How to Sort Your iPhone Contacts by First Name

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: February 8, 2022 Tested

This wikiHow teaches you how to list your contacts by first name in the iPhone’s Contacts and Mail apps. Since contacts are listed by last name by default, this change will help you quickly and easily find someone’s first name while scrolling through the contact list.

Steps

1
Open your iPhone’s Settings. The icon looks like a set of grey gears located on one the home screens.
- If Settings isn’t present on a home screen, its icon may be located in the Utilities folder on one the home screens.
2
Scroll down and tap Contacts. It is located in the fifth set of menu options.

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3
Tap Sort Order.
4
Tap First, Last. You will now see names listed alphabetically by first name anytime you access the list in apps such as Contacts and Mail.

Community Q&A

Question

How do I sort my contacts alphabetically?

Community Answer

It should sort your contacts alphabetically by default, but if you want to sort them by the first name instead of the last, you can do so by going to Settings and then to Contacts. Then there should be an option so change the sorting order.
Question

How do I move apps to another page on iPhone 6?

Community Answer

Hold onto the app block until it starts to shake. Drag it to where you want it to be, and let go. If you want it on the next page, hold it at the edge of the screen until it moves to the next screen.
Question

How do I sort my contacts by the last name alphabetically?

Community Answer

That's the default. If not, just follow these instructions, but make the change inverted.