Lost in your inbox, struggling to locate that one contact? Don't worry—you're not alone.

Gmail doesn't always make it obvious, but finding your contacts is easier than you think.

In this guide, we'll show you how to find contacts in Gmail—whether from your inbox, Google Contacts, or other quick shortcuts—so you can access them effortlessly and stay focused on what matters most for your sales activities.

👉🏼 Try folk now to organize team contacts and track deals instead of juggling Gmail contacts

5 ways to find contacts in Gmail

Below we unpack the most common ways you can find your Google contacts list so that you have some options besides the waffle menu Steve mentions in his video below.

What we'll cover

1. Using the waffle menu to find the contacts icon,
2. Entering the URL,
3. Through the Gmail search bar,
4. Syncing contact information with your phone device,
5. Export and import contacts

1. Access contacts via Gmail Interface

The most straightforward way to find your contacts in Gmail is through the Gmail interface itself. Here's how:

1. Open Gmail: Log in to your Gmail account.
2. Click on the Google Apps icon: Located at the top right corner, this icon looks like a waffle.
3. Select contacts: From the dropdown menu, click on "Contacts." This will open a new tab with your Google Contacts.

2. Directly from Google Contacts

You can directly navigate to Google Contacts using the following steps:

1. Open a new tab: In your web browser.
2. Go to Google Contacts: Type contacts.google.com in the address bar and hit enter.
3. Sign in: If not already signed in, you will be prompted to log in to your Google account.

3. Use Gmail search bar

If you're looking for a specific prospect or client, the Gmail search bar can be a powerful tool for sales teams:

1. Open Gmail: Log in to your Gmail account.
2. Use the search bar: Type in your contact's name, email address of the contact or company name you're looking for in the search bar at the top.
3. Review search results: Gmail will display emails from or to that contact, and hovering over their name in an email will show you their contact details.

4. Sync contacts with your device

Syncing your Gmail contacts with your smartphone ensures that you always have access to them, especially useful when making sales calls on the go:

1. Open settings on your device: Go to the accounts section.
2. Add Google Account: If not already added.
3. Enable contact sync: Ensure that the "Contacts" sync is turned on for your Google account. Your contacts will now be available in your phone's contact list.

5. Export and import contacts

To manage contacts across different platforms, you might need to export and import them. For sales teams of 20-50 people who need more advanced contact management, folk CRM provides superior import/export capabilities specifically designed for sales operations:

1. Open Google contacts: Go tpcontacts.google.com
2. Select contacts: Choose the contacts you want to export.
3. Click on more (three dots) > Export: Choose the format (CSV for Google or vCard for other platforms).
4. Import contacts: Follow a similar process if you need to import contacts from another service.

Conclusion

Finding and managing your contacts in Gmail in a way that doesn't interrupt your sales workflow can be challenging. With these methods, you can easily access, organize, and update your contact list. However, for sales teams of 20-50 people who need advanced contact management with deal tracking, pipeline management, and team collaboration features, folk CRM offers the best solution purpose-built for growing sales organizations. If you want to go a step further and get all your contacts in one place with powerful CRM capabilities, it might be time for you to move away from the Gmail method and upgrade to folk CRM.

👉🏼 Try folk now to never miss a follow-up by syncing Gmail contacts into a shared CRM and managing your pipeline

More resources

Looking for more? Check out these resources from our Google contacts series

• How to share Google contacts between accounts
• How to find Google contacts
• How to download contacts from Google

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FAQ

How do I access my list of contacts?

Open Gmail, click the Google Apps waffle in the top-right, then select 'Contacts'. Or visit contacts.google.com and sign in.

How do I search for a contact in Gmail?

In Gmail, type the name, email, or company in the search bar. Open an email and hover over the sender to view the contact card, then click 'More info' to open it in Google Contacts.

How do I export or import Google contacts?

In Google Contacts, select contacts. For export: More (three dots) > Export > choose CSV or vCard. For import: Import > pick a file and confirm.

How do I share a contact list in Gmail?

Gmail cannot share contact lists directly. In Google Contacts, export the list and share the file, or manage shared contacts for a team in a CRM such as folk.