How to open a vcard file on a computer. How to open a VCF file on a computer. Displaying vcf files using Google contacts
A VCF file is a file in which contacts from your phone are saved, with all the accompanying information. Let's give an example. Let's say you decide to change your phone, and all your contacts are not saved on the SIM card, you need to connect the background to the computer and save all the contacts on it, as a vcf file. Afterwards, you just need to install this file in the same way new phone and all numbers will be transferred to the phone book.
This is a very convenient way to copy numbers, but since you need to open such a file on your computer, then you have already learned how to create it, so it’s worth considering several of the most popular ways to open vcf files on a PC.
Opening with Notepad
This application can be found on absolutely any computer. But most users don’t even know what they can do with it. Including viewing contacts from a vcf file. To do this you need:1. Open notepad;
2. Drag the desired file into it, or click on the “File” item - “open”, find the desired file, select and click the “Open” button;
3. View the data or make changes to it.
In the screenshot above, you can see how the vcf file is displayed in Notepad. One contact here is enclosed in a whole block of characters, starting with the line “begin:vcard” and ending with “end:vcard”. The notepad copes well with numbers and English letters, so after the word “cell” you can easily see the number of a contact from the list.
After the letter “N” there is information responsible for the last name, first name, patronymic, etc. As you can see, English words, letters and numbers are displayed instead. The fact is that for the safety of user data, all files with the vcf extension are automatically encrypted in the phone so that third parties do not get your contacts.
The question arises, how can you look through your contacts and figure out who owns which number? To do this, you can use the following program.
Opening a vcf file using NotePad++
This program, just like notepad, is available on almost any modern computer. If it is not available, it can be easily downloaded from open sources, since it is distributed free of charge.You can open a vcf file here in the same way as through notepad. After opening, we see that contacts are also displayed in the same way as through notepad, but unlike notepad, here this can be corrected:
1. After opening the desired vcf file, select the encrypted part of the text and go to the menu “Plugins – MIME Tools – Quoted-printable Decode”, as in the following screenshot
2. Now incomprehensible characters have been converted into the word under which the contact was recorded in the phone’s address book
Note: You should not select the entire file at once and translate it, hoping to view all contacts at once. If you do this, you will break the encoding and end up with all the characters mixed up, which can cause the file to become corrupted.
View vcf file using Nokia Suite
The best way to view phone contacts through a computer is to use third party programs which are designed specifically for these purposes.You can download and install this program from the official Nokia website, so there should be no problems with this. After installation, you need to open the program and click File - Import contacts. Then select the vcf file from your computer and click the “Open” button.
As you can see, contacts are displayed immediately in Russian. Also, using this program, you can create lists of contacts, save them in a separate vcf file and then import them to your phone, which can significantly speed up the creation of a contact list. However, there is one drawback to this program. As you can see from the screenshot above, only the first contact from the entire list is displayed. This happens in some versions of both the program itself and the operating system, so you can use another software product.
Displaying vcf files using Google contacts
1. To use this technology, simply log into your Google account and select the “Google Contacts” service.
2. In the window that appears next, click on the “Import from csv or vCard file” button.
3. Next, you need to select the desired file on your computer and click the “Import” button
4. After these steps, all contacts saved in the selected file will be displayed in front of you. Here you can also make changes to your contact list, save and import back to your smartphone.
What is a vcf file and how can you open it on a computer? Many users may discover such a file by accident, while others create it intentionally to store information.
But in both of these cases the file you may need to open it to view the information stored in it.
Definition
What is this file, where can it be found, and what is it for? This format has the data of a saved contact recorded in a smartphone or telephone.
Information (contacts) in this format can be found in the memory of a smartphone, tablet, and even a PC (if devices were synchronized or data was transferred).
Where does this file come from? It appears after updating the phone's firmware and contains all the data from phone book devices.
This file is created by the user independently (automatically operating system it is not created, for example, during failures).
It may be subject to export, import from and to the system, viewing, etc. Thus, it is necessary for fast and accurate
Sometimes this method can even open files created on other devices (with a different operating system).
In order to use this method, do the following:
1 Sign in to Google mail;
3 In the drop-down list, go to the section Contacts;
4 In the left list that will open after updating the window, click on the button More;
5 In the expanded list, find the item Import;
6 In the pop-up window, specify Import from CSV file;
7 In the updated window, find the button Go to the previous version of contacts and click on it;
The table below shows the comparative characteristics of programs and applications for working with vcf format files.
Based on them, one can draw a conclusion about which application to use will be optimal in each specific case.
<Рис. 14 Выбор программы>
| Program | Download | Preservation | Cyrillic display | Multifunctionality | Additional functions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The address book | Not required | Forcibly | No | Any files of this format | No |
| Outlook | Not required | Automatically | Yes, correct | Any files of this format | Exchange of emails |
| Nokia Suite | Requires installation from phone | Automatic or forced | Yes, correct | Only files that were created on devices manufactured by Nokia and its subsidiaries | Synchronization, transfer and copying of data and much more |
| Gmail | Not required | Automatically | Yes, correct | Relative (some files not created on the Android system open) | Email and some other services from Google |
The choice of the appropriate program depends on the needs and capabilities at a particular moment, as well as on the type of files.
The 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 VCF file on the computer. Perfect for this Microsoft Outlook is a completely free email client that has rich history, as well as equally rich functionality.
Using it, you can not only communicate with other users of email 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.
An excellent free utility that 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.
Recently, this program has ceased to be supported, and it has been replaced by an updated version of Nokia 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.
Vcf stands for vCard File - it represents text file to store various information about a contact. Essentially, this is an electronic business card that contains the full name, phone 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.
With the help of these files it is very convenient to exchange electronic business cards, for which they are used various devices With address books, where special applications must be installed.
How to open a VCF file
IN Windows file vcf 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 obtain contact data from other sources ( Active Directory, OpenLDAP, etc., and compare them with the fields of vcf files).
On Mac OS X, you can open vcf using the Address Book application. Also 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 the vcf file using free program Contacts VCF, 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, while their OS may be different. For example, you need to transfer vcf files from NOKIA to Samsung. To do this on the map Samsung smartphone you need to put all vcf files in a separate folder. After this, you need to go to “Contacts” and in the options select “Import files from SD card”.
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.
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.
What is VCF
The extension "VCF" is usually an abbreviation for " Virtual Contact File"(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.
How to open VCF
If our file contains contact information, the following programs will help open it:
1.Windows Contacts(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.
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.
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. – 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.
8. - advanced text editor, which allows you to make minor edits to the contact data located in the vcf file.
9.Email client Eudora OSE, 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;
- 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.
