If you've dealt with older phones, you've probably kept a backup of your contacts. Typically, such data is saved in the vcf electronic business card format. Let's try to figure out how you can view this file on your computer.
How to view vcf file using standard applications
An electronic business card in vcf format is a text document that can be viewed on a computer in various ways, including using Windows system tools.
Windows Contacts
Standard system application for viewing contacts. However, if the data was entered in Cyrillic, we will get their incorrect display.
Outlook
If you have Microsoft Office installed on your computer, the operating system will prompt you to open an electronic business card using Outlook. But even in this case, the text in Cyrillic also remains unreadable.
Notebook
As we mentioned above, the information in the vcf file is stored in text form. The most ordinary notepad will do just fine with viewing it.
However, you cannot edit the data using Notepad - even if you change one character, the file can no longer be opened using contact viewer applications.
Notepad++
If you need to make minor changes to the electronic business card file, we recommend using a more advanced notepad - Notepad ++. Changes made with it will not change the structure of the vcf file.
Import data from vcf file
Information from an electronic business card can be transferred to a Gmail contact list. To do this, open the mail page, click on the "Gmail" button and click on the "Contacts" item in the drop-down menu.
On the page that opens, select "More", then "Import".
Click "Import from file..."
Gmail will offer to switch to the previous version of the Google Contacts application, we agree with this offer.
Click on the "More" button and select "Import".
The VCF format is used to store contact information. In a file with this extension, you can find the full name, phone number, email and other data of people. However, this format has a peculiarity - to open it, you need to use third-party software. Only through it you can 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 a VCF file on a computer. Microsoft Outlook is perfect for this - a completely free email client that has a rich history, as well as no less rich functionality.
Using it, you can not only communicate with other users of mail 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 the contacts you need and use them for their intended purpose.
Of course, rarely does anyone use Outlook for this particular task, but having this program on a computer is quite useful. It has a user-friendly interface, Russian language and extensive help. Any user will understand its management.
An excellent free utility that comes with most Nokia phones. By connecting the device to a computer, you can open this program, and already in it perform the necessary operation. 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 available to most users. Also, it has built-in support for multilingualism (more than 80 languages, including Russian). Having it on your computer is useful for any user who owns a Nokia phone.
Recently, this program is no longer supported, and it was replaced by an updated version of Nokia Suite, which has enhanced functionality and an updated interface. It also has improved performance. 
If you have any questions, ask in the comments, we will definitely help.
What is a vcf file and how can it be opened on a computer? Many users may find such a file by accident, while others create it intentionally to store information.
But in both these cases the file may need to be opened to view the information it contains.
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 phone.
Information (contacts) in this format can be found both in the memory of a smartphone, and a tablet, and even a PC (in the event that devices were synchronized or data was transferred).
Where does this file come from? It appears after updating the firmware of the phone and contains all the data from the phone book of the device.
This file is created by the user himself (the operating system does not automatically create it, for example, in case of failures).
It can be exported, imported to and from the system, viewed, etc. Thus, it is necessary for fast and accurate
Sometimes this method even works to open files created on other devices (with a different operating system).
In order to use this method, do the following:
1 Login to Google mail;
2 Move cursor on the Gmail button at the top left of the screen;
3 In the drop-down list, go to the section Contacts;
4 In the left list, which will open after updating the window, click the button More;
5 In the drop-down 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;
8 A new window will open - at the top, find more button and click on it;
9 Go to Import in the drop down list;
10 Press the button Choose File and specify what exactly you need to open;
11 Press Import;
12 now The contact appears in the Google mail contact list.
The method is good because does not require downloading additional software, although it has good functionality. However, you must have a Google mail account. And besides, the process itself is quite laborious and long.
Having met with a file that has the VCF extension, many users are wondering: what is it, in fact, it is? Especially if the file is attached to a letter received by e-mail. To dispel possible concerns, let's take a closer look at what this format is and how you can view its contents.
The VCF format is an electronic business card that contains a standard set of data for such documents: full name, phone number, address, website, and similar information. Therefore, do not be surprised to see a file with this extension attached to an email.
This format is also used in various address books, contact lists in popular email clients. Let's try to view the information in different ways. To do this, let's create an example.vcf file containing code with sample data.
Method 1: Mozilla Thunderbird
This software product from Mozilla Corporation is used by many users as an email client and organizer. VCD files can also open in it.
To open an electronic business card file in , you must:
The result of the actions performed will be the appearance in the address book of a section corresponding to the name of our file. By going to it, you can see the information in the file.
As you can see from the example, Thunderbird opens the VCF format without any distortion.
Method 2: Samsung Kies
Samsung smartphone owners use the program to synchronize their device data with a PC. In addition to many other features, this software is capable of opening VCF files. To do this, you need:
After that, the contents of the file will be uploaded to contacts and become available for viewing.
As in the previous method, the information is displayed correctly. However, whether it is worth installing Samsung Kies on your computer just to view the VCF format is up to the user to decide.
Method 3: Windows Contacts
On operating systems from Microsoft, the application "Windows Contacts" mapped to default VCF files. Therefore, in order to open such a file, a double-click is sufficient. However, this method has a very significant drawback. If the Cyrillic alphabet was used in the information contained in the file (as it is in our case), the program will not be able to recognize it correctly.
Method 4: "People"
Since Windows 8, along with "Windows Contacts", there is another application in the system for storing this type of data − "People". In it, the problem with encoding is completely solved. In order to open a VCF file with it, you must:
- Call the context menu (RMB) and select the option there "To open with".
- Choose a program "People" from the list of suggested applications.
The information is displayed correctly and is organized by sections.
If files of this type have to be opened frequently, then to speed up the process, you can simply associate them with this application.
Method 5: Notepad
Another system tool with which you can open a VCF file is Notepad. This is a universal application for opening files containing information in the form of text. You can open an electronic business card file using Notepad in the same way as in the case of the People program. The result will be as follows:
As can be seen from the above example, when opening the VCF format in Notepad, the content is presented in an unformatted form, tags are displayed along with useful information, which makes the text inconvenient to read. However, all the data is quite readable and in the absence of other means, Notepad may well be suitable.
Concluding the review, I would like to emphasize that on the network you can find many programs that provide the ability to open the VCF format. Therefore, it is likely that some working way to solve the problem was not displayed in the article. But most of the software tested during the preparation of this material could not correctly display the Cyrillic characters used in our sample. Among them was such a well-known product as. The same methods that were demonstrated above can be considered absolutely reliable.
27.03.2017
Every year the Internet becomes more and more commercialized. And if yesterday in the vastness of the network they mainly watched videos for adults, talked and looked for interesting articles, today a very serious business is being done here. And for those who do this, the .VCF file format becomes extremely familiar and common. Here we will try to figure out what it is, and most importantly, how to open files of this format.
What is .vcf format
Officially, the format is called vCard, abroad it is often called Versitcard. Business cards are created and saved in the .VCF format for later exchange on the network. In general, this format is much more convenient than analogues, such as ordinary text documents or images. This is because here you can save really effective for perception, convenient and standardized business cards. One vCard document can contain the full name, contact details and email of the user, various media files (in a limited amount), and all this weighs very little. For example, a business card with pure text data weighs less than a kilobyte, which makes it suitable for mailing even using a weak mobile Internet.
The general disadvantage of this format is that it is still a separate format that is not in demand among the bulk of PC users and other computer systems. Thus, simply sending a business card for advertising or other purposes can become difficult, because not all recipients may have software for opening .vcf files. As practice shows, in many cases, users will rather ignore this file than climb to decide how to open it. Exceptions are only situations where it is really necessary - for example, if the recipient definitely needs the data indicated on the business card.
How to open a .VCF file
Let's say you somehow got a .VCF document, and now you need to open it. What is it to do? There are many options, but here we will consider the 5 most simple and popular.
Method 1: Microsoft Outlook
This option is the most common and simple. People who have not experienced this before may not even know that Microsoft Outlook was created not only for viewing personal mail, but also for opening personal business cards.
Option 1: Simple
As a rule, Microsoft Outlook is automatically used by the system to open vCard files. So if you have Microsoft Outlook enabled and configured, you should just open a business card like any other file.
Option 2: Detailed
If the first method causes any difficulties, then you will have to resort to a more detailed option.
To work with business cards.vcf Microsoft Outlook is the most convenient application due to automatic integration into the system and opening files by default. Also extremely user-friendly interface and high functionality. The main problem is the inaccessibility of the application for ordinary users.
Method 2: Palm Desktop
Palm Desktop is a functional organizer that allows you to perform many different tasks. Among them is the function we need to work with .VCF.
Option 1: Simple
You should minimize the program to a windowed format and simply drag the desired file into the working window. Palm Desktop will simply prompt you to choose which group to add the new contact to, and that's it.
Option 2: Detailed
If for some reason the previous method does not work, you should use a more complex, but accurate one.
Palm Desktop is a great option for people who use their computer a lot at work because it is a functional organizer. Due to its compact size and accessibility, it is perfect even for opening a business card once and then removing it.
Method 3: Mozilla Thunderbird
Mozilla Thunderbird is a special mail program from the Mozilla Foundation. Like its counterparts, it also allows you to create your own address books and add .VCF files there.
Mozilla Thunderbird is an excellent and functional email manager. If the user uses his mail a lot, then this option may be suitable for him. However, it is not suitable for a single opening of business cards due to the long process of importing vCard into the program.
Method 4: Handy Address Book
As the name suggests, Handy Address Book is designed to work with personal contacts. The application uses its own format for entries, but is able to import some others, including .VCF.
Option 1: Quick
You just need to right-click on the desired file, and open the file using this program. It will be in the list of priority applications for working with this type of file.
In addition, the system will offer a choice of programs for working with vCard files the first time you try to open them, you can also select this program there.
Option 2: Detailed
If the previous method is not suitable for some reason, then you should import the file manually.
The program is very convenient in the case of constant work with business cards or email addresses. Not suitable for single use due to the presence of simpler and more convenient counterparts.
Method 5: Notepad
In the most extreme case, when there is no Internet, the ability or simply the desire to install any program, you can use any text editor built into the system. For example, elementary Notepad.
This method is really simple, but the display of the business card will not be correct. For example, this will prevent the use of attached media files. Yes, and the markup of categories is also made incomprehensibly. But it will still allow you to get certain data from here - for example, a website address, a phone number, and so on.
Do not forget that there are other programs for working with .VCF files. Here we have only talked about some of the most commonly used ones. Everyone chooses the one that suits him specifically, and if you manage to find a more convenient and interesting option, you can report it in the comments so that other users also see alternative methods.
