Other
What is a .vcf file?
A .vcf file is a vCard — a digital contact card holding names, phone numbers and email addresses. One file can hold a single contact or your entire address book.
This extension has been used by more than one format
8 different formats have claimed .vcf over the years, so two files with the same extension aren't necessarily the same kind of thing.
How to open a .vcf file
- WindowsContacts app
- WindowsOutlook
- WindowsNotepad, to read the raw text
- MacContacts — double-click and it offers to import
- Phone or tabletTap it in Mail or Files and choose Add Contact
How to convert a .vcf file
- Import into Google Contacts, then export as CSV for a spreadsheet.
- Outlook and Contacts both export back to .vcf if you need to move contacts between phones.
MIME type
When a .vcf file travels over the web, servers label it with this MIME type:
text/vcardThe technical record
For archivists, developers and the merely curious: these are the PRONOM registry entries for .vcf.
| Format name | Version | MIME type | PUID |
|---|---|---|---|
| vCard | — | text/vcard | fmt/395 |
| Variant Call Format | 1.x | — | fmt/905 |
| Variant Call Format | 2.x | — | fmt/906 |
| Variant Call Format | 3.x | — | fmt/907 |
| Variant Call Format | 4.x | — | fmt/908 |
| vCard | 2.1 | text/vcard | fmt/1879 |
| vCard | 3 | text/vcard | fmt/1880 |
| vCard | 4 | text/vcard | fmt/1881 |