# Contacts FAQ

This page collects the questions users ask most often about working with contacts in Cloud Voice, covering imports, storage, privacy, and visibility on desk phones.

Two kinds of contacts show up throughout this page:

- **Personal contacts** are private entries that belong to a single user.
- **Company contacts** are a shared directory that everyone with permission can see.

## Why won't my personal contacts import?

When an import is rejected, one of two things is almost always the cause. Work through both checks:

1. **Confirm you are under the contact limit.** Each account can hold only so many contacts. Once that ceiling is reached, any additional entries are refused. Compare your current contact count against the maximum allowed for your account.
2. **Confirm the file format.** Cloud Voice accepts only a CSV file (Comma-Separated Values, a plain-text spreadsheet format) saved with UTF-8 character encoding. If the file uses any other format or encoding, the import fails.

:::note
The contact limit is set on the phone system, not in the app. If you are unsure what your account's maximum is, ask your administrator to check it.
:::

:::tip
Most spreadsheet apps can produce the right file directly. In Excel or Google Sheets, choose "Save As" or "Download" and pick the "CSV UTF-8" option. Re-saving the file this way clears up most format-related import failures.
:::

## Do I lose my personal contacts if I remove the Cloud Voice App?

No. Uninstalling the Cloud Voice App does not delete anything.

Personal contacts live on the PBX (Private Branch Exchange, the phone system that runs your account), not on your device. Because they are stored centrally on the server, they stay intact after you uninstall.

:::note
Central storage also means your personal contacts follow you: sign in to the Cloud Voice App again, or from a different device, and they will be there.
:::

## Can administrators or other users see my personal contacts?

No. Personal contacts are private to the person who created them. No one else can view them, including the system administrator and other users on the account.

:::note
This privacy applies only to personal contacts. Company contacts are a shared directory by design, so anyone granted access to them can see those entries.
:::

## Why don't company contacts appear on my IP phone?

Access to the company contact directory is controlled by permission. If the directory is not showing on your IP phone (the desk handset registered to your account), reach out to your administrator and ask them to confirm that your account is allowed to view company contacts.

:::note
This is a permissions setting rather than a fault with the phone. Once your administrator grants access, the company directory becomes available on the device.
:::