vcard application. How to open a vcf file on a computer - step-by-step instructions. Operating system tools
Extensions previously unknown to users require software installed on the computer in which you can view the contents of a particular file. VCF is a format that stands for vCard File. This format contains contact information: full name, phone numbers, email addresses and more. Those. in other words, the phone book is saved in the file, which can later be transferred to a smartphone. Read the article about which programs can open VCF.
How to open a VCF file?
1.Microsoft Outlook
If you are the owner office suite from Microsoft, you can open the VCF file using the included Outlook program. The program is distributed only together with other office programs Microsoft Office, but you won’t be able to download it separately.
Download Microsoft Office for free
2. Windows Contacts
A standard solution from Microsoft for viewing your contact list. The only caveat is that the Cyrillic alphabet may not be displayed correctly.
To open contacts this way, you don't need to download anything. Just click on the file right click mouse and go to menu "To open with" . Typically, the system should display the program « Windows Contacts» , which must be selected.
3. Google.com
Did you know that you can store contacts in your account and export them to separate file(including VCF) and import new ones.
To do this, just log in using your account. Google entry on Gmail.com. When your screen appears Mailbox, click on the button in the left area of the window "Gmail" and in the menu that appears, select "Contacts" .
A list of your contacts (if any) will be displayed in a separate tab. In the left area of the window, click the button "More" to expand more menu options, and then select "Import" .
Select last item "Import from CSV or vContact File" .
For further work the system will offer to switch to the previous version of the site, because... The new one is still being finalized. Select "Go to previous version contacts" .
A window will appear with the old appearance contacts, where you need to click on the button at the top of the page "More" , and then select "Import" .
Click the button "Choose File" to open File Explorer, and then point to the VCF file stored on your computer. Click the button "Import" .
After a few moments, all contacts stored in the VCF file will be displayed.
I'll tell you how I created a converter that converts a mountain of VCF files into one CSV. Yes, there are many ways to do contact conversion from vCard format, but I decided that they were not suitable for me, and went my own way. Below you can download my converter.
About the problem of exporting contacts from Nokia Suite
The whole story started a few days ago. I needed to unload phone book from your Nokia C3-01 to some convenient format. In general, I synchronize my phone with Nokia Suite, I also do it there backups. But I wanted to see the data in Word or Excel. Actually, I wanted to print contacts from Nokia Suite. However, Nokia Suite can only export contacts to. vcf file s popular format vCard.
After searching online, I realized that I didn't have many options. It was possible to download old version Nokia programs PC Suite, which could export to CSV, but this would probably mean a conflict with Nokia Suite and it was not a fact that the phone would connect to it normally. Therefore, I decided to export everything to VCF and continue working with them.
How to convert VCF to CSV
1) The most popular and proven download path was in Google account. They said that it reads these formats perfectly, and then allows them to be exported anywhere. But I decided that I would not do this, because I was almost sure that I would not be able to erase them from there. Well, that is, good Google will even allow you to mark them as deleted, but they will not be physically deleted, and from time to time they will pop up somewhere. And in general there was no desire to upload my address book to the Internet.
2) I opened mail program TheBat!, was there the required converter, and a bunch of my vcf files with contacts were exported to the address book. Everything was wonderful, but only Nokia Suite and TheBat! understand this format differently, and some of the fields (and an important part) just didn't load.
3) Windows itself had an address book (later I found it in standard programs, but it can also be called through “Start - Run” by name executable file wab.exe), it had exactly the same problem - a different understanding of the vCard format.
The main problem of all vCard converters
I understood the main problem. Due to the fact that the vCard format is standardized, all programs try to find not just data fields there, but also to recognize what kind of data it is, that is, to distinguish a first name from a last name, a work phone number from a home phone number, a date of birth from an email address, sort it all out and show it to the user in a “combed” form.
But Nokia Suite has its own way of looking at things, and the program exports, say, contact groups to a field called “X-CATEGORIES”, while the vCard standard only means “CATEGORIES”, so all (most?) programs simply skip the conversion that data whose type they cannot determine. For a fair number of contacts, the main phone was not exported at all, which was very depressing...
I didn’t need format recognition. I myself understood perfectly well what was what, it was much more important not to lose anything, so I began to write my own converter from vcf to csv,
My vcf to csv conversion algorithm
I began to proceed from the principle “nothing should be lost.” So I created a table where each row corresponded to one vCard contact. Columns were added as contacts were read and new fields were discovered (different .vcf files contained different sets of fields).
So the fields “FN” and “N” containing the name and display name were in all cards, so such columns appeared in the table very first, and “TITLE” and “ORG” were in only three out of more than four hundred, and are worth in the table at the very end.
My VCF to CSV converter
I share my work with you. The converter can be fed single .vcf files; a group of single .vcf files; .vcf files containing more than one contact in vCard format and everything listed above in arbitrary combinations.
There is no check for duplicate entries. In general, I tried to minimize various transformations, since I was making a converter that exports all the data, and not another address book.
VCFs exported by Nokia Suite use a recording format called “QUOTED PRINTABLE”, this is where all characters are represented by codes and the recording looks like this: “=D0=90=D0=BB=D0=BB=D0=B0”. After decryption, the encoding was UTF-8, which I converted to Windows-1251. Perhaps there are other encodings in the cards, if necessary, write to me and I’ll try to modernize the program.
Added 01/19/2015: Due to numerous requests, I made changes to the program code and am posting version 1.10. It turned out that sometimes VCFs are unloaded from the program directly into UTF-8, so conversion from “QUOTED PRINTABLE” is not required. I haven’t made a full definition of the encoding, so if you have problems with the conversion, write in the comments or we’ll improve it.
Added 10/03/2015: Released version 1.20. Now, if there are several fields of the same name in VCF, they are all copied to CSV (previously, the second one was overwritten by the first, the third was the second, etc.).
In addition, we had to convert the date of birth from YYYYMMDD to DD.MM.YYYY, since inside the vCard it looks like 20140721 (surprisingly, the standard does not provide for such a recording format, but TheBat! recognized it perfectly).
Added 12/03/2015: Released version 1.30. It turned out that not all dates are in this format. Added a check: if the date does not consist of eight digits, then I will not convert it at all, because You can’t please everyone, use the capabilities of MS Excel.
Actually, these are all the transformations that I did. Since some of the fields contained quotes and the field names contained semicolons, I chose a character to surround all values when exporting to CSV.
Added 12/23/2017: After a two-year break, released version 2.00. In addition to technical improvements (the reading algorithm has been changed), the ability to select VCF file encoding, a field grouping option (see below) and output statistics on processed cards have been added.
How to use the converter
The converter is very simple. You download it from the link below, run it, and see:
Select one or more .vcf files, then specify which file to export the contacts to, change (or delete completely, if the values do not need to be framed) the line delimiter, click “Convert!”
Since version 2.00, additional parameters have appeared:
VCF encoding – You can choose the encoding of VCF files manually, or let the program do it automatically. Try automatic detection first.
Group similar data – Enabled by default. In some cases, when uploading cards, some identifiers are added to the field names at the end, as a result, the same data ends up in different columns, columns it turns out great amount, and the table becomes impossible to use. Uncheck this box only if CSV file something will be wrong.
When the conversion is complete, a message box will appear:
If you click “Yes”, a table will appear on the screen with exported from VCF to CSV contacts(you can quickly understand whether to change something or not, and repeat the operation without opening the CSV). The CSV will be created regardless of what you choose.
The table that opens looks like this:
Added 04/22/2015: Attention! If you see strange characters in the file, you can’t read people’s names, or other problems that are obviously related to the encoding, then the solution is here, under the spoiler:
What to do if, instead of the letters “krakozyabry”, Excel mistook the phone numbers for numbers and removed zeros, etc. (click on this inscription!)
At first I tried to teach the program to recognize different encodings, but then I gave up this activity because MS Excel copes perfectly with all encodings. So, if you generated a CSV, and there is “some kind of nonsense instead of your contacts”, something like this:
then launch MS Excel, create new blank document
(addition from Dmitry from the comments), then you need to find the function for importing external data. In the 2013 version it is located here:
and in 2003 here:
After you select the file, a wizard will launch where you can select the encoding. Set the switch to the “delimited” position, and in the drop-down list find the required encoding, such that the characters become readable. I recommend trying Unicode (UTF-8) and different variants Cyrillic alphabet.
Became:
The file will now open readable in Excel. What to do next is up to you.
Well, that's all. Use it, leave comments, suggestions, suggestions, bug reports. The very last thing left is:
Denial of responsibility
I wrote the program for myself and then published it. I cannot guarantee that she will cope with any vCards, because the world is big, and I am alone. If something goes wrong, then... I also disclaim responsibility if using my program you associate any unpleasant events for you, including, but not limited to:
- everything will break or go somewhere,
- the computer will stop turning on,
- the computer will stop turning off,
- your temperature will rise,
- there will be general malaise,
- your favorite cat will run away,
— the Colorado potato beetle will eat all the potatoes in the country,
- the neighbors will look at you askance,
- any other troubles.
27.03.2017
Every year the Internet becomes more and more commercialized. And if yesterday on the Internet they mostly watched videos for adults, communicated and searched for interesting articles, then today very serious business is being done here. And for those who do this, the .VCF file format is becoming extremely familiar and common. Here we will try to figure out what it is, and most importantly, how to open files of this format.
What is the .VCF format
Officially, the format is called vCard; abroad it is more often called Versitcard. Business cards are created and saved in the .VCF format for later sharing on the web. Generally, this format much more convenient than analogues, like ordinary ones text documents or images. This is because here you can save really effective, convenient and standardized business cards. One document in vCard format can contain the user’s full name, contact information and email, various media files (in a limited quantity), and all this weighs very little. For example, a business card with purely text data weighs less than a kilobyte, which makes it suitable for sending out even using weak mobile Internet.
The general disadvantage of this format is that it is still a separate format that is not in demand among the bulk of PC users and others. computer systems. Thus, simply sending out a business card for advertising or other purposes can become difficult, because not all recipients may have software for opening .vcf files. As practice shows, in many cases users are more likely to ignore this file, rather than try to solve the question of how to open it. The only exceptions are situations when this is really necessary - for example, if the recipient definitely needs the data indicated on the business card.
How to open .VCF file
Let's say you somehow received a .VCF document, and now you need to open it. How to do this? There are many options, but here we will look at the 5 simplest and most popular.
Method 1: Microsoft Outlook
This option is the most common and simple. People who have not encountered this before may not even know that Microsoft Outlook created not only for viewing personal mail, but also for opening personal business cards.
Option 1: Simple
Typically, Microsoft Outlook is automatically used by the system to open vCard format files. So if you have Microsoft Outlook enabled and configured, you should simply open the business card like any other file.
Option 2: Detailed
If the first method causes any difficulties, then you will have to resort to a more detailed option.
For working with business cards.vcf Microsoft Outlook is the most convenient application due to automatic integration into the system and opening of files by default. Also extremely user-friendly interface and high functionality. the main problem— this is the inaccessibility of the application for ordinary users
Method 2: Palm Desktop
Palm Desktop is a functional organizer that allows you to perform many of the most different tasks. Among them is the function we need to work with .VCF.
Option 1: Simple
You should minimize the program to window format and simply drag it into working window required file. Palm Desktop will simply ask you to choose which group to add to new contact, and that's it.
Option 2: Detailed
If for some reason the previous method does not work, you should use a more complex, but accurate one.
Palm Desktop is an excellent option for people who use their computer very actively for work, as it is a functional organizer. Due to its compact size and accessibility, it is perfect even for opening a business card once and then removing it.
Method 3: Mozilla Thunderbird
Mozilla Thunderbird - special program for working with mail from the Mozilla Foundation. Like its analogues, it also allows you to create your own address books, and add .VCF files there.
Mozilla Thunderbird is great and functional manager Email. If the user uses his mail a lot, then this option may suit him. However, it is not suitable for one-time opening of business cards due to the lengthy process of importing vCard into the program.
Method 4: Handy Address Book
As the name suggests, Handy Address Book is designed to work with personal contacts. The application uses own format for records, but can import some others, including .VCF.
Option 1: Fast
You just need to right-click on the desired file and open the file using this program. It will be on the list of priority applications for working with this type of file.
In addition, the system will offer a choice of programs for working with vCard files when you first try to open them, and you can also select this program there.
Option 2: Detailed
If the previous method is not suitable for some reason, then you should import the file manually.
The program is very convenient in case permanent job with business cards or email addresses. It is not suitable for one-time use due to the availability of simpler and more convenient analogues.
Method 5: Notepad
In the most extreme case, when there is no Internet, opportunity or simply desire to install any program, you can use any built-in system text editor. For example, a basic Notepad.
This method is really simple, but the business card will not display correctly. For example, this will not allow you to use attached media files. And the marking of categories is also unclear. But this will still allow you to get certain data from here - for example, website address, phone number, and so on.
Don't forget that there are other programs for working with .VCF files. Here we talked only about some of the most commonly used ones. Everyone chooses the one that suits him specifically, and if he can find a more convenient and interesting option, you can report this in the comments so that other users can also see alternative methods.
VCF format is used to store contact information. In a file with this extension you can find your full name, phone number, email and other people's data. However, this format has a peculiarity - to open it, you must use third-party software. Only through it can you open a virtual notebook, copy or edit the necessary data.
Programs that can open VCF Format
Microsoft Office can be used to solve most user tasks. Various programs from this package can also be used to open a VCF file on your computer. Microsoft Outlook is perfect for this - completely free mail client, which has a rich history, as well as equally rich functionality.
Using it, you can not only communicate with other users postal services, but also open VCF contacts. This is quite convenient, because this way you can port the entire notebook from your phone to your computer, and then save it necessary contacts and use them for their intended purpose.
Of course, rarely does anyone use Outlook to solve this particular problem, but having this program on your computer is quite useful. It has a user-friendly interface, Russian language and extensive help. Any user can understand its management.
Excellent free utility which comes with most Nokia phones. By connecting the device to the computer, you can open this program and perform the necessary operation in it. The functionality of PC Suite is quite extensive, and in it you can not only port contacts, but also set up synchronization, create backups, share files between devices, and generally manage your phone.
The program is distributed completely free of charge, which makes it accessible to most users. Also, it has built-in multilingual support (more than 80 languages, including Russian). Having it on your computer is useful for any user who owns a Nokia phone.
IN Lately this program is no longer supported and has been replaced by an updated one Nokia version Suite, which has expanded functionality and an updated interface. It also has increased productivity. 
If you have any questions, ask in the comments, we will definitely help.
