How to Open VCF File: View, Import or Convert Contacts
A VCF file is a vCard: one or many contacts with names, phone numbers, emails, addresses and photos. Phones, Google Contacts and Apple Contacts import it, but Excel shows it as messy text and classic Outlook often imports only the first contact. The free viewer below lists every contact in your browser, lets you search them, and converts the file to Excel, to an Outlook-ready CSV or to one .vcf per contact, without uploading anything.
Choose what you need
Open VCF File Online: View Contacts & Convert to Excel (Free)
Drop a .vcf file below. The viewer lists every contact with photo, phones, emails, address, company and birthday, lets you search them, and converts the file to Excel, to an Outlook-ready CSV, or to a ZIP with one .vcf per contact.
Good to know: vCard 2.1, 3.0 and 4.0 all work, including old phone backups with Quoted-Printable text and foreign character sets.
🔒 Nothing is uploaded — your contacts never leave this deviceOn this page
What is a VCF file?
A VCF file is a vCard, the standard text format for exchanging contact details; a single .vcf can hold one contact or thousands. Each contact sits between BEGIN:VCARD and END:VCARD lines, with fields such as FN (name), TEL, EMAIL, ADR and ORG, and an optional photo stored as Base64 text. Phones create VCF files when you share or back up contacts, and Google, iCloud and Outlook export them.
| Full name | vCard (Virtual Contact File) |
|---|---|
| Versions | 2.1 (old phones, Outlook), 3.0 (RFC 2426, Apple), 4.0 (RFC 6350) |
| Contains | Names, phones, emails, addresses, company, birthday, notes, photo |
| Related | .csv (contact spreadsheets), .ics (calendars), .msg (Outlook items) |
How to open a VCF file: quick answer
| Where | How |
|---|---|
| Just look at the contacts | The viewer above (any device) |
| iPhone | Tap the .vcf in Mail, Messages or Files > Add All Contacts |
| Android | Contacts app > Fix & manage > Import from file |
| Google Contacts | Import > Select file > Import |
| Mac | Double-click, or Contacts > File > Import |
| Outlook / Excel | Convert with the viewer to CSV or Excel first |
Open a VCF file on iPhone or Android
iPhone and iPad
Tap the .vcf attachment in Mail or Messages, or open it in the Files app. iOS shows the contact card; for a file with several contacts, tap Add All Contacts. They're saved to your default account (usually iCloud).
Android
Open the Contacts app, tap Fix & manage > Import from file (on some phones: Settings > Import), choose the account, then pick the .vcf. Samsung Contacts has the same option under Manage contacts > Import contacts.
Import a VCF file into Google Contacts
- Go to contacts.google.com on a computer.
- In the left panel click Import, then Select file.
- Choose the .vcf (or .csv) file and click Import.
Google warns that importing more than 3,000 contacts at once can cause problems, and an account holds up to 25,000 contacts. Contacts synced to Google appear on Android phones signed in to the same account.
Import all contacts from a VCF into Outlook
Opening a multi-contact .vcf in classic Outlook for Windows usually brings in only the first contact. To import them all:
- Drop the .vcf into the viewer above and click CSV for Outlook / Excel.
- In classic Outlook choose File > Open & Export > Import/Export.
- Pick Import from another program or file > Comma Separated Values, select the CSV and choose your Contacts folder.
Prefer separate cards? One .vcf per contact (ZIP) gives you one file per person. In Outlook on the web and new Outlook, use People > Manage contacts > Import contacts with the CSV.
Convert VCF to Excel or CSV
Excel can't read vCards properly. Open the file in the viewer above and click Excel (.xlsx): you get one row per contact with columns for name, company, phones, emails, address, birthday and notes. The CSV download uses Outlook's column names, which Google Contacts also accepts.
| First Name | Last Name | Company | Mobile Phone | E-mail Address |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ana | García | Estudio Norte | +34 600 123 456 | ana@example.com |
| John | Miller | Miller & Co | +1 555 0100 | john@example.com |
VCF problems and fixes
Only one contact was imported
Classic Outlook and some older apps read only the first vCard. Use the CSV or the one-file-per-contact ZIP from the viewer.
Accents and names look garbled (é, =C3=A9)
Old vCard 2.1 files use Quoted-Printable encoding and a declared character set. The viewer decodes both; if you import elsewhere, use the CSV download, which is saved as UTF-8.
Photos are missing after import
CSV files can't hold photos. Import the original .vcf (or the per-contact ZIP) into your phone, Google or Apple Contacts to keep them.
The file is a .csv, not a .vcf
Some apps export contacts as CSV. Open it in Excel, or import it into Google Contacts or Outlook as CSV directly.
Sources and technical references
- RFC 6350: vCard Format Specification (4.0) — IETF
- RFC 2426: vCard MIME Directory Profile (3.0) — IETF
- Import contacts to Google Contacts — Google Contacts Help
- Import vCards in bulk into Outlook — Slipstick Systems
Frequently asked questions
How do I open a VCF file?
Drop it into the free viewer on this page to see every contact in your browser. On a phone, tap the file to add the contacts; on a computer, import it into Google Contacts, Apple Contacts or Outlook.
How do I convert a VCF file to Excel?
Open the VCF in the viewer here and click Excel (.xlsx). You get one row per contact with name, company, phones, emails, address, birthday and notes. The CSV for Outlook / Excel download opens in Excel too.
How do I import a VCF file with multiple contacts into Outlook?
Classic Outlook often imports only the first contact from a multi-contact VCF. Convert the file to CSV with the viewer on this page, then use File > Open & Export > Import/Export > Import from another program or file > Comma Separated Values.
How do I import a VCF file into Google Contacts?
On a computer, open contacts.google.com, click Import in the left panel, choose Select file, pick the .vcf and click Import. Google advises splitting lists of more than 3,000 contacts into several files.
How do I open a VCF file on Android?
Open the Contacts app and choose Fix & manage > Import from file, pick the account and select the VCF. On Samsung phones use Manage contacts > Import contacts. The contacts sync to your Google account.
How do I open a VCF file on iPhone?
Tap the VCF in Mail, Messages or the Files app. iOS shows the contact card; for a file with several contacts tap Add All Contacts. They're saved to your default contacts account, usually iCloud.
Why do the names in my VCF file look garbled?
Old vCard 2.1 files use Quoted-Printable encoding and a declared character set that some apps ignore. The viewer on this page decodes both; export to CSV to get clean UTF-8 text for other apps.
Can I open a VCF file in Notepad?
Yes, a VCF is plain text, so Notepad shows the raw fields such as FN, TEL and EMAIL, with photos as long Base64 blocks. For a readable list or a spreadsheet, use the viewer on this page.
Last updated .