Featured image illustrating a step-by-step guide on syncing Google Contacts to Google Sheets through Unito, depicted by the connected logos through circles and dotted lines.

How to Export Google Contacts to a Spreadsheet Automatically with 2-Way Update

Published in Use cases on , last updated .

This guide will show you how to export your Google Contacts to a spreadsheet – either in Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets. The steps outlined below can also be followed generally to export contacts from Microsoft Outlook, since the same steps and principles will apply. If you have any questions about this integration, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our live support staff.

Why export Google Contacts to a spreadsheet with Unito?

There are a number of reasons why you might want to import contacts into a Google Sheet. Sales reps can use it for reporting, agencies with multiple clients might like to have a dedicated list that can be easily shared, or maybe you just prefer the layout of a spreadsheet tool. Syncing Google Contacts or Microsoft Outlook to a spreadsheet with Unito can help you dive deeper into your data from the familiarity and flexibility of a table.

In any case, automating the transfer of contacts from one app to another is simple and shouldn’t involve manually copy pasting details over and over again. The best part about an automated solution is that if details become out of date, you can simply change it in one space and watch the other update instantly.

In this Google Contacts integration article

Step 1. Choose a label for your contacts

Step 2. Prepare your spreadsheets with header rows

Step 3. Install the Unito add-on to your Google Workspace

Step 4. Connect Google Sheets and Google Contacts with Unito

Step 5. Set flow direction between Google Contacts and Google Sheets

Step 6. Set rules to export contacts to your spreadsheet

Step 7. Select field mappings based on header rows

Step 1. Choose a label for your contacts

Head over to contacts.google.com and create a label for your contacts if you haven’t already. The name of your label should apply to your use case; you could categorize them by region, business relationship, or another criteria of your choice. Next, apply that label to each contact you’d like to import into a Google Sheet.

create a Google Contact with Unito
Select Create label to add a new label and apply it to your contacts.

Step 2. Add header rows to your spreadsheets

Next up, go to docs.google.com if you’re using Google Sheets or www.office.com for Microsoft Excel users to set up your spreadsheet with header rows. As contact data syncs to your sheet, you need to tell Unito where you want that information to live in your spreadsheet. We call this phase field mapping. Think of all the contact details that matter in this context and give them a name in the first row of your spreadsheet. If you miss one, you can always go back and add it in later, but try to do so before launching your flow.

Here are a few examples of the fields we chose for our demo

Step 3. Install the Unito add-on to your Google Workspace

Near the top of your sheet, select Extensions, Add-ons, then Get add-ons. Perform a quick search for “Unito for Google Sheets” then add it to your workspace.

Google Sheets Unito Auth Screen
Be sure to check each box in the auth screen or Unito won’t be able to sync your data.

When the extension is installed, you just need to insert two columns to help Unito sync your contact data.

Unito Google Sheets Add-On
Some users may receive an error message as they try to create these columns automatically. If you receive such an error, you can proceed by manually adding the header rows UnitoID and Last Modified as the first and last columns in your spreadsheet.

Step 4. Connect Google Sheets and Google Contacts with Unito

Now head over to the Unito App and click +Create Flow. On the following screen, choose Start Here to connect Google Contacts and Google Sheets to Unito. We’ll begin our demo with Google Sheets on the left, and Microsoft Excel on the right. You’ll need to specify which account and sheet you want to sync with Unito.

Unito Google Contact Syncing to Spreadsheets
When you connect a sheet, type the name of the file and choose from the list of sheets that appear. We’ve displayed our demo spreadsheet in the background for your reference.

Step 5. Set flow direction between Google Contacts and Google Sheets

This part is simple: for this integration, we can only choose a one-way flow from Google Contacts to your Spreadsheet. This means new contacts you add to Google Contacts will create identical rows in your Google Sheet with matching information, but not the other way around. Since that’s all we need right now, we’ll select confirm.

one way sync contacts to google sheets with Unito

Step 6. Set rules to export contacts to your spreadsheet

Our rules will help us decide which contacts we want to export from Google Contacts into our spreadsheet. Rules can also help us filter out unwanted or unrelated contacts from syncing accidentally. This is where our labels from Step 1 come into play.

In Unito, select Add a new trigger, then Label, and pick all the labels you created earlier.

Now, only those contacts with labels from these rules will appear in your Google Sheet.

Step 7. Select field mappings based on header rows

Here, we’ll choose which contact details we want to sync to our spreadsheet. You can pick the exact information you want and leave out anything you don’t. If you select Auto-map, Unito will pre-populate a list of suggested field mappings which you can then adjust. However, for this particular demo, we recommend you Start from scratch. 

Start by clicking Select a field for your Google Sheet, and find the appropriate field to map in Google Contacts. Since there will likely be more fields to choose from in Google Contacts, we recommend only mapping what you want to see in your spreadsheet.

Here you can see our completed set of field mappings for this demo. If you forgot to add a field initially, save your progress in Unito, close the app, add the new row headers in Google Sheets, and then re-open Unito.

If you choose a one-way flow for any field, then only changes in the source field will cause similar changes to appear in the destination field. e.g., if Google Sheets is your source or you choose a 2-way sync, then any changes made to your spreadsheet will cause those changes to appear in Google Contacts.

Click Confirm when you’re satisfied with your field mappings to proceed.
Find out more about setting field mappings.

Step 8. Save and close to launch your flow between Google Sheets and Google Contacts

And that’s it! Follow the remaining on-screen instructions to complete your flow and it should start syncing momentarily. Congratulations!

If you’ve followed the steps above, your flow will now add rows in either Google Sheets and/or Microsoft Excel based on rows added in the other. Here is an example of our fully-synced contacts and spreadsheets:

Google Sheets and Google Contacts synced with Unito

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out and let us know. 

What’s next after importing Google Contacts into a spreadsheet?