How to Find Your Google Gmail Contacts and Organize Them Better (2023)

Your Google Gmail contacts are important. As a small businessowner, you know that your business is all about people. Keeping in touch withthe people you do business with is one of the keys to business success. Byorganizing and managing your Gmail contacts, you can build and strengthen yourbusiness relationships.

If you're like many Gmail users, you haven't given muchthought to your contacts in Gmail. What you need to know is that Gmail includescontact management tools that will allow you to make use of your Gmail contactsin many of Google's other G Suite productivity tools, including Calendar.

In this tutorial, you will learn everything you need to knowabout Gmail contacts. You'll learn how to find contacts on Gmail, add new Gmail contacts, and practicalways to use your Gmail contact groups.

Before you diginto this tutorial,download our new eBook (for FREE):The Ultimate Guide to Inbox Zero Mastery.It's packed with a number of professional email organization strategies you can put to use quickly.

Note:This tutorial works with the new Google Contact features. If you use the classic Gmail contacts list, switch to the new Gmail contacts list before continuing.

1. Why Your Google Contacts List Is Important

You might wonder why organizing your contact list isimportant. After all, Gmail automatically stores contacts that you send emailsto. Why bother to organize them better?

The answer is simple. Organizing your contacts saves youtime and helps you to make better use of Google's features. Remember, overtime, you may get hundreds of names in your contact list—some of whom you haveno reason to ever contact again. Isn't it better to organize your contact namesinto groups that make sense and help you to find and reach those contacts youreally need quickly?

Your Gmail contact list is part of your Google account. Thatmeans that the Gmail contact list that you set up is the same as the Googlecontact list that you use with G-Suite tools.

Google has some limits on how many contacts you can have.Currently, the limit for total number of Google contacts is 25,000 or a storagelimit of 20 MB (not counting photo images). If you send and receive a lot ofemails, you may exceed that number before you realize it.

Also, once your Google contact groups are set up properlyyou can use those groups to:

• Share calendar items
• Send group emails
• Conduct Google hangouts

Let's start with a quick video overview of working with Google Gmail contacts.

How to Manage Your Google Gmail Contacts (Quick Start Video)

Watch this quick screencast to learn the basics of how to add, organize, and manage your Google Gmail contacts:

Or walk-through the detailed written steps below for more information, starting with details on how contacts get into your gmaillist.

2. How to Findand Add Contacts to Gmail

The first step to organizing your Gmail contacts is findingand adding the contacts you need. Even if you've never added a Gmail contact,Gmail keeps track of who you've been sending email messages to in a Frequently contacted list it generates.

Google also automatically generates an All contacts list that contains all contacts that you add orimport. To keep your All contactslist manageable, think of it as a temporary holding space for contacts untilyou move them to a contact group.

Start from the main Gmail window. To open the Frequently contacted list, select Gmail > Contacts. Your current GoogleContacts window displays.

This is a relatively new Gmail account that I created forthese tutorials. Despite that, notice that I already have three names on theautomatically generated Frequentlycontacted list.

Also, I do not have a Google+ social media accountassociated with this Gmail account, so Circlesdoes not appear in the sidebar. If I did have a Google+ account, Circles would appear beneath Groups in the sidebar.

Note: Contactnames used in this tutorial are not intended to represent real people.

Let's learn how to get some more contacts on my list.

Step 1. Import ContactsFrom Email

The first method of getting names on your Gmail contact listis to import them. Start by selectingMore > Import in the left panel of your Google Contacts window. The Importcontacts from other accounts box displays.

For the purposes of this tutorial, let's say you want toimport contacts from your Outlook email account. Click the Outlook.com option.

You'll be asked to agree to the Terms of Useand Privacy Policy. You'll also beprompted to enter your password. Continue to follow the prompts until yourOutlook contacts have been imported. Google displays a list of importedcontacts.

The new contacts are placed in a Google contact group calledImported Outlook.com [Date]. Don'tworry though, you can change the name of this group later.

If you have contacts you would like to import from any ofthe other options, select that option at this time. Follow the prompts toimport your contacts.

Note: You canonly import 3,000 contacts at a time. If you need to import more than 3,000contacts, put the contact list in CSV format and break it into separate listsof less than 3,000 names.

Step 2. Import Your Contacts From Social Media

If you're active on social media, you understand howimportant social media networking can be for your small business. You can add professionalcontacts you develop through social media to your Gmail profile. For moreinformation on how to build a professional Google+ profile, review thistutorial:

• Finding Clients on Google PlusDavid Masters10 Apr 2013

Gmail makes it easy to incorporate your Google+connections into your Gmail contacts since your Google+ Circles appear in your Contactssidebar.

Let's look at Circleson the Gmail Account that I have associated with my Google+ profile. I click myWriting Colleagues circle to look atthose contacts in the Google Contacts window. (The names of your Google+ circles will be different as will your connections.)

Idecide that I want to add Andrewfrom my Writing Colleagues circle tomy contacts list. I select Andrew fromthe list. A contact card appears with the information from Andrew's Google+profile.

To add Andrew to my Gmail contacts list, I click the Add to contacts icon (it looks like aperson) above the photo. He is now in my Gmail contacts list.

For contacts from other social media platforms, export themto CSV format first. There are also some plug-ins that can import contacts fromsocial media.

Step 3. Create a New Gmail Contact

Occasionally, you may want to add a contact that you've justmet. Perhaps, someone handed you their business card at a trade show. You canadd a new contact in Gmail.

Use the search bar at the top of the window to look for acontact to add or use theicon on the lower right of the window.

To use the Add newcontacts icon, click it. At the prompt, type the name of thecontact you want to add. The system may suggest contacts from existing Google+profiles based on the name you type.

Click the Createbutton. A blank contact card displays.

Type as much information as you can about your new contact.Add an image if you have one. Click the Savebutton to save the new contact card.

Step 4. Remove a Gmail Contact

An important part of organizing your Gmail contacts isremoving contacts that you no longer need. Perhaps someone has left anorganization or changed careers. Here's how to remove contacts from your Googlecontacts list.

Start with the Contactswindow open. Click the name of the contact you want to remove. Theircontact card opens. Click on the three dots above the photo to open a sub-menu.

Click the Deleteoption to remove the contact. The contact is deleted from your Gmail contactsand removed from any contact groups.

If you click the Removefrom the "All contacts" list option, the contact is removed fromthe All contacts list, but remainsin any contact groups where you placed them.

Step 5. Merge Duplicate Contacts

You may find that your contact list has duplicate entries.This sometimes happens when you manually add new contacts, forgetting that theyare already on your list.

Fortunately, Google has a tool to help you find andeliminate duplicate contacts. From the sidebar, click the Find duplicates option. The systems displays possible duplicates.You have the option to Dismiss(ignore) or Merge the duplicates.

If you select the Mergeoption, the contact information for the duplicates will be combined onto asingle contact card.

3. Building Gmail Contact Groups

So far, we have gone over how to add Gmail contacts. Usingthe Groups feature, you can organizeyour contacts. This feature allows you to group contacts together.

You may wish to create a group for prospective clients,vendors, employees, colleagues, current clients, and more. The possibilitiesare endless.

Step 1. Create a Gmail Contact Group

Start from the Contactswindow. Click the New group optionin the side panel. The New Grouppopup displays.

Type the name of the group you wish to add. Click the Create group button to create the Gmailcontact group.

Step 2. Add Contacts to a Group

You now have a group, but there are no contacts in it. Startwith the group open that you want to add contacts to. Click the Add person icon in the lower right ofthe screen.

If you see the person's name, click on it to add them to thegroup.

To add a new contact, click the Create button. A blank contact card displays.

Type the person's contact information into the card. Insertan image for the person if you have one. Click the Save button to create the new contact and save it in your Gmail contactgroup.

Step 3. Rename a Contact Group

To rename a Google contact group, start with thegroup open. Click the Rename groupicon (it looks like a pencil). The Rename group popup appears.

Type the new name of the group in the Please enter a group name field. Click the OK button. The group name changes.

Step 4. Sort Google Contacts

Sort your contacts by first or list name. Start by opening agroup or the main Contact List window. Click the Sort options icon in the upper right.

Click the alphabetical sort option you would like. Choose betweensorting by the contact's first name or by their last name.

Here is what a last name sort looks like.

Step 5. Reassign Contacts to a Different Gmail Group

Reassign one or more contacts to a different Gmail group. Start withthe group open. Place your mouse over the image next to the contact name to be reassigned. Theimage is replaced by a checkbox. Click the checkbox to select it. A menu barappears across the top of the Contactswindow. Checkboxes also appear by all the names in the group.

If you need to, select more names. Click the Change groups icon (it looks like people)in the menu bar. A drop-down menu with current group names displays.

In this case, I wish to move Joe Test Person from the group Test Group to the group New Test Group. I click New Test Group to place a check by that group name. I click Test Group to remove the check by that group name.

Click in the white space. You will receive aprompt that your [Contact Name] has been moved from one group to another.

Step 6. Delete a Google Gmail Contact Group

From time to time, you may need to remove entire groups. It's easyto do so.

Start with the group you want to delete open. Click the Delete group icon (it looks like atrash can).

A pop-up appears.

Choose one of the following:

1. To save the contacts in the group and delete thegroup, select the first option and click the Delete button.
2. To delete the contacts in the group and thegroup, select the second option and click the Delete button.
3. To keep the group and its contacts intact, clickthe Cancel button.

4. Practical Ways to Use Your Google Contacts List

Once you've set up your Google contacts list and groups inGmail, there are many practical ways to use them. Here are just a few.

1. Share Calendar Items

Share a Google Calendar event with an individual contact oran entire group. Start with your Google Calendar open. Go to https://calendar.google.comto find your Google Calendar. Add the Gmail contact group to the event as youwould an individual. If the person you invite also uses Google Calendar, theevent will be added to their calendar within a half hour.

Note: Event invitationswith more than 200 guests are subject to special restrictions.

2. Send Group Emails

Use Google contact groups to send group emails. This is especiallyhelpful if you work with a team and you need to keep team members informed. Sendgroup emails from your Gmail inbox, or by using the menu bar at the top of yourcontact group listing. There are two methods to send group emails.

Method 1

From your Gmail inbox click the Compose button. In the Tofield, type the name of the contact group. You will see the individual emailaddresses in the To field when youpress the Enter key. Finish typingyour message and send as usual.

Method 2

With your contact group open, place your mouse over theimage on the left of a contact name. The image is replaced by a checkbox. Clickthe checkboxes next to the names of all contacts you want to send a group emailto. A menu bar appears across the top of the Contacts window.

Next, click the MoreActions icon (it looks like three vertical dots) on the right of the menubar.

Click the Email optionon the drop-down menu. A new email opens. Type and send the message as usual.

3. Use Google Hangout

Start a Google Hangout with one or more of your contacts.

Start with a group or the Allcontacts list open. Place your mouse over the image next to a contact name.The image is replaced by a checkbox. Click a checkbox to select the contactname. A menu bar appears across the top of the Contacts window.

Next, click the MoreActions icon (it looks like three vertical dots) on the right of the menubar. From the More Actions drop-downmenu, click the Hangout option. Apopup appears asking you to send an invite to your hangout.

Click the Send Invitebutton. When your invitees respond you can begin chatting.

Note: If the Hangout option is greyed out, thecontact may have Hangouts disabled. Or, there may not be enough information onthe contact card to send a Hangout invitation.

To learn more about how to use Google Hangouts for yoursmall business, review this tutorial:

• Using Google Hangouts as a Business ToolDavid Masters17 Apr 2013

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Conclusion

Learning how to find and organize your Gmail contacts is abig timesaver. You'll also develop stronger relationships for your smallbusiness as you make better use of your Gmail contacts.

Learn more about how to work with Gmail in our multi-partUltimate Beginner Guide to Using Gmail. It covers setting up your account, inbox organization tips, quick email shortcuts,and more.