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How to open a VCF file on iPhone

To open a VCF file on iPhone, tap the .vcf attachment in Mail or Messages and save the contact it shows. For a file with many contacts, import it at icloud.com/contacts instead, and the contacts sync to your iPhone.

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Open a single VCF file on iPhone

Apple's iPhone User Guide lists one way to import a vCard: tap a .vcf attachment in an email or message.

  1. Open the email or message with the .vcf file attached.
  2. Tap the attachment.
  3. Check the details your iPhone shows, then save the contact.

That's the quickest route when someone sends you their details. If the file is somewhere else, such as on your computer, email it to yourself or send it to yourself in a message, then tap it on the iPhone.

Import a VCF file with many contacts

A VCF file can hold hundreds of contacts, for example an export from an old phone or from Google Contacts. Apple's iCloud guide says that when a vCard holds more than one person, each becomes a separate entry. Import it on a computer:

  1. Go to icloud.com/contacts and sign in with the Apple Account you use on your iPhone.
  2. Open the menu on the right and choose Import vCard.
  3. Select the .vcf file.

The contacts land in All Contacts. If Contacts is turned on in iCloud settings on your iPhone, they appear there too.

On a Mac: you can also double-click the file, drag it onto Contacts in the Dock, or choose File > Import in the Contacts app. Apple notes that when you're signed in to the same Apple Account on each device with Contacts on in iCloud, the contacts are available on all of them.

Send contacts from your iPhone as a VCF file

Going the other way, Apple describes two built-in options:

  • One contact: in Contacts, tap the contact, tap Share Contact, choose the fields, then pick Messages, Mail or another option.
  • A list of contacts: in Contacts, touch and hold a list (or create one with Add List), tap Export, choose the fields, then choose how to send or save the file.

If the VCF file won't open on iPhone

  • Check it's a contact file. Open it on a computer in a text editor. A contact card starts with BEGIN:VCARD. Genetics labs use the same .vcf extension for variant data, and no phone opens those as contacts.
  • Import it at iCloud.com. If tapping the file shows nothing useful, try the iCloud import above, which is built for vCard files with one or many contacts.
  • Duplicates. Importing an export of contacts you already have creates copies. On a Mac, Contacts flags duplicates while importing so you can review them.

Make a VCF file to test with

The maker below creates a .vcf file with one contact. The example is a fictional personal trainer, but you can type anyone's details. Download the contact card, send it to yourself and tap it on your iPhone to see the import. The same page gives you a QR code the iPhone Camera can scan to save the contact.

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Open the full tool

Related guides

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Questions

Can you open a VCF file on an iPhone?

Yes. Tap the .vcf attachment in an email or message and iPhone offers to add the contact. Apple lists this as the way to import a vCard on iPhone.

How can I convert a VCF file to iPhone format?

There's nothing to convert: iPhone reads vCard files directly. If the file holds many contacts, import it at icloud.com/contacts and they appear on your iPhone once Contacts is turned on in iCloud.

How do I get all my contacts transferred to my new iPhone?

If they're in iCloud, sign in with the same Apple Account and turn on Contacts in iCloud settings. If they're in a .vcf file, import it at icloud.com/contacts.

Why does my iPhone show the file as text?

It may not be a contact file. Contact files start with BEGIN:VCARD; a VCF from a genetics lab is a different format with the same extension.