Edit Your Contact Card in the Contacts App

Your contact card on iPhone is the information that appears when someone calls or texts you, and it's stored in the Contacts app under your own name. To change it, open the Contacts app, tap your name at the top of the list (it usually appears first), then tap Edit in the upper right corner. From there you can change your phone number, email address, home address, or any other field that's already there.

If you don't see your own contact card at the top of Contacts, scroll to the very beginning of the list. On some iPhones, your card appears under "My Card" in the Contacts settings instead. To find it that way, go to Settings > Contacts and look for "My Card" near the top—tap it and you'll land on your contact information.

Key Takeaways

  • Your contact card lives in the Contacts app under your own name, usually at the very top of the list.
  • Tap your name, then tap Edit to change any field—phone number, email, address, or photo.
  • If you can't find your card in the list, check Settings > Contacts > My Card to locate it.
  • Changes you make to your contact card show up when ready when someone calls or texts you.
  • You can add a photo to your contact card by tapping the photo placeholder and choosing an image from your library.

Add or Change Your Photo

When you're in Edit mode on your contact card, tap the circle at the top where a photo would go. If you already have a photo, tapping it lets you replace it. The iPhone will open your photo library so you can choose a new image or take one on the spot.

Once you pick a photo, you can move it around and zoom in or out by pinching and dragging. When it looks right, tap Choose and then tap Done to save. That photo is now what appears when you call someone or when they look you up in their contacts.

Add New Fields to Your Contact Card

If you want to add information that isn't already on your card—like a middle name, nickname, job title, or a second phone number—scroll down while you're in Edit mode and tap Add Field. A menu appears with options like "Phonetic First Name," "Department," "Maiden Name," and many others.

Tap the field you want to add, type in the information, and it will appear on your contact card from that point on. You can add as many fields as you need. If you later decide you don't want a field anymore, swipe left on it while in Edit mode and tap Delete.

Change Your Name or Nickname

To change your first name, last name, or add a nickname, tap Edit on your contact card and look for those fields near the top. Type in whatever you want to appear. If you want to add a nickname that shows up separately from your real name, scroll down and tap Add Field, then choose Nickname.

Keep in mind that changing your name in Contacts only changes how it appears in your own contact card—it doesn't change your Apple ID, iCloud account, or the name that appears in Messages or FaceTime. Those are separate settings in the main Settings app.

Update Your Phone Number or Email

Open your contact card, tap Edit, and find the phone number or email field you want to change. Tap directly on the number or address to edit it. If you have multiple phone numbers or email addresses listed, you can change any of them individually, or delete ones you no longer use by swiping left and tapping Delete.

When you finish editing, tap Done in the upper right. The change takes effect right away. If someone has your contact saved in their phone and you've shared your contact card with them through iCloud or another method, they may need to update their copy manually—changes to your card don't automatically push to other people's phones.

Save Your Changes

After you make any changes to your contact card, always tap Done in the upper right corner to save them. If you tap the back arrow or swipe back without tapping Done, your changes will be lost and your contact card will stay the way it was.

Once you tap Done, the changes are saved to your iPhone when ready. If you use iCloud to sync your contacts across multiple Apple devices, the updated information will appear on your iPad, Mac, or other iPhones within a few minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why can't I find my contact card in the Contacts app?

Your contact card might be hidden if you haven't set up a "My Card" in Contacts settings. Go to Settings > Contacts and look for "My Card" at the top. Tap it and select your name from the list. If you don't see your name, you may need to create a contact for yourself first by tapping the plus icon in Contacts and filling in your information.

Can I change my contact card on someone else's iPhone?

No. Each person's contact card is stored on their own device. You can only edit your own contact card on your own iPhone. If someone else has you saved in their contacts and wants to update your information, they have to edit it themselves on their phone.

Does changing my contact card affect my Apple ID or iCloud account?

No. Your contact card in the Contacts app is separate from your Apple ID name and iCloud settings. Changing your name in Contacts won't change how you appear in Messages, FaceTime, or your Apple account. To change those, you'd need to go to Settings > [Your Name] and edit your profile there.

What happens if I delete a field from my contact card?

Deleting a field removes it from your contact card, but it doesn't delete the information from anywhere else on your iPhone. For example, deleting your email from your contact card won't delete your actual email account. You can always add the field back later by tapping Edit and then Add Field.