How to Find Your Contacts in Google Workspace

With over 2 billion users of G Suite products globally as of 2020, it’s surprising how many people still aren’t aware of the time-saving shortcuts for finding their contacts in Google Workspace.

By 2022, G Suite had transitioned into Google Workspace, offering even more value for small businesses and enterprise clients alike.

Like other top tech companies, Google continuously improves its products, making them more intuitive for both businesses and individual users. Google Contacts is no exception—you can access your contact list from various Google apps and interfaces. If you use Gmail, this guide will help you find your Google Contacts more efficiently, making your communication faster and easier.

What is Google Workspace?

Google Workspace is a paid suite of collaboration and productivity apps designed for businesses. It evolved from G Suite and includes core apps like Gmail, Chat, Drive, Meet, Slides, Calendar, Sheets, and Docs.

What is Google Contacts?

Google Contacts is an app that lets users create, store, organize, group, merge, and share contact information. It’s available as a web app, an Android mobile app, and as part of the Google Workspace suite, accessible through a sidebar.

It’s important to note that contacts in your Gmail inbox don’t automatically get added to Google Contacts. You need to manually add contacts to Google Contacts to sync them across devices and organize them.

Ways to Find Your Contacts in Google Workspace

Thanks to Google’s intuitive design, you can access your contacts on any screen in Google Workspace. There are two icons that will help you navigate your way faster when you ask yourself, “Where are my contacts in Gmail?”:

1. Google Apps icon: A square grid made up of 3×3 gray dots.
2. Google Contacts icon: A blue circle with a white outline of a person’s head and shoulders.

These icons are typically visible in the corners of your screen while using Google Workspace. Let’s go over the most common ways to access your contacts.

Using the Google Workspace Sidebar

Sidebars in most SaaS solutions are where users expect to find all sorts of tools and pathways to their most used features. Following the same user-friendly navigation logic, Workspace offers a few popular tools sitting there in a compact vertical ribbon of icons on your right— waiting to be handy—and within easy reach.

In Gmail, for example, you’ll see a column of four icons in the upper right corner under your account icon—one of these is the Google Contacts icon.

From Gmail’s Inbox

When you’re in your Gmail inbox, you can open Google Contacts by pressing the keyboard shortcut G+C. Just press “G” followed by “C” to launch the app.

To use this shortcut, make sure:

a)  You’re on the main Gmail inbox screen (without any emails open).

b)  You’ve enabled keyboard shortcuts in Gmail’s settings:

• Click the Gear icon in the top-right corner.
• Click See all settings.

●      Under the General tab, scroll down to Keyboard shortcuts and select Keyboard shortcuts on.

From Google’s Homepage

You can access your Google Contacts right from the Google homepage if you have a Gmail account:

1. Go to Google.com
2. Click the Google Apps icon in the top-right corner (hovering over it will show a tooltip that says “Google apps”).
3. Click the Google Contacts icon in the dropdown list of apps.
4. You’ll now see all of your saved contacts in Google Contacts.
   

By Adding Google Contacts to Your Browser’s Favorites

If you use Google Workspace frequently, you might want to add Google Contacts to your browser’s favorites bar. To do this:

1. Open Google Contacts using one of the methods described above.
2. Press Command + D (Mac) or Ctrl + D (Windows) to bookmark the page.

Now you can access Google Contacts with just one click, without needing to open Gmail or Google Workspace first.

Ways to Find Gmail Contacts on Different Devices

The methods mentioned above work on desktops and most of them are also available on mobile devices. Here’s how to find your contacts on different platforms:

How to Find Contacts in Google Workspace on a PC

1. Use the sidebar in the top-right corner to find the Google Contacts icon.
2. Alternatively, use the Google Apps icon in the top-right corner of your screen and click on Google Contacts from the menu.

Let’s also learn how to find your Workspace contacts on your Android and iPhone devices. Mind that the synchronization will only take place in case you make an effort to add your Google Workspace account to your mobile device.

How to Find Contacts in Google Workspace on an iPhone

On iOS devices, follow these steps to find your Google Workspace contacts:

1. Open the Contacts app.
2. Tap Groups in the top-left corner.
3. Select Global Address List (available only under your Google Workspace account).
4. Search for the contact you need.

How to Find Contacts in Google Workspace on an Android

From the home screen of your smartphone:

1. Open the Contacts app
2. Search for a contact.

With fundamental navigation tips covered, let’s get down to some pro-level tips that can drive your efficiency and save time.

Tips to Find Contacts in Google Workspace Like a Pro

Here are a few advanced tips to help you manage your Google Workspace contacts more efficiently:

Use “Frequently contacted” Suggestions

Google automatically suggests the people you contact most often. You can find these suggestions under Frequently contacted in the left sidebar of the Google Contacts app.

Use Labels to Organize Your Contacts

Labels are a great way to group and organize your contacts. You can assign multiple labels to one person, making it easier to find them later. Labels appear in the left sidebar, just below your contact list.

Using Shortcuts

As mentioned earlier, the G+C shortcut opens Google Contacts directly from your Gmail inbox.

FAQ

How to add several contacts to Google Workspace?

You can add several contacts at once by uploading a CSV or vCard file via the Import function in Google Contacts, or by entering multiple email addresses in the “Create multiple contacts” field.

Can I see my phone contacts on Google Workspace?

Yes, Android users can sync their phone contacts with Google Contacts to make them available in Workspace apps. To do this, go to Settings > Google > Settings for Google apps > Google Contacts sync, and toggle on Also sync device contacts.

How do I delete contacts in Google Workspace?

To delete a contact, find it in Google Contacts, click the More button (three vertical dots), and choose Delete.

How to find contacts in Google Workspace on an iPad

To find contacts on an iPad, go to Contacts > Groups > Global Address List. Ensure that Google Workspace is set up on your iPad first.

Conclusion

Finding contacts in Google Workspace is straightforward, but there are a few shortcuts and methods that can save you time. If you frequently use Google Contacts, mastering these techniques will make your workday more efficient.