How to convert VCF contacts to CSV file

Format standardization isn’t easy. Even if you only have a handful of formats for a particular file type, you will still find they are not universally supported. Case in point; contacts. Contacts are created and stored on all sorts of devices and by all sorts of apps and services. You have contacts for your phone, you have contacts in your email, you have Skype contacts, Facebook contacts, Messenger contacts, Whatsapp contacts, and loads of others. Between these services alone, you’ll find they can’t all agree on a single contacts’ export/import format. If you have contacts saved in VCF format, but need them in CSV format, you can convert them with an online service.

Convert VCF contacts to CSV

You can convert VCF contacts to CSV with an online service called vCard to CSV converter. There’s nothing special about this service. It does the job and it has a basic, easy-to-use interface.

Visit the service, and click the Choose File button. Select the VCF file that you want to convert to CSV file. The app can convert the file to LDIF, CSV, and CSV for Gmail. There’s a slight difference in the kind of CSV file that Gmail reads and an ordinary CSV file, and this may hold true for other email services and/or clients. It’s up to you to determine which is the correct type of CSV file for you. If you’re not sure, you can always convert it to both, and see which version works.

Click the Convert option and the app will convert the file to CSV. You won’t see any sort of progress bar. When the conversion is complete, a Save File window will open. You can select where you want to save it.

Generally speaking, no information is lost when a VCF file is converted to CSV. The CSV file has headers of its own and there’s no reason for it to miss or drop important contact information. That said, if the contact has fields that a CSV file simply cannot support e.g., images, the information will be lost.

In addition to dedicated conversion services, email services and clients might also have an option to convert these files. Of course, you will probably have to import the VCF file first, and then export it as a CSV later. It’s a longer process but it’s an alternative if you don’t want to use an online app.

Need to convert a CSV file to VCF? You can use Gmail.