.vcf File Extension
.vcf contact file contains, which apps open it, how Poly supports it, and how to convert or share it safely. File extension details for .vcf
Partial Support| File type | vCard contact file |
|---|---|
| MIME type | |
| Encoding | Line-oriented text; UTF-8 in vCard 4.0, with legacy encodings possible in older versions |
| Operating systems | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android |
| Opens with | Apple Contacts, Google Contacts, Microsoft Outlook, Trusted text editors |
| Poly support | Partial. Poly stores .vcf files and recognizes them when classified as text/vcard. |
| Indexed by Poly | Partial. Files are searchable by name, but contact fields are not currently content-indexed. |
| Preview in Poly | Yes. A recognized VCF opens as readable source text, not as an imported contact. |
| Poly agent | No. The Poly agent cannot currently read .vcf contents directly. |
What kind of file is a .vcf?
A .vcf file contains one or more contacts in the vCard format. It can carry names, phone numbers, email and postal addresses, organizations, photos, notes, and other directory fields. IANA registers .vcf and .vcard for the text/vcard MIME type.1
VCF files have no fixed magic number. To check an unfamiliar file, look for a card that begins with BEGIN:VCARD, declares a VERSION such as 3.0 or 4.0, and ends with END:VCARD. These markers are useful evidence, but a vCard-aware parser must still validate properties, escaping, and folded lines.2
.vcf does not turn it into a contact file. Likewise, changing .vcf to .vcard changes only the filename, not the vCard version or data.How do I open a .vcf on my computer?
Use a contacts application when you want to import the entries:
- On macOS, double-click the file or import it in Apple Contacts.3
- On Windows, open it with Microsoft Outlook or another vCard-compatible contacts app.4
- In Google Contacts, choose Import and select the VCF file.5
- On iPhone, iPad, and Android, use the system contacts app or share sheet. Exact steps vary by operating-system version.
A trusted text editor can inspect the source without adding contacts. Before importing, count the BEGIN:VCARD blocks because one VCF can contain many contacts. Keep the original until names with accents, repeated phone numbers, labels, photos, and notes have transferred correctly.
.vcf as untrusted. A card can expose home addresses, birthdays, private notes, photos, identifiers, and remote links, and vCard does not authenticate its author.2Poly support for .vcf
Poly stores .vcf files and makes them searchable by filename. When the file is correctly identified as text/vcard, Poly lets you inspect its readable source without importing contacts into an address book.
Support is source-oriented rather than contact-aware. Poly does not render a formatted contact card, index names or phone numbers inside it, or make those fields available to the Poly agent. Because VCF has no magic number and suffix inference can vary, preserve the text/vcard media type when moving the file between systems.
History of .vcf
The .vcf suffix means vCard file. vCard 3.0 became an IETF specification with RFC 2426 in September 1998. The current vCard 4.0 specification, RFC 6350, followed in August 2011 and requires UTF-8.26
The suffix does not identify the version. Inspect the VERSION line in every card. Older vCard versions remain common and look similar, but they are not strictly compatible with 4.0. IANA also registers the longer .vcard suffix, while Apple, Google, and Microsoft documentation generally presents .vcf to users.1345
Working with .vcf and alternatives
Choose a destination based on what will consume the contacts:
| Format | Best use | Tradeoff |
|---|---|---|
.vcard | The same vCard data under a less common suffix | Some import dialogs look specifically for .vcf |
| CSV | Reviewing or mapping contacts in a spreadsheet | Repeated fields, labels, photos, and structured addresses may flatten poorly |
| jCard JSON | Standards-based JSON APIs | Consumers need jCard support; arbitrary JSON is not equivalent |
Use a vCard-aware converter when changing versions or exporting to CSV. Editing only the VERSION line is not a conversion because syntax, value types, character handling, and supported properties differ. Remove unnecessary private fields before sharing, and verify representative contacts after conversion.
Footnotes
- Internet Assigned Numbers Authority.
text/vcardMedia Type Registration. The registration lists.vcfand.vcard, no magic number, and deprecated older media types. ↩ ↩2 - Internet Engineering Task Force. RFC 6350: vCard Format Specification. The standard defines vCard 4.0 structure, UTF-8 encoding, version handling, and security considerations. ↩ ↩2 ↩3
- Apple Support. Import Contacts into Contacts on Mac. ↩ ↩2
- Microsoft Support. Import vCards to Outlook Contacts. ↩ ↩2
- Google Contacts Help. Import Your Contacts into Google Contacts. ↩ ↩2
- Internet Engineering Task Force. RFC 2426: vCard MIME Directory Profile. This September 1998 RFC standardized vCard 3.0. ↩