How to Transfer Contacts From a Phone to a Mac Via Bluetooth

Black samsung android smartphone on brown wooden table.jpg

While it's best to use BlackBerry Desktop Software, Android File Transfer or the Windows Phone app to sync your entire address book to your computer, Bluetooth is a fast and simple way to send one or two individual contacts to your Mac. BlackBerry, Android and Windows Phone support sending contacts to or receiving contacts from a paired device over a Bluetooth connection. Once you've copied the contact card from your smartphone to your computer, you should find the vCard in the Contacts app in OS X.

1 Pair Mac With Phone

2 Open System Preferences

Open "System Preferences" from the Apple menu and then click "Bluetooth."

3 Select Turn Bluetooth

Select "Turn Bluetooth On" underneath the Bluetooth icon, if applicable, and then click "Pair" next to your smartphone.

4 Verify the PIN

Verify the PIN displayed on your Mac matches the PIN displayed on your device, if applicable, and then click "Pair" to confirm.

5 Transfer From Windows Phone

6 Open People

Open "People" from the App list and then select the contact card you want to transfer to your Mac.

7 Touch

Touch "..." and then choose "Share Contact" from the menu. Press the check mark button to confirm and then touch "Bluetooth."

8 Select your Mac from the list of Bluetooth devices

Select your Mac from the list of Bluetooth devices to deliver the contact card over the wireless connection.

9 From BlackBerry

10 Scroll

Scroll to and select "Contacts" from the home screen, and then choose a contact card to send.

11 Press the BlackBerry logo key

Press the BlackBerry logo key and then scroll to "Send Contact Card."

12 Choose Send Using Bluetooth

Choose "Send Using Bluetooth" from the options and then press the trackball to confirm.

13 Highlight your Mac

Highlight your Mac in the list of paired devices and then press the trackball again to deliver the card to your computer.

14 From Android

15 Open the People app

Open the "People" app from the home screen and then press the contact card to send.

16 Press the menu button

Press the menu button (the icon with three dots arranged in a vertical line) and then touch "Share Contact."

17 Select Bluetooth

Select "Bluetooth" from the Share Contact Via menu and then choose your paired Mac from the list.

  • AirDrop for iOS 7 doesn't work with Mac OS X as of this publishing.
  • To connect with your Mac, your smartphone must have Bluetooth enabled. For Windows Phone, open "Settings" from the App list; touch "Bluetooth" and then toggle "Status" to "On." For BlackBerry, scroll to and select "Manage Connections" from the home screen, and then check "Bluetooth." For Android, open the "Settings" app from the home screen and then toggle "Bluetooth" to "On" under "Wireless & Networks."

Ruri Ranbe has been working as a writer since 2008. She received an A.A. in English literature from Valencia College and is completing a B.S. in computer science at the University of Central Florida. Ranbe also has more than six years of professional information-technology experience, specializing in computer architecture, operating systems, networking, server administration, virtualization and Web design.

×