Where Does Apple Contacts Store Data on Mac?
Apple Contacts databases, vCards and photos on Mac, and why the real data hides in Sources.
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Apple Contacts centers on ~/Library/Application Support/AddressBook: per account UUID folders under Sources/ each with an AddressBook-v22.abcddb SQLite file, individual .abcdp vCards under Metadata, and photos under Images keyed to record IDs. The root database is often empty when accounts live in Sources.
This folder mirrors iCloud and CardDAV servers, so edits sync outward and blind deletion can propagate. Back up the whole AddressBook tree rather than one file, and never edit the database while Contacts runs. Mail recents and the sync changelog ride along in the same folder.
Where macOS stores this, by platform
~/Library/Application Support/AddressBook/
Per account stores in Sources/<UUID>/AddressBook-v22.abcddb (version number varies by macOS). Single vCards in Metadata/*.abcdp, photos in Images/, prefs plus MailRecents and changelog alongside. ~/Library is hidden; use Go to Folder.
Frequently asked questions
How do I back up Apple Contacts on Mac?
Copy the entire ~/Library/Application Support/AddressBook folder with Contacts quit. Single database files miss photos, groups and per account stores; the tree restores as a set.
My root AddressBook database is empty. Where are my contacts?
In Sources/<UUID>/ subfolders, one per iCloud, On My Mac or CardDAV account. Query those AddressBook-v22 files (sqlite table ZABCDRECORD) instead of the root one.
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