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Google Contacts sets DOB (date of birth) to 1st Jan 1900 for my contacts by default. How can I remove this from multiple contacts at a time, or even all at once?

I have found a similar question on this Google group link which is left un-answered.

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  • I don't see that Google sets a default birthdate at all. I've added contacts directly and via import many times and have never gotten a default DOB. If I don't provide one it stays blank. How are you adding these contacts?
    – ale
    Jan 19, 2017 at 13:29

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
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Export your contacts

  1. Log into https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?pli=1#contacts
  2. Click on More -> Export
  3. Select the group My Contacts
  4. Select vCard export format.
  5. Click on Export and save the file.
  6. Open contacts.vcf in a text editor. Ideally Notepad++ or Notepad. Not Word as it'll probably make unwanted changes to the file.
  7. Do a search and replace. Search for BDAY:1900-01-01 and replace with BDAY:
  8. Save the file with a different name (the original will be your backup).

Delete your existing contacts

  1. Go back to Google Contacts
  2. Select all contacts within My contacts
  3. Select More -> Delete contacts
  4. Repeat until My Contacts is empty.

Import your updated contacts

  1. Click on More -> Import
  2. Click on Browse and select your modified vcf file
  3. Click on Import to import the modified contacts into Google.

Bear in mind that you will lose all contact pictures. I personally use Sync.ME (available for Android and iOS) after the last desktop application I had that did this stopped working.

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  • Can you also help me with how to avoid adding a contact with default date in future, is there a setting. Or do I have to delete the default DOB manually.
    – Pavitar
    Jul 14, 2014 at 8:37
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    How are you adding/editing contacts? I use either the desktop site, an iPad or my Android phone and none of these set a default birthday date. Do you use an external program to sync contacts with something like Facebook and is it attempting to set the birthday incorrectly?
    – Richard
    Jul 14, 2014 at 13:10
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  1. Export your Gmail Contacts as a CSV file.
  2. Load the CSV into a spreadsheet application (Excel), or a text editor.
  3. Modify the column ("O"=Birthday) which contains the Date of Birth information by using a Find/Replace All or just clear the data inside those cells manually.
  4. Save the modified CSV and import it back into Gmail.

Reference:

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