How to open a vcf file with phone numbers. VCF contact file - how to open it on a computer

A VCF file (vCard File) is a standard file format that stores contact information certain persons. VCF files can also contain data about various user affairs. This file format represents a business card, so the VCF extension usually carries user names, addresses, both real and associated with email, various phone numbers and other information. This file extension supports additional fields and sections, called special ones; in addition, the VCF format can accommodate all kinds of simple pictures and other types of media files.
A file type with a VCF extension is used when it is necessary to transfer contact information, an address book is used from which a business card is imported or exported.

The vCard format can be embedded into various emails, allowing the recipient to easily import the sender's contact information. To open VCF, there is a fairly large amount of appropriate software. A type of such software is a utility built into the Windows system called Windows Contacts. Many users prefer Microsoft Outlook 2013 or another version of Microsoft - Outlook Express, which allows you to open a VCF file as much as possible in a simple way. Owners of the Mac OS platform often use the Address Book utility, which demonstrates excellent performance with the .vcf extension.

The VCF file extension is common among mobile device users.

What is a vcf file and how can it be opened 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 the device’s phone book. At the same time, it is recommended to create it both when updating the firmware and when purchasing a new phone.

This file is created by the user independently (the operating system does not create it automatically, for example, during failures). It can be exported, imported from and to the system, viewed, copied, etc. Thus, it is necessary for quickly and accurately transferring contacts from the phone book of one device to another, without manual retyping.

File of this format– a kind of backup subscriber card. It contains, in addition to his name, all the necessary contact information that was entered into the phone - phone number, email address, links to pages on social networks, and of course, name. When you transfer a file to the phone memory, it is automatically converted to one of the contacts in the phone book, on personal computer it is a file that can be opened using certain programs.

Operating system tools

Since this format is considered quite well-known and widespread, and also taking into account the fact that Windows has developed software for smartphones, in the standard set of programs of this operating system, which are installed on the computer when installing the OS, there are utilities for opening files of this type.

Thus, there is almost never a need to download additional programs, unless these files have a slightly modified internal structure. But this happens quite rarely.

ADVICE. In this case, view the information in this format possible using software, which was installed on the PC when the smartphone was first connected to it (or the one that was installed from the disk included with the tablet or phone).

Address book

This is a basic program that is convenient because it does not take up much space and does not require any additional downloads or installations. At the same time, it works quite effectively, opening almost all files of this type.

To view information in a file, do the following:

1Find the required file on your device;

2Click on its shortcut with the right mouse button;

Outlook

Another program that, in general, can be called standard and does not require additional downloads and installations. It is included in the standard Office package, which means that everyone who has this package installed has it on their computer. To view a file using it, proceed as follows:

• Open Outlook, by calling it using the Start path or in another way (by typing its name in the search, launching it from a shortcut on the desktop, or entering its name after clicking the Start button in the Windows 8, 8.1, 10 operating system);
• Drag and drop file, which you want to open, to the program working field;
• Follow the program's instructions;
• After that, in the program window in the form of a table all contact details will be displayed, which were entered into the phone;

Information can be removed from the program only upon request., that is, forcibly by going to the address book, selecting a contact and clicking “Delete”.

Specialized programs

They are understood as applications developed by the creators of electronic devices (smartphones and tablets) in order to make working with the device easier.

Such programs usually have a wide range of functionality (fine-tuning, working with device memory, synchronizing a smartphone/telephone/tablet with a computer or with each other, data transfer). But they work exclusively with files that were created on devices of the brand that developed the program.

Therefore, if you have several devices from different manufacturers, you will need several programs, which is not very convenient.

Nokia Suite

This application is designed specifically for devices manufactured by Nokia Corporation and its subsidiaries. The program is installed automatically the first time you connect the device to the computer, or from a disk (on older versions). If you have not removed it from your computer, then this program will help you open a contact created on your Nokia device in the correct form.

At the same time, this application has very wide functionality and opening a business card contact is the simplest manipulation, among many others. This program helps to synchronize the device with a computer, transfer and save data in both directions, etc. That is, this is a fairly necessary program for all owners of Nokia devices.

In order to view contact data, simply drag the file into the program’s working window, and it will display a table with contact data in the form in which it is presented below. If you carry out this manipulation on a tablet (which is also possible), then you will also have the opportunity to call this contact with one click of a button.

<Рис. 8 Nokia Suite>

Gmail

Using the standard online Google mail service, you can view materials created on devices running on the Android operating system. 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;

2. Hover to the Gmail button at the top left of the screen;

3. In the drop-down list, go to the section Contacts;

Program selection

Which program should you choose to open files of this type, and what criteria should you base your choice on when choosing 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>

Table 1. Comparative characteristics of programs for opening the vcf format

Program	Download	Saving	Cyrillic display	Multifunctionality	Additional features
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.

A VCF file can be opened by special programs. To open this format, download one of the proposed programs.

.VCF file extension

To store business card contact information in electronic form, the VCF (vCard File) format is used. This is a standard data representation file containing information about the user. There may be contact phone numbers, addresses email, user logins and even passwords. Additional sections of a VCF file may contain data other than text format, for example, jpg icons (images), as well as media files. The main purpose of the VCF format is to transfer various contact information, in particular to perform the procedure for importing/exporting the address book of a user.

How to open and create a VCF file

If you couldn't open the VCF file on your operating system, this means that you need to install additional applications that work with VCF files. It is possible that the required program is already installed, but it must be forcibly assigned to open the VCF format.

The most common programs that will open a VCF file (run on the Windows OS platform):

• Microsoft Outlook (Express);

To open VCF file contacts on a Mac operating system, use the Apple Contacts application.

Users of various gadgets and iPhones can download directly to the mobile device application Contacts.

Outlook Express Backup- the most “advanced” plugin for creating and editing VCF. This program supports work only on the Windows platform. You can also send the VCF file online, for example by email.

Convert VCF to CSV and SPB format

It is necessary to understand that it is impossible to convert a VCF file to absolutely any format, and this, as a rule, is not necessary. The most popular conversions are to and . Samsung Kies is an application that is created specifically for converting VCF to CSV/SPB. As practice shows, data transmission is almost always of high quality and lossless.

Why VCF and what are its advantages?

The VCF format has gained popularity primarily due to its invariance with respect to various devices: Almost any smartphone or operating system can easily read this format thanks to built-in applications. In addition, the VCF file does not take up much disk (physical) space.

A standard file format for storing contact information about a person or business. Typically includes name, address, telephone number, email address and other contact information. Also supports custom fields, images and other media types.

VCF files are often used to import and export contacts from your address book. They can be embedded in emails that provide an easy way for the recipient to import the sender's contact information.

Windows Vista users can open vCards using the built-in Windows programs Contacts. Mac OS X users can open vCards using the built-in Address Book application. iPod and iPhone users can load vCards directly into the device's Contacts app.

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 on a new phone in the same way and all the 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, instead of it, are displayed english words, letters and numbers. 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 that are designed specifically for this purpose.
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.

Microsoft Outlook Express

Microsoft Outlook Express

Outlook Express is an email and news client that is integrated with Internet Explorer versions 4.0 through 6.0. It is also bundled with a number of versions of Microsoft Windows, from Windows 98 to Windows Server 2003, and is available for Windows 3.x, Windows NT 3.51, Windows 95 and Mac OS 9. In Windows Vista, Outlook Express was outdated by Windows Mail, then again by Windows Live Mail as separate software in Windows 7. Microsoft Entourage, sold as part of Microsoft Office for Macintosh, has changed the Macintosh version. Outlook Express is a diverse application from Microsoft Office Outlook. The two programs do not share a common codebase, but do share a common architectural philosophy. The similar names lead many people to incorrectly conclude that Outlook Express is a stripped-down version of Microsoft Office Outlook. Outlook Express utilizes the Windows Address Book to store contact information and incorporates tightly with it. On Windows XP, it also joins together with Windows Messenger.

Microsoft Windows Contacts

Microsoft Windows Contacts

Windows Contacts is a contact manager which is packed in Windows Vista and Windows 7, which was replaced and retained most of the functionality of Windows Address Book, with an integration of Windows Mail. Windows Contacts uses a new XML-based schema format where each contact appears as an individual contact file, and can saved custom information including pictures. The file in a .wab format and the open standards, *.vcf (vCard) and *.csv (CSV) are also supported. Some uses of Windows Contacts are: a) it is implemented as a special folder in Windows Vista and Windows 7, b) it can import vCard, CSV, WAB and LDIF formats, c) it can export in vCard 2.1 and CSV formats, d ) it can print contacts in Memo, Business Card, and Phone List formats, e) individual contacts can be quickly accessed from the Start menu search text box, f) Windows Live People, the contact manager for Windows Live Messenger and Windows Live Mail can saved its information in the Windows Contacts folder if the option to encrypt it is unchecked in Windows Live Messenger. At any time contacts in Messenger are updated, they"ll be updated in Windows Contacts as well, and g) it exposes APIs for making new contacts, reading and writing in an existing contact, adding a "Label" in the form of a URI to a "Property" or a "Property" to a "Contact", API for matching devices with Windows Contacts.

QUALCOMM Eudora

QUALCOMM Eudora

Eudora is an email base client that works with IMAP, SMTP and POP3 protocols. S/MIME authentication, SSL and in Windows are supported as well for security processes. Qualcomm is the developer of this software since 1991. This has a webmail version that is eudoramail.com but creation of new accounts is not allowed anymore. In order to have Eudora in the users system it must be running with Mac OS X or Windows operating system. The Eudora version 8 is able to run for windows win2000, winxp, win2003, winvista, win7, Linux Kernel, MAC OS X 10.4 and older versions unlike version 7. The system should have the following necessities stated: (windows) 786 MB RAM or 256 MB (win2000), 52 MB HDD and Pentium 233 MHz processor (Macintosh) PowerPC G3, G4 or G5 processor, 200 MB HDD, and 256 MB RAM (Linux) 64 MB RAM, 52 MB HDD and Intel Pentium II and AMD K6 III 233 MHz processor. Eudora has improved some of its features such as the alert sounds, easy to find users interface and platform base on Thunderbird from Mozilla.

vCardExplorer

vCardExplorer is a VCF file displaying software that is downloadable on Mac OS X computers. It is developed by a developer named Daniel Kagemann. Moreover, this software does not require the opening of Address Book to display VCF files. It comes with hCards support with a changed window size for easy use. New versions are packed with improved and added features, which include transparent window on focus loss, short-cut cmd return for on top command, toolbar that can be shown or hidden through cmd-shift-t short-cut, and exportation of files as csv as the format for Gmail. Most of these added features are integrated on version 1.5 of vCardExplorer. The use of this particular software product is only for Mac OS X computers, specifically Mac OS X version 10.4 or higher versions, but with PPC or Intel processor. Version 1.3.2 has new bugfixes features to correct any errors with the encoding of files, missing photos in Address Book, as well as problems in user defaults. Icons and toolbars are customizable for convenient use of the application.

QUALCOMM Eudora for Mac

QUALCOMM Eudora for Mac

Qualcomm, the developer of Eudora (an email client), has continued improving the software that the company cooperated with Mozilla on the project Penelope. This is the also known as the Eudora version 8. The latest version works for MAC operating system (Mac OS X 10.4). If users are operating with 10.5 Leopard, configuring the sound setting of Eudora is a must whether what version of Eudora it is for this OS does not support the audio alerts of the software to avoid complications. It has a customized toolkit dialog that users can resize wherein the recipient tab is present. Filters auto naming of junk and attachments. Also, Eudora has an automatic reply to function and easier searching capabilities of emails. Eudora’s security system can support S/MIME authentication, in windows and SSL. This software can support these following email protocols: SMTP, POP3 and IMAP. To make Eudora work these minimum system requirements should be comply: 256 MB of RAM, 200 MB Hard disk drive space and PowerPC G3, G4, G5 or Intelx86 processor.