How to Alphabetize Contacts on Your iPhone

If your iPhone contacts feel hard to find, the sort order may be the problem. By default, the iPhone shows contacts by first name. But you can change the list to show by last name instead. This is helpful if you grew up looking up phone numbers in a paper directory, where everyone is listed last name first. The setting takes about 30 seconds to change and applies to your whole contact list right away.

There are actually two settings to know about: Sort Order and Display Order. Sort Order decides whether the list is alphabetized by first name or last name. Display Order decides whether each contact name shows as First Last (like John Smith) or Last First (like Smith John). You can mix and match these two settings to get the layout that works best for you.

Many seniors prefer Sort Order: Last, Display Order: First. This sorts the list by last name (so all the Smiths are together) but still shows each name as First Last when you read it (John Smith, not Smith John). Others prefer everything sorted by first name, especially if they tend to remember people by first name only.

If one of your contacts is showing up in the wrong place in the list (for example, a contact named Mom appears under M but you want it at the top), you can edit that single contact and change how it is filed. Open the contact, tap Edit, scroll all the way down, and use the Add Field option to set a custom Sort Name. This is useful for nicknames, family titles, or business contacts you want grouped together. Changes save automatically when you tap Done.