What to do if…
your contact list or calendar entries disappear or merge unexpectedly

What to do now

1. Stop the change spreading on the affected device.

   • On the device that first showed the problem, temporarily turn on Airplane Mode or turn off Contacts and Calendar sync for the account that seems involved.
   • Leave other devices alone for the moment if they still show the correct contacts or calendar entries.

2. Take a quick snapshot before changing anything.

   • Screenshot missing contacts, merged contacts, missing calendars, duplicate entries, account names, sync warnings, and storage warnings.
   • Write down when you first noticed it, which device showed it first, and whether it happened after an update, new phone, account change, or shared calendar change.

3. Check the account in a browser.

   • Sign in through the provider’s web page, such as iCloud.com, Google Contacts, Google Calendar, Outlook.com, or your work or school webmail.
   • If the web version still looks normal, treat this as a device display or sync problem and avoid changing the web copy.
   • If the web version also looks wrong, use the recovery tools before manual editing.

4. Use official restore or recovery tools before tidying up.

   • iCloud Contacts or Calendars: use iCloud.com Data Recovery to restore contacts or calendars from an earlier available version. Be aware that restoring can replace the current contacts or calendars on your devices, although iCloud may keep a copy of the current version.
   • Google Contacts: check Bin for deleted contacts, and use Undo changes if you need to roll back contact changes made during the past 30 days. Contacts permanently deleted from Bin may not be recoverable.
   • Google Calendar: on a computer, check Calendar Trash for the affected calendar. Deleted events usually stay in that calendar’s Trash for 30 days, but each calendar has its own Trash and some recurring-event deletions may not appear there.
   • Outlook, Exchange, or Microsoft 365: check Deleted Items first, then Recoverable Items or “Recover items deleted from this folder” if it is available. Work and school accounts may depend on administrator settings, so involve IT early.

5. Check whether the wrong accounts are mixing.

   • Look on the device for personal, work, school, old, or new accounts that are all syncing Contacts or Calendar.
   • Check which account is set as the default for new contacts and new calendar entries.
   • Temporarily leave only the intended account syncing Contacts and Calendar on the affected device, then re-check the web version before making edits.

6. If you suspect account access by someone else, secure the account before restoring.

   • Look for password reset emails you did not request, new signed-in devices, email forwarding rules, unknown contacts, unknown calendar events, or changed recovery details.
   • Secure the email account first, change the password from the official website, sign out of other sessions where available, and turn on two-step verification.
   • Follow the UK National Cyber Security Centre guidance for recovering a hacked account.

7. If this is a work or school account, contact IT or the administrator now.

   • Tell them: “Contacts or calendar entries disappeared or merged unexpectedly. I have paused sync on the affected device and have screenshots. Please check restore options before I make edits.”
   • Do not try to fix a shared, Exchange, Microsoft 365, or managed account by mass-deleting or reimporting data unless the administrator tells you to.