iPhone: Go to icloud.com/contacts, select all, click the gear icon, Export vCard. Android: Open Contacts, tap Menu, Settings, Export, Export to .VCF file. Google Contacts: Go to contacts.google.com, select all, Export, vCard. Outlook: Go to People, File, Save As, vCard Files. All methods backup contacts to a VCF file that you can store locally, in cloud storage, or on an external drive for safekeeping.
Introduction
Your contact list is one of the most valuable data sets on your devices. Losing it means losing years of accumulated phone numbers, email addresses, and business connections. While cloud sync (iCloud, Google) provides some protection, it does not protect against accidental mass-deletions that sync across devices, account lockouts, or service outages. A local VCF backup is your insurance policy.
This guide shows how to backup contacts to a VCF file from every major platform: iPhone, Android, Google Contacts, Microsoft Outlook, Mac Contacts, and Thunderbird. We also cover how to verify the backup, where to store it, and how to restore when needed.
We have been building contact backup and conversion tools at Univik since 2013. Over the years, we have seen every scenario from accidental iCloud wipes to corrupted Exchange databases, and the users who had a local VCF backup were always the ones who recovered fastest.
Why VCF Is the Best Format for Contact Backups
VCF (vCard) Advantages
Universal format supported by every phone, email client, and operating system. Stores all contact fields including photos, birthdays, addresses, and notes. Human-readable in a text editor. Can be imported anywhere without conversion. One file can hold unlimited contacts.
CSV/Excel Limitations
CSV loses contact photos and structured address fields. Different apps expect different CSV column headers (Google CSV vs Outlook CSV). Excel can corrupt phone numbers by stripping leading zeros. CSV cannot store multiple phone types (home, work, cell) without extra columns.
Because VCF is the universal standard, your backup will remain importable years from now regardless of which phone or email client you switch to.
Backup Contacts by Platform
iPhone and iCloud
iPhone contacts are typically stored in iCloud. The easiest backup method uses iCloud.com from any browser.
1
Go to icloud.com/contacts on a computer and sign in with your Apple Account.
2
Select all contacts. Click the Select All checkbox at the top of the list (or press Ctrl+A / Cmd+A).
3
Export. Click the gear icon in the sidebar and select “Export vCard”. A file named “vCards.vcf” downloads containing all your contacts.
If you have a Mac, you can also open the Contacts app, select all (Cmd+A), then File, Export, Export vCard. For importing contacts back, see our import VCF to iPhone or import VCF to Apple Contacts guide.
Android
Android has a built-in export feature in the Contacts app. The exact menu path varies by manufacturer (Samsung, Pixel, OnePlus), but the general steps are the same.
1
Open the Contacts app (not the Phone app). Tap the three-dot menu or the “Fix and manage” option at the bottom.
2
Tap “Export to file” (or “Export” on some devices). Choose which accounts to export from (Device, Google, SIM). Select “Export to .VCF file”.
3
Choose a save location. Save the VCF to your Downloads folder, Google Drive, or an SD card. The file is typically named “contacts.vcf”. For restoring, see our import VCF to Android guide.
Google Contacts
If your contacts are synced to a Google account, export from Google Contacts on the web. This works regardless of whether you use Android or iPhone.
1
Go to contacts.google.com and sign in.
2
Select contacts. Click the checkbox at the top to select all, or select specific contacts individually.
3
Export as vCard. Click the three-dot menu, then Export. Choose “vCard (for iOS Contacts)” as the format. Click Export. The file downloads as contacts.vcf. For importing back, see import VCF to Google Contacts.
Microsoft Outlook
Outlook’s built-in export only saves one contact at a time as VCF, which is impractical for backup. Here is the workaround for exporting all contacts.
1
Outlook Desktop (one-at-a-time): Open People, select a contact, File, Save As, vCard Files (.vcf). You must repeat this for each contact. For bulk export, continue to step 2.
2
Outlook.com (bulk): Go to outlook.live.com/people, select all contacts, click Manage, Export contacts, choose the folder to export, and click Export. This downloads a CSV file. Then convert the CSV to VCF using a converter tool or by importing to Google Contacts and re-exporting as vCard.
For importing contacts back into Outlook from VCF, see our import VCF to Outlook guide.
Mac Contacts
1
Open Contacts on your Mac. Select all contacts (Cmd+A).
2
File, Export, Export vCard. Choose a save location and click Save. The file contains all selected contacts in a single VCF file. For a full backup including groups, use File, Export, Contacts Archive (.abbu) instead, but note that .abbu is Apple-specific and cannot be imported on non-Apple devices.
Thunderbird
1
Open Address Book (Ctrl+Shift+B). Select the address book you want to export in the left panel.
2
Click the three-dot menu next to the address book name and choose Export. Select “vCard” as the file type and save. For importing back, see import VCF to Thunderbird.
Verifying Your VCF Backup
After exporting, always verify that the backup file contains all your contacts. A corrupt or incomplete backup is worse than no backup at all.
1
Check file size. A VCF file with 500 contacts is typically 100-500 KB (without photos) or 5-50 MB (with embedded photos). If the file is only a few bytes, the export failed.
2
Count contacts. Open the VCF file in a text editor and search for “BEGIN:VCARD”. The number of matches equals the number of contacts in the file. On Mac/Linux, use grep -c "BEGIN:VCARD" contacts.vcf to get the count. Compare this number to the contact count shown in your source app.
3
Spot-check a few contacts. Open the VCF file and verify that a few specific contacts have correct names, phone numbers, and email addresses. Check both the first and last contacts in the file to ensure the export was not truncated.
Where to Store Your VCF Backup
| Storage Location | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Cloud storage (Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive) | Accessible anywhere, automatic sync, survives device loss | Requires internet, subject to account lockout |
| External USB drive or SD card | Offline, no account needed, fast access | Can be lost or damaged |
| Computer hard drive | Quick access, no internet needed | Lost if computer fails without its own backup |
| Email to yourself | Always accessible from any device with email | Clutters inbox, file size limits on some providers |
For the best protection, store your VCF backup in at least two locations. Keep one copy in cloud storage and another on a local drive or USB stick. This protects against both cloud account issues and local hardware failures.
Backup Schedule Recommendations
How often you should backup depends on how frequently your contact list changes. If you add contacts weekly, backup monthly. If contacts change daily (sales teams, recruiters), backup weekly. At minimum, backup before any major device change: switching phones, migrating email providers, or upgrading operating systems. These are the moments when contacts are most likely to be lost.
Restoring Contacts from a VCF Backup
When you need to restore, import the VCF file back into your target platform. Here are the guides for each:
| Platform | Restore Guide |
|---|---|
| iPhone / iCloud | Import VCF to iPhone or Import VCF to Apple Contacts |
| Android | Import VCF to Android |
| Google Contacts | Import VCF to Google Contacts |
| Microsoft Outlook | Import VCF to Outlook |
| Thunderbird | Import VCF to Thunderbird |
Before restoring, remove duplicate contacts from the VCF if your target platform already has some of the same contacts. Otherwise, you will end up with duplicate entries.
Common Problems and Fixes
The exported VCF file contains fewer contacts than expected. Some platforms only export contacts from the currently selected account. On Android, make sure to select all accounts (Device + Google + SIM) when exporting. On iPhone, verify that all contact groups are visible (Contacts app, Groups, show all). On Outlook, check that you are exporting from the correct Contacts folder (not a subfolder).
Contact photos are missing from the VCF backup. Google Contacts does not include photos when exporting to vCard. iCloud and Mac Contacts do include photos by default, but you can disable this in Contacts, Settings, vCard. If photos are important, verify by checking the VCF file size (a file with photos is significantly larger) or searching for “PHOTO” in the file text.
Outlook exports each contact as a separate .vcf file. Outlook Desktop does not have a “export all to one VCF” option. The workaround is to export as CSV first, then convert to VCF using a converter tool. Or use Outlook.com (web version) which exports all contacts in one file. You can also merge separate VCF files into one afterward.
The VCF file is unreadable or shows garbled text. The file may have a character encoding issue. VCF files should be UTF-8 encoded. If the file was exported from an older system using Latin-1 or Windows-1252 encoding, international characters (accents, CJK characters) may appear garbled. Open the file in a text editor that shows the encoding (Notepad++, VS Code) and re-save as UTF-8.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should I backup my contacts?
At minimum, before any device switch, OS upgrade, or email migration. For active contact lists that change weekly, a monthly backup is recommended. For sales teams and recruiters who add contacts daily, weekly backups are safest.
Is VCF or CSV better for contact backups?
VCF is better for backups because it preserves contact photos, multiple phone types, structured addresses, and can be directly imported into any phone or email client without conversion. CSV is better for spreadsheet editing and data analysis. For a portable backup that works everywhere, use VCF.
Can I backup contacts from multiple accounts into one VCF file?
Yes. Export each account separately, then merge the VCF files into one. On Mac/Linux, use cat account1.vcf account2.vcf > all_contacts.vcf. On Windows, use copy account1.vcf+account2.vcf all_contacts.vcf.
Does a VCF backup include contact group names?
It depends on the platform. Google Contacts does not include group/label information in vCard exports. Apple Contacts includes groups if you export the entire address book. If groups are important, note them separately or export from a platform that preserves group data.
How large is a typical VCF backup file?
Without photos: approximately 1 KB per contact (500 contacts = about 500 KB). With embedded photos: approximately 10-100 KB per contact depending on photo size (500 contacts with photos = 5-50 MB). Contacts with only name and phone number are smaller than contacts with full addresses, notes, and company information.
Conclusion
Last verified: February 2026. Export methods tested on iOS 18, Android 15 (Pixel, Samsung), Google Contacts web, Outlook 365 Desktop and Web, macOS 15 Sequoia, and Thunderbird 128. VCF files verified across vCard 2.1, 3.0, and 4.0.
To backup contacts to a VCF file, use iCloud.com for iPhone contacts, the Contacts app for Android, contacts.google.com for Google, and File, Export for Mac and Thunderbird. Outlook requires exporting to CSV first then converting, or using the web version. After exporting, verify the contact count, store the file in at least two locations, and test the restore process before you actually need it.
Three things to remember: verify the backup by counting BEGIN:VCARD entries and spot-checking a few contacts, store copies in two locations (cloud + local) for redundancy, and backup before every device switch because that is when contacts are most commonly lost.
