A vCard (Virtual Contact File) is the standard file format for electronic business cards. It is saved with a .vcf extension and stores your name, phone number, email, company, address and photo, so anyone can add you to their contacts with one tap on any phone or email app.
The vCard meaning is simple: it is a business card that your phone can read. This guide explains what a vCard file is, how the VCF file format works with a real example, and how to create, open and share one, including as a QR code contact card.
What is a vCard file (.vcf)?
"vCard" is the name of the format and ".vcf" is the file extension, so a vCard file and a VCF file are the same thing. The format has been around since the 1990s, which is why every contacts app understands it.
A single vCard can hold:
- Full name and name parts (first, last, prefix)
- One or more phone numbers (mobile, work, WhatsApp)
- Email addresses
- Company name and job title
- Postal address
- Website and social profile links
- A photo or logo
- Notes, birthday and more
You'll find vCards in more places than you might think:
- Email attachments: the "Share contact" button on your phone sends a .vcf file.
- QR codes: a vCard QR code on a business card or visiting card saves the contact when scanned.
- NFC cards: some NFC business cards hand over a vCard with a tap.
- Backups and exports: phones, Gmail, Outlook and CRMs export contacts as VCF files.
What is a VCF file?
A VCF file is a plain-text file that follows the vCard standard. You can open it in any text editor and read it. One VCF file can contain a single contact or thousands of them, one after another, which is why phone backups often produce a single large .vcf file.
Because it is plain text in UTF-8, a VCF contact file works across iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, Gmail and Outlook without conversion.
vCard format explained
Every vCard starts with BEGIN:VCARD and ends with END:VCARD. Each line in between is one property, written as PROPERTY;PARAMETERS:value.
There are three versions of the vCard format in use today:
| Version | Released | Standard | Where you'll see it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.1 | 1996 | versit Consortium | Older phones and some legacy software |
| 3.0 | 1998 | RFC 2426 | The safest choice. Works on iPhone, Android, Gmail and Outlook |
| 4.0 | 2011 | RFC 6350 | Newest version, but some apps still read it poorly |
These are the fields you'll use most in the VCF file format:
| Field | What it stores | Example |
|---|---|---|
| VERSION | vCard version (required) | 3.0 |
| N | Name parts: last; first; middle; prefix; suffix | Sharma;Priya;;; |
| FN | Full name as it should display (required) | Priya Sharma |
| ORG | Company | Sharma Designs |
| TITLE | Job title | Founder |
| TEL | Phone number with a type | TEL;TYPE=CELL:+919876543210 |
| Email address | [email protected] | |
| ADR | Address: PO box; extended; street; city; region; postcode; country | ;;12 MG Road;Bengaluru;KA;560001;India |
| URL | Website or profile link | https://example.com |
| PHOTO | Photo as a link or embedded image | PHOTO;VALUE=URI:https://…/photo.jpg |
| NOTE | Free text | Met at the Mumbai trade fair |
vCard example
Here is a complete vCard 3.0 example you can copy, edit and save as priya.vcf:
BEGIN:VCARD
VERSION:3.0
N:Sharma;Priya;;;
FN:Priya Sharma
ORG:Sharma Designs
TITLE:Founder
TEL;TYPE=CELL:+919876543210
TEL;TYPE=WORK:+12125550142
EMAIL;TYPE=INTERNET:[email protected]
ADR;TYPE=WORK:;;12 MG Road;Bengaluru;KA;560001;India
URL:https://example.com
NOTE:Brand and packaging design
END:VCARD
Line by line:
- BEGIN / END mark the start and end of one contact.
- N is used for sorting (last name first); FN is what people see.
- Each TEL gets a TYPE so the phone labels it as mobile or work. Always add the country code (+91, +1) so the number works in WhatsApp and abroad.
- Empty parts are kept as semicolons, which is why N ends in ;;;.
To put several contacts in one VCF file, place the blocks one after another:
BEGIN:VCARD
VERSION:3.0
N:Sharma;Priya;;;
FN:Priya Sharma
TEL;TYPE=CELL:+919876543210
END:VCARD
BEGIN:VCARD
VERSION:3.0
N:Lee;Daniel;;;
FN:Daniel Lee
TEL;TYPE=CELL:+13105550199
END:VCARD
How to create a vCard
You can create a vCard in a minute, with or without any software.
With a free vCard generator
The fastest way is our free vCard generator:
- Enter your name, phone, email, company, website and address.
- Add a photo if you want one.
- Check the live preview.
- Download the .vcf file, or download a vCard QR code for your business card.
It runs in your browser, needs no sign-up and doesn't upload your details.
How to create a vCard on iPhone
- Open Contacts and select your own contact card (or any contact).
- Tap Share Contact.
- Choose Mail, Messages or Save to Files. iPhone sends or saves it as a .vcf file.
You can pick which fields to include before sharing, so you don't send your home address by mistake.
How to create a vCard on Android
- Open Contacts and select the contact.
- Tap the three-dot menu and choose Share.
- Pick vCard file (VCF) if asked, then share it by email, WhatsApp or save it to your files.
From Excel or CSV (many contacts)
If you have a spreadsheet of customers, staff or leads, don't create vCards one by one. Use the CSV to VCF converter to turn the whole sheet into a single VCF file that imports into iPhone, Android or Google Contacts in one go.
By hand in a text editor
Copy the vCard example above into Notepad or TextEdit, change the details, and save it with a .vcf extension using UTF-8 encoding. In TextEdit, switch to plain text first (Format → Make Plain Text).
How to open a VCF file
Most devices open a VCF file with a tap or double-click:
- iPhone: tap the .vcf file in Mail, Messages or Files, then tap Create New Contact or Add All Contacts.
- Android: tap the file, or open Contacts → Fix & manage → Import from file.
- Gmail / Google Contacts: go to contacts.google.com → Import → choose the file.
- Outlook: open the file and click Save & Close, or use File → Open & Export → Import/Export.
- Windows and Mac: double-click to open it in the People or Contacts app.
Just want to see what's inside without importing anything? Use the free VCF viewer to read every contact in your browser. To edit a large file in Excel, convert it with VCF to CSV.
vCard QR codes: a QR code contact card
A vCard QR code stores the vCard text inside the QR code itself. When someone points their phone camera at it, the phone shows an Add contact prompt, with no app and no typing needed. That's why a QR code contact card is now common on business cards, visiting cards, name badges, shop counters and event stands.
To make one, fill in your details in the vCard QR code generator and download the code as PNG or SVG for printing.
In India, a contact QR code on a visiting card works best when the mobile number includes +91, so people can save it and message you on WhatsApp right away.
vCard vs digital business card
A vCard is great for saving contact details, but it is a static file. Once you share it, you can't change it. A digital business card is a live page behind a link, QR code or NFC tap.
| vCard (.vcf) | Digital business card | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A contact file | A live mobile web page |
| Saves to contacts | Yes | Yes, with a "Save contact" button (a vCard download) |
| Update after sharing | No, people keep the old version | Yes, changes show instantly |
| Links, social, WhatsApp, payments | Only basic links | Yes |
| Photos, video, products | No | Yes |
| Share by | File, QR code | Link, QR code, NFC tap, WhatsApp |
| Analytics | No | Yes, views and clicks |
The best setup uses both: a digital business card that people can browse, with a Save contact button that hands them your vCard.
If you want to offer this to others, GoBiz SaaS lets you run your own white-label digital business card platform, where your customers create cards with vCard downloads, QR codes, NFC and analytics on your brand. See how to start a digital business card business for the full plan.
