View vcard. VCF contact file - how to open it on a computer
A number of users may receive an email containing an attachment file with the “vcf” extension. This file usually contains data about contacts previously exported from the phone contacts book. At the same time, there are also files with the VCF extension that have nothing to do with the contact book. In this article I will tell you what this format is, how to open the VCF extension on a PC, what programs and services will help us with this, and how to work with them.
Format.VCF
What is VCF
The "VCF" extension is usually an abbreviation for "Virtual Contact File". At the same time, there is also an alternative abbreviation - “vCard File” (vCard file).
This file is usually used to store contact information in digital format (person's first and last name, address, email, phone number and other relevant information). With its help, it is convenient to exchange contacts between address books, the file can be easily attached to an email, and it supports pictures and other media content.
In addition, a file with the vcf extension can act as a VirtualDub editor settings file (VirtualDub Processing Settings), as a WorldToolKit Objects API configuration file (Vevi Configuration File), as a FileViewPro program service file, a relevant file for VP HybridCAD Native Format, etc.
Description of the business card extension How to open VCF
If our file contains contact information, the following programs will help open it:
1.Windows Contacts is a classic application for viewing Windows contacts. It works quite poorly with Cyrillic characters, so for a Russian-speaking user its use will not be entirely convenient.
Windows Contacts 2.vCardOrganizer – a convenient program for working with digital cards. Allows you to create, modify and view vCards, supports displaying photos, printing cards on a printer, and so on. The program is paid, but you can try searching the Internet for its free variations.
vCardOrganizer interface 3.Open Freely is a free viewer that can open many documents and media files (including the vcf files we need).
4.VCFtools – a set of utilities that allow you to work with vcf files, including viewing, merging, converting, and so on.
5.VCF Viewer is a free utility for viewing the contents of vcf files. Its main drawback is that it shows the data of only one contact.
6.Open Contacts - another free tool, a program for storing contact data, allows you to open vcf files.
7.Classic Notepad can also be used as a viewer of raw vcf file data. For a Russian-speaking user, it may be a problem that Cyrillic characters are incorrectly displayed during such viewing (if the contact data is typed in Cyrillic), because Notepad in this case will not be very convenient to use.
Manager contact opened 8.Notepad++ is an advanced text editor that allows you to make minor edits to contact data located in a vcf file.
Notepad++ 9. The Eudora OSE mail client, which has quite rich functionality, can also open files with the vcf extension;
Microsoft Outlook and Handy Address Book programs can also open and view files of this format; the disadvantages include the paid nature of these products.
How to open vcf file in Outlook
To view vcf in Outlook do the following:
Contacts will be added to the “Users” section of this program.
How to transfer contacts from a vcf file to Gmail
Contacts from a vcf file can be transferred to the Gmail contact list. To implement this, do the following:
- Go to the Gmail mail page;
- Click on the arrow next to “Gmail” (top left) and select “Contacts” there;
Go to Contacts 
- We find our vcf file and click on “Import”, the specified contact will be added to the contact list.
Conclusion
The programs I described above will help you play a VCF file on your computer. Most of them are free, allowing you to easily view the contents of vcf files. If you come across a file that cannot be opened correctly using the listed programs, then perhaps this is a qualitatively different type of file (for example, WorldToolKit Objects API settings), which will be handled by a rather specialized specialist.
RusAdmin.biz
.vcf format: how to open it on a computer and what type of file is it?
When buying a new phone or flashing an old one, we are recommended to create a backup copy of contacts from the phone book, so as not to lose important information and not waste time entering numbers manually. After creating a copy and saving it on the computer, we need to open the .vcf file to view the contact's phone number. But how to do this and using what program? We will consider the answer to these questions below.
How to open a .vcf file?
The extension file.vcf is a subscriber’s business card, which stores information about the contact (name, phone, email, personal website and links to pages on social networks). It can be opened using standard tools of any mobile operating system. But in Windows there are some nuances.
Windows Address Book
Standard method that does not require installation of additional software. Right-click on the .vcf file and select “Open with” – “Windows Contacts”.
Attention! The built-in Windows Contacts program does not recognize the Cyrillic alphabet! If the numbers from your address book were signed in Russian, Ukrainian or Belarusian, they will not be displayed correctly!
Microsoft Outlook
If you have Microsoft Office preinstalled on your machine, you can open “contacts.vcf” using MS Outlook. To do this, drag the .vcf file onto the program's working window and follow the instructions. After viewing the contact details of business cards, they will be saved in the address book of the email client. 
Nokia Suite
An epoch-making application from Nokia, in which creating a backup copy of contacts and restoring them is a small part of the entire functionality. The application will allow you to view contact data and restore it on your mobile device (if it is manufactured by Nokia Corporation). 
A multifunctional text editor that supports many encodings and guarantees the correct display of information. The application cannot export data to mobile devices, but allows you to edit a contact: add, delete and edit information.
Google's Gmail
To view contacts in .vcf format, you can use Google services.
windowsten.ru
How to open a vcf file on a computer - step-by-step instructions
Due to the great popularity of mobile phones, smartphones and tablets, users are increasingly faced with the need to import and export contacts stored on these devices. If there are only a couple of dozen such contacts, then it is even more or less possible to dial them manually. But more often there is a situation when their number amounts to hundreds, and for fairly sociable people it can exceed the thousand mark. Therefore, to import and export contacts, mobile device manufacturers provide the ability to bulk process contacts using VCF files. Using vcf files, you can transfer contacts not only to smartphones and tablets, but also to many mobile phones that have the ability to connect to a computer. For this, the appropriate software supplied with the mobile phone is used: “Nokia PC Suite”, “Samsung PC Studio”, etc. In this regard, users have a logical question - how to open a vcf file on a computer. We will talk about this in this article.
What is the VCF format?
The vcf file format was invented to store contact information about a person. In particular:
Last name, first name and patronymic
Contacts in Internet messengers
Addresses of work, residence, etc.
The name VCF itself stands for vCard File, or business card file. Since a certain time, this format has been supported to one degree or another by most computer mail programs.
Essentially a vcf file is a text file that can be manually edited with a text editor. Unfortunately, sometimes texts containing Cyrillic in these files are written in encoded form, which does not allow you to work with them directly in Notepad. For example, this is what a card for the name “Ivan Petrov” with a phone number looks like, exported from a mobile device.
If the digits of a phone number are readable and can be viewed or edited if desired, then for the first and last name this operation is extremely difficult.
Problem with encodings
Modern versions of Windows have the Windows Contacts application, which allows you to both open a vcf file on your computer and add it to the operating system contact list, where the file will be converted to *.contact format and will become available for editing using Windows tools. But this feature is only available for files written in Windows encoding. At the same time, many mobile devices and modern email applications save vcf files in modern UTF-8 encoding. And if you try to open such a file using Windows, the Cyrillic characters will not be read properly.
Interestingly, Windows encoded files are available for manual editing in any text editor. This is what the text content of a vcf file created using Microsoft Outlook looks like.
It would seem logical to convert all files to Windows encoding in order to be able to work with them on a computer, incl. and in text editors. However, the problem is that then these files cannot be used on other devices and in modern email programs. For example, the latest vcf file, despite the fact that it looks beautiful in Notepad and the Windows Contacts program, does not open correctly in the emClient email program.
The same problems arise when exporting vcf files to mobile devices. Therefore, the best way out of the situation is to use programs that can fully work with business cards in UTF-8 encoding. The above-mentioned emClient program is quite suitable for this purpose. Moreover, it can export files in UTF encoding so that the readability of Cyrillic characters is preserved.
Using emClient
You can download the program from the download page on the official website. After installation, the application will work for 30 days in full mode, after which you will need to either obtain a free license to use the limited home version, or purchase the program. As a matter of fact, the home version is quite capable of both opening a vcf file on a computer and editing all its fields, as well as doing bulk import and export of such files.
To add vcf files to the program, you need to either drag them into the program window using the mouse, or use the menu item “File / Import...”.
In the window that appears, select the option “Import contacts from vCard (.vcf)”.
After this, the program will scan the entire specified folder and import all found business cards. In our case, one file was imported.
Now you can open it in the general contact list for editing.
Similarly, using the “File / Export...” menu item, you can save the edited contacts to a separate folder as a list of vcf files.
conclusions
Using the emClient program, you can both open vcf files on your computer and fully edit their contents, working with data in the form of a contact list. Edited contact data can be exported back to a set of vcf files, which can be useful for manually transferring contacts to a mobile device or another computer. Due to the fact that the program understands files in modern UTF-8 encoding, there will be no problems with Cyrillic characters when exchanging data with modern mobile devices. And business cards exported by this program open in a text editor in a readable form, so you can, as an option, apply the bulk search and replace functions of the Notepad++ program to them.
LiveLenta.com
How to view a vcf file on a computer
If you've dealt with old phones, you've probably kept a backup copy of your contacts. Typically, such data is saved in the vcf electronic business card format. Let's try to figure out how you can view this file on your computer.
How to view a vcf file using standard applications
An electronic business card in vcf format is a text document that can be viewed on a computer in various ways, including using Windows system tools.
Windows Contacts
Standard system application for viewing contacts. However, if the data was entered in Cyrillic, we will receive an incorrect display.
Outlook
If you have Microsoft Office installed on your computer, the operating system will offer to open an electronic business card using Outlook. But in this case, the text in Cyrillic also remains unreadable.
Notebook
As we mentioned above, the information in the vcf file is stored in text form. The most ordinary notepad will do an excellent job of viewing it.
However, you can't edit the data using Notepad - even if you change a single character, the file can no longer be opened using contact viewing applications.
Notepad++
If you need to make minor edits to the electronic business card file, we recommend using a more advanced notepad – Notepad++. Changes made using it will not change the structure of the vcf file.
Importing data from a vcf file
Information from an electronic business card can be transferred to a Gmail contact list. To do this, open the mail page, click on the “Gmail” button and in the drop-down menu click on the “Contacts” item.
On the page that opens, select “More”, then “Import”.
Click “Import from file...”
Gmail will offer to switch to the previous version of the Google Contacts application, we agree with this proposal.
Click on the “More” button and select “Import”.
Select the required vcf file and click “IMPORT”.
At the end of the process, we observe the added contact.
P.S.
We hope that with our help you can now easily view contact information stored in vcf files.
27.03.2017
Every year the Internet becomes more and more commercialized. And if yesterday on the Internet they mainly watched videos for adults, communicated and looked for interesting articles, today a 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. In general, this format is much more convenient than analogues, such as ordinary 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 and other computer system users. 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 would rather ignore this file than bother to decide 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 is designed 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 its automatic integration into the system and opening files by default. Also an extremely user-friendly interface and high functionality. The main problem 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 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 the desired file into the working window. Palm Desktop will simply ask you to choose which group to add the new contact to, 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 is a 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 an excellent and functional email manager. 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 for working with personal contacts. The application uses its own format for recordings, but is capable of importing several 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 if you constantly work 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, no opportunity, or simply no desire to install any program, you can use any text editor built into the system. 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 them specifically, and if you can find a more convenient and interesting option, you can report this in the comments so that other users can also see alternative methods.
1. Windows Contacts
This file is opened using a standard application called Windows Contacts. To use it, right-click on the file and in the drop-down menu, hover over the line “Open with” and select the desired program. It can also be found in the Start menu.
Rice. No. 1. Open in Windows Contacts
Attention! If the text is not printed in Latin, it will be displayed in hieroglyphs.
2.Outlook
If you have the Windows operating system and the Microsoft Office suite of office programs on your computer, then you also have Outlook.
Using it is exactly the same - press the right button and select Outlook in the list of available programs.
The problem with this contact reader is the same as mentioned above - the Cyrillic alphabet will not be read.
3. Standard text editors
Also, absolutely any standard text editors are suitable for opening VCF - Notepad, Notepad++ and the like.
The fact is that such files are text files and in such editors they will open in the form of a special code. But it is very easy to decipher. Among all the lines you can easily find your name, phone number and other data. An example of this can be seen below.
Rice. No. 2. Opening in Notepad
And you can open it in exactly the same way as described above - press the right button and select a program, or open the program and select a file in it.
4. Gmail
To use it, do this:
- Open your mail. Click the "Gmail" button and select "Contacts" from the menu that appears.
Rice. No. 3. Contacts in Gmail
- Next, select “More” and “Import”.
- In the next window you will need to choose where to get the data from. There is a clause regarding VCF. Just click on it, indicate where the file is located and follow the copying process.
Important! The system may prompt you to upgrade to an older version of Gmail. Agree with this proposal. And in the old version, click “More” at the top, select “Import” and also indicate where the file is located.
Rice. No. 4. Choosing a contact path
The “My Contacts” section will appear in your mail, where you can view all the data from the file.
As you can see, there is nothing complicated in this procedure. Write in the comments which method helped you!
Vcf stands for vCard File - it is a text file for storing various information about a contact. In essence, it is an electronic business card that contains full name, telephone numbers, physical and postal addresses, fax numbers and many other data. The vcf file can be attached as an attachment to an email - once received, the recipient can add this information to their database.
Briefly about the VCF format
The vCard format was created by the Versit consortium in 1995, and in 1996 all rights to the format were transferred to the Internet Mail Consortium.
Using these files, it is very convenient to exchange electronic business cards, for which various devices with address books are used, where special applications must be installed.
How to open a VCF file
On Windows, the vcf file can be opened with:
- Windows Contacts;
- Microsoft Outlook Express;
- Fonlow IT Open Contacts;
- Palm Desktop;
- and etc.
This file format is also widely used in the corporate segment of programs related to mail and instant messaging - OpenFire, Mozilla Thunderbird, etc. All of these programs can often receive contact data from other sources (Active Directory, OpenLDAP, etc., and compare it with the fields of vcf files).
On Mac OS X, you can open vcf using the Address Book application. Also, the VCF format supports most modern mobile devices, regardless of their platform.
How to open VCF file on Android and iPhone
On the Android platform, you can open a vcf file using the free Contacts VCF program, which allows you to work with such files in the form of a convenient phone book. Thus, you can not only add and edit existing contacts, but also make calls, print contacts, forward them and save them using the export functions.
For example, in Google Android these files, which are located in the System/PIM folder on the SD card, look like PIM00001.vcf.
On the iPad and iPhone there is a Contacts application into which you can download vCards.
In addition, vcf files can be transferred from one mobile device to another, and their OS may be different. For example, you need to transfer vcf files from NOKIA to Samsung. To do this, you need to put all vcf files into a separate folder on the Samsung smartphone card. After this, you need to go to “Contacts” and select “Import files from SD card” in the options.
Please note that there may be an issue with displaying contacts' birthdates. In Nokia they are displayed as BDAY:YYYYMMDD, and in Samsung as BDAY:YYYY-MM-DD. What to do?
First you need to open the vcf file in any text editor and bring the dates of birth to the desired form, and then download it to the SD card.
So, in short, here is everything about how to open vcf files and use them on your devices.
We decided to look into the question of how to open VCF. In this material we will try to talk in detail about why this format was created, what its functions are, and also, using examples, we will look at programs that will allow you to work with this extension.
Definition
Next we will look at how to open a VCF file, but we should start by finding out what this format is. VCF is an acronym for vCard File. This format is used to store personal contact information. Such material most often contains email, fax, telephone numbers, address and the full name of a specific user. It may also contain additional information. This type of file can be attached to an email, allowing the recipient to use it to import information into their own contact database.
View
If we talk directly about how to open VCF, email clients will primarily help us here, including Outlook and Eudora OSE. It should be noted that MS Outlook is not distributed separately, therefore, to install it, you need to download the Microsoft Office software package and specify the necessary components in it. A client called Mozilla Thunderbird also provides the answer to the question of how to open VCF, but you will have to install add-ons for it. To view contacts from VCF, as well as add them to the database, you can use a free application called Open Contacts, it is a convenient address book. Import allows you to add contacts received from vCard. You should know that you can view files of the specified type using the traditional one, but in this case, the information will be displayed with the system formatting code.
Alternative options
In addition to the popular programs described above, you can open a VCF file on your computer using lesser-known tools or unconventional methods, which are also worth saying a few words about. For example, if you own a Nokia phone, you can work with the file you are interested in using the bundled PC Suite software. We are talking about a program that is designed for convenient synchronization of a mobile phone with a personal computer. However, the leader can be called the vCardOrganizer application. In fact, it is a small program with a simple interface. It allows you to easily create an electronic type in the format that interests us. You can also share and edit maps.
Such files are very convenient for placement on your own commercial websites. One product, vCardOrganizer, combines a manager and a tool for creating business cards. Using the tool, you can replace a photo, add a logo, or add new contacts to the card by editing them. At the same time, the program allows you to simultaneously store an unlimited number of business cards in your list. By the way, the Eudora program is also capable of working with the format, the main task of which is to facilitate the interaction of a personal computer user with e-mail. Now you know how to open VCF. The choice is yours.
