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.
How to open 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
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.
.vcf file signature (magic bytes)
Programs recognise a .vcf file by the bytes at the start of the file, not by its name. These are the signatures for VCF.
| Hex signature | Offset | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 42 45 47 49 4E 3A 56 43 41 52 44 | 0 | '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
Details on this page were checked against authoritative references: