What a vCard (.vcf file) is.
A vCard is the standard file format for a contact: a plain-text file, usually ending in .vcf, holding a name, phone numbers, email, address, photo and links as lines any phone can read. The IETF defines it in RFC 6350 (version 4.0) and RFC 2426 (version 3.0), and phones and mail apps import it.
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BEGIN:VCARD
VERSION:3.0
N:Hale;Jordan;;;
FN:Jordan Hale
ORG:Hale Studio
TITLE:Founder- File extensions
.vcfor.vcard, registered in RFC 6350 with the media typetext/vcard.- Required lines
- vCard 4.0 requires only
FN(the formatted name) andVERSION. vCard 3.0 also requiresN, the structured name. - What it is not
- A live card. A contact saved from a vCard is a copy, and it stays as it was saved.
Ten lines, read one by one.
This is a real file, written by the vCard generator on this site for an example person. Open any .vcf in a text editor and you will see the same shape.
BEGIN:VCARD
VERSION:3.0
N:Hale;Jordan;;;
FN:Jordan Hale
ORG:Hale Studio
TITLE:Founder
TEL;TYPE=CELL:+1 415 555 0134
EMAIL;TYPE=INTERNET:jordan@example.com
URL:https://example.com/
END:VCARD| Line | Meaning | Required? |
|---|---|---|
BEGIN:VCARD |
Opens one contact. A single file can hold hundreds, one after another. | Yes |
VERSION |
2.1, 3.0 or 4.0. It tells the reader which rules the rest follows. | Yes |
N |
The name in parts: family; given; middle; prefix; suffix. Phones sort by it. | In 3.0 |
FN |
The name as it should be displayed. Missing it is why a contact shows as “No Name”. | Yes |
ORG, TITLE |
Company and job title. | No |
TEL, EMAIL |
Each number or address, with a TYPE such as CELL or WORK. | No |
URL |
A web address. Phones show it as a tappable link. | No |
END:VCARD |
Closes the contact. | Yes |
Required as RFC 2426 (3.0) and RFC 6350 (4.0) state it. vCard 2.1 predates the IETF versions and is looser.
2.1, 3.0, 4.0: which one you have.
The first line after BEGIN tells you. Most files you are sent are 3.0, the version iPhone and Google Contacts export; some Android Contacts apps still write 2.1.
vCard 2.1
BEGIN:VCARD
VERSION:2.1
N;CHARSET=UTF-8:Hale;Jordan
FN;CHARSET=UTF-8:Jordan HalevCard 3.0
BEGIN:VCARD
VERSION:3.0
N:Hale;Jordan;;;
FN:Jordan HalevCard 4.0
BEGIN:VCARD
VERSION:4.0
FN:Jordan Hale
N:Hale;Jordan;;;| Version | Defined in | Text encoding | Name lines |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.1 | The versit Consortium, before the IETF took the format on | Declared per line with CHARSET; accents often QUOTED-PRINTABLE | N required |
| 3.0 | RFC 2426, September 1998 | Set by the message carrying it | N and FN required |
| 4.0 | RFC 6350, August 2011 | Always UTF-8; “There is no way to override this” | FN required, N optional |
RFC 6350 obsoletes RFC 2426, yet 3.0 remains the version most phones write, and current phones read all three.
Four ways to make one.
You rarely need to write one by hand. Pick the route that matches where your details already are.
| Route | How | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Export from your phone | iPhone: open your contact in Contacts, tap Share Contact and send it to yourself by Mail. Google Contacts: Export, then the vCard option. | Your details are already in your phone |
| The vCard generator | Type your details, add a photo, download a vCard 3.0 file. Nothing is uploaded. | A clean file with a photo, from scratch |
| A text editor | Type the lines shown above, one per line, and save the file as UTF-8 with a .vcf ending. | Checking or fixing a file by hand |
| As a QR code | The same lines encoded into a code that saves the contact when scanned. | Print, where there is no file to send |
A vCard is a snapshot.
Once someone imports your vCard, their copy is theirs. Change your number next month and their phone still shows the old one.
That is the property that decides where a vCard fits. For a one-off, such as attaching your details to an email or loading a list into a CRM, a file is ideal: it works offline, needs no service, and every phone and mail app reads it. For a card you hand out for years, the copy going stale is the problem a digital business card exists to solve: the card stays at one address you can edit, and the vCard it offers is only how someone saves you.
Cardr’s Save button sends a vCard 3.0 for that reason, with one extra line: a link back to the card page, so the saved contact always has one field that stays current.
Where these facts come from.
Primary documents only: the standard, the platform’s own documentation or the chip maker’s datasheet. Each was read on October 29, 2026.
- IETF RFC 6350, vCard Format Specification (vCard 4.0, August 2011): FN and VERSION required, UTF-8 only, lines folded at 75 octets, file extensions .vcf and .vcard, media type text/vcard
www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc6350Read October 29, 2026 - IETF RFC 2426, vCard MIME Directory Profile (vCard 3.0, September 1998): FN, N and VERSION required; obsoleted by RFC 6350 but still the version most phones write
www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc2426Read October 29, 2026
Common questions.
Is a vCard the same as a VCF file?
Yes, in practice. vCard is the format; .vcf is the file extension it is saved under (RFC 6350 also registers .vcard). People use the two names for the same file.
What does VCF stand for?
The standards never expand it; .vcf is simply the extension registered for vCard files. It is often read as “virtual contact file”. A genomics Variant Call Format file also ends in .vcf and has nothing to do with contacts.
How do I open a .vcf file?
Tap it on a phone and Contacts offers to add it. On a computer, double-click it, or drop it into our .vcf viewer to see every contact in it without importing anything or uploading the file.
Can a vCard update itself after I send it?
No. An imported contact is a copy. To give people details that stay current, send a link to a card you can edit, and let the vCard be how they save you.
Can a .vcf file contain a virus?
It is plain text and cannot run code, but import only from senders you know: a file can carry a misleading name or link. Our .vcf viewer shows what is inside before you import it.
Which vCard version should I use?
3.0 for anything a phone will import: it is what iPhone and Google Contacts write, and current phones read it. 4.0 suits servers that sync contacts (CardDAV).
A card that outlives the file.
Your Cardr card stays at one address you can edit, and its Save button hands people a vCard with a link back to it. Free forever.