The fastest way to add a contact in Yahoo Mail

Open Yahoo Mail and click the Contacts icon in the left sidebar — it looks like a person's head and shoulders. Click the Add contact button (usually a plus sign), then type the person's name and email address into the fields that appear. Click Save when you're done. The contact now appears in your list and Yahoo will auto-complete their address when you start typing their name in a new message.

You can also add someone to your contacts directly from an email they sent you. Open their message, click the three dots next to their name at the top, and select Add to contacts. Yahoo pulls their email address in automatically.

Both methods take less than a minute. The contact syncs across all your devices if you're signed into the same Yahoo account on your phone, tablet, and computer.

Key Takeaways

  • You can add a contact by clicking Contacts in the sidebar, then Add contact, then entering a name and email address.
  • You can also add someone from an email they sent you by clicking the three dots next to their name and selecting Add to contacts.
  • Yahoo Mail lets you add phone numbers, addresses, and notes to a contact after you create it.
  • Contacts sync automatically across your phone, tablet, and computer if you use the same Yahoo account on all of them.

Adding extra information to a contact

After you save a contact, you can add more details. Click the contact's name in your list, then click Edit. You can now add a phone number, physical address, birthday, website, or notes about the person. Fill in only the fields you need — none of them are required.

If someone has multiple email addresses, phone numbers, or addresses, click the + button next to that field to add another one. You can label each entry (like "Work" or "Mobile") so you know which one to use when you contact them.

Organizing contacts into groups

Yahoo Mail lets you create groups so you can email multiple people at once. Click Contacts, then click Create group. Give the group a name (like "Book Club" or "Project Team") and click Create.

Now click the group name to open it, then click Add members. Search for the contacts you want to add and click each one. When you're done, click Save. The next time you start a new email and type the group name, Yahoo will address it to everyone in that group at once.

Importing contacts from another email account

If you have contacts in Gmail, Outlook, or another email service, you can bring them into Yahoo Mail. Click Contacts, then click the three dots in the top right, and select Import contacts. Yahoo will ask you to choose a file or connect to another email account.

If you have a file (usually a CSV or VCF file), click Upload file and select it from your computer. If you want to import from another email account directly, click Connect account, sign in to that account, and Yahoo will pull your contacts over. This usually takes a few minutes.

Fixing duplicate contacts

If you have the same person listed twice — maybe once from an old import and once from a recent email — you can merge them. Click Contacts, then click the three dots in the top right, and select Merge duplicates. Yahoo shows you pairs of contacts it thinks are the same person and asks you to confirm.

Click Merge next to each pair you want to combine. Yahoo keeps all the information from both entries, so if one contact has a phone number and the other has an address, the merged contact will have both. You can undo a merge by clicking the undo button that appears after you merge.

Deleting or blocking a contact

To remove someone from your contacts, click their name in the list, then click the trash icon. The contact is deleted immediately. If you want to block their emails instead of just removing them from your list, click the three dots next to their name and select Block. Their future emails will go to your spam folder.

You can unblock someone later by going to Settings, clicking Security and privacy, and finding them in your blocked list. Click the X next to their name to unblock them.

Syncing contacts across devices

Your Yahoo Mail contacts sync automatically to your phone and tablet if you sign into the same Yahoo account. On an iPhone or iPad, open the Contacts app, scroll to the bottom, and make sure Yahoo Mail is toggled on under Accounts. On Android, open the Contacts app, tap the menu, go to Settings, and turn on sync for your Yahoo account.

If contacts aren't syncing, sign out of your Yahoo account on that device and sign back in. This usually forces a fresh sync. You can also check your phone's settings to make sure it has permission to access your contacts.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I add a contact without an email address?

Yes. Click Add contact, enter a name, and leave the email field blank. You can add a phone number or physical address instead. However, you won't be able to email them from Yahoo Mail unless you add an email address later.

What happens if I delete a contact by mistake?

Click the undo button that appears at the bottom of the screen immediately after you delete. If you've already closed that notification, the contact is permanently deleted and cannot be recovered from Yahoo Mail alone.

Can I export my Yahoo Mail contacts to another email service?

Yes. Click Contacts, then click the three dots in the top right, and select Export contacts. Yahoo downloads a file you can then import into Gmail, Outlook, or another service using that service's import tool.

Do my contacts stay private?

Your contact list is private to your Yahoo Mail account. No one else can see it unless you share a contact's information with them directly. Yahoo does not share your contacts with advertisers or third parties.