ToolyNo computer — and no browser extension — can write directly onto a SIM card. Anyone promising that is bluffing. Here's the route that actually works, in about five minutes.
The trick is to get your WhatsApp numbers into your phone first, then let the phone copy them onto the SIM. Tooly handles the hard part — pulling the numbers off WhatsApp Web, which the app never lets you export — and your phone does the last step natively.
Sync or copy? It's always a copy
There is no "sync" between WhatsApp and a SIM. Copying to the card is a one-off snapshot: contacts you add later need another copy (tick only the new ones, or the card fills with repeats). For a list that stays current, use Google Contacts or iCloud; the SIM is the offline spare.
The route that works
Export a vCard with Tooly
On web.whatsapp.com, open Tooly, click Scan WhatsApp, then Export → vCard (.vcf). Everything is read on your own device.
Import the vCard into your phone
Move the .vcf to your phone (email or cable), then import it: on iPhone tap the file and choose Add All Contacts; on Android open Contacts → Settings → Import.
Copy the contacts onto the SIM (Android)
In the phone's Contacts app look for Import/Export → Export to SIM card, then pick the contacts to write. The SIM keeps a name and number for each.
Android: where Export to SIM lives
Menu names vary by brand and Android version; treat these as signposts.
iPhone: it reads a SIM but never writes one
iOS imports contacts from a SIM (Settings → Contacts → Import SIM Contacts; on newer versions, Settings → Apps → Contacts) but cannot save to one. On iPhone the route ends at step 2: the vCard goes into your address book and, with iCloud Contacts on, to your iPad and Mac (see the iCloud guide). For a SIM that another phone will use, do step 3 on an Android phone.
When a SIM copy makes sense
- Moving numbers to a basic or feature phone that reads only the SIM
- Switching carriers and wanting the contacts to travel with the card
- Keeping a small, offline backup that survives a phone reset
- Setting up a second, dual-SIM handset quickly
Why not straight to the SIM?
A SIM card is tiny storage designed for one name and one number per contact, capped at a few hundred entries — and only the phone it's inserted in can write to it. That's why the vCard is the bridge: it carries your full WhatsApp list into the phone, and the phone hands the essentials to the SIM.
What the SIM keeps from your vCard
When the phone copies a contact from Tooly's vCard to the card:
| In Tooly's vCard | On the SIM |
|---|---|
| Name | Kept; long names get cut short |
| Phone number, in international format with + | Kept, one number per entry |
| Business name and labels | Dropped |
| Note: groups, timezone, carrier, line type, language | Dropped |
| wa.me chat link | Dropped |
Emails, notes, birthdays and extra numbers already in your address book stay behind too. Capacity depends on the card: a few hundred entries, often about 250.
Saving all your WhatsApp contacts to the SIM
More contacts than the card holds? Keep everything in the phone or the cloud and give the SIM a shortlist.
- Export the vCard from Tooly's Contacts tab (All saved contacts), not whole groups: say 410 people you actually saved.
- Import all 410 to your Google account or iCloud: the full, backed-up list.
- On the Export to SIM screen, tick the 200 or so you'd need if the phone died, leaving spare slots.
Frequently asked questions
Can I export WhatsApp contacts straight to a SIM?
Not from a computer — no desktop tool can write to a SIM. Export a vCard with Tooly, import it into your phone, then use the phone's Export to SIM option. About five minutes.
Can an iPhone save contacts to a SIM card?
No. iOS only imports from a SIM. On iPhone, import Tooly's vCard into Contacts and let iCloud sync it.
Why does the SIM store fewer details?
SIM storage keeps just a name and one number per contact and holds only a few hundred entries, often about 250 depending on the card. Phone and cloud storage hold far more, so the SIM is best as a portable backup.
Is it free?
Yes. Tooly exports the vCard free with no account, and the SIM step uses your phone's built-in Contacts app. Nothing is uploaded.
Will every contact fit on the SIM?
Only up to the card's limit. If you have more contacts than the SIM holds, keep the full list in the phone, Google Contacts or iCloud and copy a subset to the SIM.
Start with the vCard
Tooly does the one part your phone can't — getting the numbers off WhatsApp. The SIM step is built into your phone. Free, and entirely on your device.
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