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
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:
- Go to your Gmail account
- Find the “Contacts” option in the navigation menu
- Above the list of your contacts there will be a button in the horizontal menu that says “More Actions.” Click it.
- 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.
- Scan the results, unselecting any contacts that you don’t want to merge.
- When you are happy with your selection, click the “Merge” button at the bottom of the pop-up.
- 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!
. Levy spoke for about 45 minutes about how Google started with their revolutionary search engine technology, how they monetized their project through their ad-serving paradigm, and how from their philosophical basis of doing good for humanity they moved from their search engine into a host of other areas.