What is a .vcf file?
vCard · Data · Versit Consortium / IETF · 1996
VCF is the vCard format, a plain-text electronic business card holding a name, phone numbers, email addresses and more. Every phone and email app can export and import it, which is what actually happens behind a 'Share Contact' or 'Save Contact' button.
What is a .vcf file used for?
A VCF file is an electronic business card: plain text between BEGIN:VCARD and END:VCARD lines, holding fields like name, phone numbers, email addresses and sometimes a photo, in a format any contacts app understands.
Every phone and email client uses it under the hood when you export, share, or 'save contact', which is why a VCF opens straight into your contacts app when you tap or double-click it.
The format has been revised over the years; the current version, vCard 4.0, is defined by IETF RFC 6350, though many real-world files still use the earlier, still-common 3.0 syntax.
A single VCF can also hold several contacts back to back, each its own BEGIN:VCARD to END:VCARD block, which is how an app exports an entire address book to one file.
What opens a .vcf file?
The .vcf format opens in the following apps, grouped by operating system. If one app does not work, try another from the same list.
Windows
- Contacts app
- Outlook
- any text editor
macOS
- Contacts app
- any text editor
Linux
- GNOME Contacts
- any text editor
Web
- Gmail, Outlook.com contact import
Open a .vcf file step by step
- Confirm the file really is a .vcf. Drop it into the WhatFileType identifier, which reads its signature in your browser without uploading anything.
- On Windows, open it with Contacts app or Outlook.
- On Mac, use Contacts app or any text editor.
- On Linux, try GNOME Contacts or any text editor.
- Still stuck? Convert the .vcf to CSV, which opens more widely.
Why can't I open my .vcf file?
Almost always because no installed app understands VCF. Install one of the apps above, or convert the file to a format your existing software already reads. If double-clicking opens the wrong program instead of nothing at all, the file association is set to the wrong app rather than the file being broken.
The other possibility is that the file is not really a .vcf at all. Drop it into the file identifier to check it by its bytes instead of its name. Nothing is uploaded.
How to convert a .vcf file
You can convert a .vcf file to CSV using a conversion tool or the export menu of an app that opens it.
What is the .vcf file signature (magic bytes)?
A .vcf file starts with the hex bytes 42 45 47 49 4E 3A 56 43 41 52 44, which read as BEGIN:VCARD in ASCII. Programs identify VCF by those bytes, not by the filename, so a renamed file still gives itself away.
These are the documented signatures for VCF.
| Hex signature | Offset | ASCII | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 42 45 47 49 4E 3A 56 43 41 52 44 | 0 | BEGIN:VCARD | 'BEGIN:VCARD' |
See the full magic-numbers reference for every format.
Frequently asked questions
What is a .vcf file?
VCF is the vCard format, a plain-text electronic business card holding a name, phone numbers, email addresses and more. Every phone and email app can export and import it, which is what actually happens behind a 'Share Contact' or 'Save Contact' button.
How do I open a VCF file?
Double-click it and your phone or computer's contacts app will offer to import it. You can also open it in any text editor, since it is plain text.
How do I import multiple contacts from one VCF file?
Most contacts apps read a multi-contact VCF automatically, importing every BEGIN:VCARD to END:VCARD block it finds as a separate contact.
Related formats
Sources
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