Pinning puts your most-used contacts at the top of your list

Pinning a contact means moving someone to the top of your Contacts app so you see them first when you open it. On iPhone, pinned contacts appear in a separate section above your alphabetical list. You use this feature when you call, text, or email the same few people repeatedly — your family, your boss, your closest friends — so you do not have to scroll or search to find them.

The process takes three taps and works the same way on any recent iPhone model. You can pin up to nine contacts, and you can change which ones are pinned whenever you want.

Key Takeaways

  • Pinned contacts appear in their own section at the top of the Contacts app, separate from your alphabetical list.
  • You pin a contact by opening it, tapping the three dots in the top right, and selecting "Pin Contact" from the menu.
  • You can pin up to nine contacts total, and the order you pin them in is the order they appear.
  • Unpinning a contact removes it from the top section but does not delete it from your phone.

How to pin a contact in three steps

Open the Contacts app on your home screen. Scroll through your list or use the search bar at the top to find the person you want to pin. Tap their name to open their contact card.

Once the contact card is open, look for the three dots (called the menu button) in the top right corner of the screen. Tap it. A menu will appear with several options. Select "Pin Contact" from that menu. The contact is now pinned and will move to the top section of your Contacts app.

If you do not see the three dots, make sure you are looking at the full contact card — not just a preview. Swipe up slightly if needed to see the entire card and the menu button.

Where pinned contacts appear and how to reorder them

When you open your Contacts app, pinned contacts now appear in a gray section at the very top, above your regular alphabetical list. They show in the order you pinned them — the first contact you pinned appears first, the second appears second, and so on.

To change the order, tap "Edit" in the top left corner of the Contacts app. In the pinned section at the top, you will see three horizontal lines next to each pinned contact. Press and hold those lines, then drag the contact up or down to reorder it. Tap "Done" when you are finished.

How to unpin a contact

Open the contact you want to unpin and tap the three dots in the top right corner. Select "Unpin Contact" from the menu. The contact moves back into your regular alphabetical list but stays in your phone — unpinning does not delete anyone.

You can also unpin a contact from the Contacts app itself. Tap "Edit" in the top left, then tap the red minus sign next to any pinned contact in the top section. Tap "Unpin" to confirm. This is faster if you want to unpin several people at once.

What pinned contacts do and do not do

Pinning a contact only affects your Contacts app. It does not change how that person appears in your Messages, Phone, or Mail apps — those apps have their own separate lists of recent or favorite contacts. If you want someone to appear at the top of your Messages app, you would need to pin them there separately.

Pinning also does not affect notifications, call blocking, or any other settings for that contact. It is purely a way to organize your Contacts app for faster access. If you delete a contact later, it is removed from both the pinned section and your regular list.

Why you might pin certain contacts

People usually pin contacts they reach out to several times a week or more — a spouse, parent, child, or coworker you call or text regularly. Pinning saves you the step of scrolling or typing a name every time you want to contact them.

Some people pin emergency contacts so they are visible when ready if they need to call quickly. Others pin a mix of family and work contacts depending on who they talk to most. Since you can pin up to nine contacts and change them anytime, you can adjust your pinned list as your life changes — pin a new coworker when you start a job, unpin them when you leave.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I pin a contact on iPhone if I use iCloud Contacts?

Yes. Pinning works the same way whether your contacts are stored locally on your phone or synced through iCloud. The pinned section is stored on your device, so if you sign into a different iPhone with the same Apple ID, you will need to pin those contacts again on that phone.

What happens to pinned contacts if I back up my iPhone?

Your pinned contacts are included in an iCloud backup or a computer backup. If you restore from that backup on a new iPhone, your pinned contacts will be pinned in the same order on the new phone.

Can I pin a contact in my Messages or Phone app?

Yes, but separately. The Messages app lets you pin conversations, and the Phone app lets you add contacts to your Favorites. These are different from pinning in the Contacts app and do not affect each other.

Is there a limit to how many contacts I can pin?

You can pin up to nine contacts on iPhone. Once you reach nine, the "Pin Contact" option disappears until you unpin someone.