have improved things, with your Gmail account capable of storing endless numbers, which you can access on your phone's contact app. And everything syncs to the cloud, so you never have to worry about losing any numbers regardless of what happens to your physical phone or SIM.

The plus side is that if you delete a number or mistakenly wipe your contacts list, you can get everything back as long as it's within 30 days of the event. Read on to learn how to restore deleted contacts on your Android phone, budget Android tablet, or PC.

You can only restore your contacts if you have a Google Account with contact syncing turned on. The feature is enabled by default, but if you turned it off, you should re-activate it.

Restore deleted numbers on Android using the Google Contacts app

You can get back your deleted contacts from Bin. Here's what you'll do:

  1. Open the Contacts app and go to the Fix & manage tab.
  2. Tap Bin.
  3. Check your deleted contacts with time and device name. For example, if you delete several Gmail contacts from your iPhone, you'll find the same in Bin on Google Contacts for Android.
  4. Long-tap on the contact name and tap the three-dot menu in the upper-right corner. Select Recover.

You also have the option to undo changes to contacts in the Google Contacts app on Android. Before now, you could only restore contacts through the web version of Google's contact app. Here's how it works:

While the trick below is handy for restoring deleted Gmail and Google Workspace contacts, it has a major limitation. When you retrieve contacts to a certain time, such as one month ago, any contacts added or edits done after that time don't appear. We recommend exporting your contacts to add missing ones later.

  1. Launch the Google Contacts app on your Android phone.
  2. Click the profile icon in the upper-right corner of the screen.
  3. Select Contact app settings.
  4. Tap the Undo changes option at the bottom of the list. You're asked to select an account if you're logged in with multiple Gmail accounts.
  5. Choose the Google account with the contacts you want to restore.
  6. Select the restore duration; in other words, how far back you want Google to undo changes. The options include 10 minutes, 1 hour, one day, one week, and a custom duration of up to one month.
  7. Tap Confirm to finish the process.

Once done, check to see if your deleted contacts have been restored.

Restore deleted numbers on Android using the phone Settings app

Most Android phones come with the Google app. However, several of its features are baked into the phone's Settings, and the restore contacts function is one of them. Here's how to use it:

  1. Open your phone's Settings app.
  2. Navigate to and select Google.
  3. Choose Set up and restore.
  4. Select Restore contacts.
  5. Tap Restore. You're asked to input your phone's password.
  6. Enter your password and tap the blue Confirm button.

Restore deleted Gmail numbers on Samsung Galaxy phones

Samsung users prefer the default One UI Contacts app on Galaxy phones. While it doesn't let you undo changes, you can recover deleted Gmail or Google Workspace contacts from the trash. Here's how:

  1. Open the Contacts app on your Samsung phone.
  2. Tap the hamburger menu in the upper-left corner and open Trash.
  3. Long-tap on a contact and select Restore.

Your deleted contacts appear back in the Contacts app.

Restore deleted Google contacts on the web app

While the Android Contacts app can now restore saved data, the web app could always do so, and that hasn't changed. If you prefer a larger screen, here's how to restore your lost Gmail contacts from your browser:

  1. Launch Google Contacts in your browser.
  2. Sign in with your Google account details.
  3. Select Bin from the sidebar.
    Bin in Google contacts web
  4. Hover the cursor over the contact profile picture and enable the checkmark.
  5. Select Recover in the upper-right corner.
    recover Google contacts on the web

Similar to Google Contacts mobile app, you can also undo changes using the web version.

  1. Go to Google Contacts on the web.
  2. Click the Settings (gear) icon in the upper-right corner of the screen.
  3. Select Undo changes.
    Select the 'Undo changes' option to restored deleted contacts
  4. Choose a timeframe you'd like to restore from. You can select anywhere from 10 minutes to 30 days.
    Choose the timeframe from which you want to undo the changes
  5. Click Undo.
    Click the 'Undo' option to return the deleted contacts to your contacts list

You'll see a message at the bottom of the screen saying your contacts list will be restored to how it was on the date you chose. However, any numbers you saved after that date are deleted. So back up your current contacts before restoring older, deleted ones.

You can't recover contacts that have been deleted for more than 30 days. This is because deleted numbers are sent to the trash, which is deleted after one month. Similarly, directly emptying the trash before 30 days leaves you unable to restore the data.

Whatever method you use, it may take time for all your contacts to be restored. So give it a minute if you don't notice any changes immediately. Also, you don't have to worry about duplicate contacts, as Google only restores numbers missing from your saved contacts list. In addition, the restored data syncs to your Google account and other connected devices.

There's still hope if you act fast

With Google Contacts, speed is everything. Success is pretty much guaranteed if you log in and back up contacts to your Google account and if you start the recovery within a month. And if you forget your address or password and can't access your Google account, you might need to recover it.