Desktop Outlook (classic): Open Contacts, select a contact, go to File > Save As, and choose vCard Files (.vcf). For bulk export: select all contacts, click Forward Contact > As a Business Card, then drag all VCF attachments from the new email window to a folder. Outlook.com / New Outlook: These versions export only as CSV. Go to People > Manage > Export contacts. Then convert the CSV to VCF using a converter tool.
Introduction
Exporting contacts from Outlook 365 to VCF format is surprisingly complicated because Microsoft offers different export capabilities depending on which version of Outlook you use. Classic Outlook desktop supports single-contact VCF export natively but has no built-in bulk VCF export. Outlook on the web (OWA) and the New Outlook for Windows export only as CSV, requiring a conversion step to get VCF files. This guide covers all four scenarios with step-by-step instructions.
The VCF format is useful when you need to transfer contacts to phones (iPhone, Android), other email clients (Thunderbird, Apple Mail, Proton Mail), or CRM platforms that accept vCard files. If you are moving contacts to another Outlook account or Exchange server, the CSV or PST export formats may be more appropriate.
Which Version of Outlook Are You Using?
Microsoft currently has three active Outlook versions with different contact export capabilities. Knowing which one you have determines which method to use.
Classic Outlook (desktop). The traditional Windows desktop application included with Microsoft 365 and Office 2021/2019/2016. Has a ribbon toolbar, File menu, and full People/Contacts module. Supports VCF export via Save As and Forward Contact.
Outlook.com / OWA (web). The browser-based version at outlook.live.com (personal) or outlook.office.com (work/school). Uses a simplified People interface. Exports CSV only through the Manage contacts menu.
New Outlook for Windows. Microsoft’s replacement for the classic desktop app, rolling out since late 2024. Looks similar to the web version. Uses the same People module as OWA. Exports CSV only, matching the web version’s capabilities.
Method 1: Export a Single Contact as VCF (Desktop Outlook)
Best for: Sharing one business card or transferring a single contact.
Open classic Outlook and switch to the People (or Contacts) view by clicking the People icon at the bottom of the navigation pane. Find and click on the contact you want to export. Go to File > Save As. In the “Save as type” dropdown, select vCard Files (*.vcf). Choose a destination folder, verify the filename, and click Save.
The exported VCF file contains all stored fields for that contact: name, emails, phone numbers, addresses, company, title, notes, and photo (if present). Outlook exports in vCard 2.1 format by default, which is the most widely compatible version but uses quoted-printable encoding for non-ASCII characters.
Method 2: Bulk Export All Contacts as VCF (Desktop Outlook)
Best for: Exporting your entire address book to VCF for migration or backup.
Outlook desktop does not have a “Export all contacts to VCF” button. However, you can use the Forward Contact workaround to export multiple contacts at once.
Step 1: Open the People view in Outlook. Switch to the People or Business Card view (View tab > Change View). Select all contacts by pressing Ctrl+A (Windows) or clicking the first contact, then Shift+clicking the last.
Step 2: With all contacts selected, go to Home tab > Forward Contact > As a Business Card. Outlook creates a new email message with every selected contact attached as an individual VCF file. This may take a minute or more if you have hundreds of contacts.
Step 3: In the new email’s attachment area, press Ctrl+A to select all VCF attachments. Drag and drop them into a folder on your desktop or in File Explorer. Alternatively, right-click the attachments, choose “Select All”, then right-click again and choose “Save As” to save them to a folder.
Step 4 (optional): If you need a single combined VCF file (instead of one file per contact), open a Command Prompt, navigate to the folder containing the VCF files, and run: copy *.vcf all-contacts.vcf. This concatenates all individual VCF files into one multi-contact file.
Each contact is exported as its own VCF file (e.g., “John Smith.vcf”, “Jane Doe.vcf”). If you have 500 contacts, you will get 500 VCF files. The combine step in Step 4 merges them into a single file that most platforms can import in one operation.
Method 3: Export from Outlook.com or OWA (Web)
Best for: Users on Outlook.com (personal accounts) or Office 365 web access.
Outlook’s web version does not export VCF files directly. It exports CSV only. Here is the process:
Step 1: Log into outlook.live.com (personal) or outlook.office.com (work/school). Click the People icon in the left sidebar (or navigate to outlook.live.com/people).
Step 2: Click the Manage contacts button (gear icon) at the top of the People page. Select Export contacts.
Step 3: Choose which contacts to export: “All contacts” or a specific folder. The export format is CSV (there is no VCF option). Click Export. The CSV file downloads to your computer.
Step 4: Convert the CSV to VCF using the conversion methods described in the next section.
Method 4: Export from New Outlook for Windows
Best for: Users who have switched to Microsoft’s new desktop Outlook app.
The New Outlook for Windows uses the same People interface as the web version. It does not support VCF export directly. The process is identical to Method 3:
Open New Outlook and click the People icon in the left sidebar. Click “Manage contacts” (gear icon) > Export contacts. Select the scope (all contacts or a specific folder) and click Export. The output is a CSV file. Convert it to VCF using the methods below.
If you need native VCF export capability, you can temporarily switch back to classic Outlook (if still available on your system) to use Methods 1 or 2. Microsoft has not announced plans to add VCF export to the New Outlook.
Converting Outlook CSV to VCF
If you exported from Outlook.com, OWA, or New Outlook, you have a CSV file that needs conversion to VCF. There are three approaches:
Option A: Univik vCard Converter. Open Univik vCard Converter, load the Outlook CSV file, map the CSV columns to vCard fields, and export as VCF. This gives you control over the output vCard version (2.1, 3.0, or 4.0) and lets you create a single multi-contact file or individual files.
Option B: Google Contacts round-trip. Import the Outlook CSV into Google Contacts (contacts.google.com > Import), then export from Google as vCard (Export > vCard format). Google creates a single VCF file containing all contacts. This method works well but adds your contacts to Google’s system, which may not be desirable for privacy reasons.
Option C: Python script. Use Python’s csv and vobject libraries to read the Outlook CSV and generate VCF output programmatically. This is ideal for developers who need a repeatable conversion pipeline.
Method Comparison
| Method | Outlook Version | Output Format | Bulk Export? | Conversion Needed? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Save As | Classic desktop | VCF (one per contact) | No (single contact) | No |
| 2. Forward Contact | Classic desktop | VCF (one per contact) | Yes (all contacts) | No (optional combine) |
| 3. Export contacts (web) | Outlook.com / OWA | CSV | Yes | Yes (CSV to VCF) |
| 4. Export contacts (new) | New Outlook Win | CSV | Yes | Yes (CSV to VCF) |
Common Problems and Fixes
“Forward Contact” option is grayed out or missing. This option is only available in classic Outlook desktop, not in New Outlook or OWA. If you are using New Outlook, switch back to classic Outlook temporarily (if available) or use the CSV export + conversion method. Also verify you have contacts selected before clicking Forward Contact.
Exported VCF files have garbled names (non-English characters). Outlook desktop exports VCF in vCard 2.1 format with quoted-printable encoding. Some target platforms may not decode this correctly. Convert the exported files to vCard 3.0 or 4.0 (which use UTF-8) using a VCF converter. See our encoding error guide for details.
Bulk forward creates MSG files instead of VCF. If you drag attachments from the email window and they save as .msg files, right-click on the attachments first, select “Select All”, then right-click again and choose “Save All Attachments”. This saves them as individual .vcf files in a folder you choose.
Contacts are in the Global Address List (GAL) and do not appear in People. GAL contacts are stored on the Exchange server and are not in your personal Contacts folder. To export GAL contacts, first copy them to your personal Contacts folder: select the GAL contacts, right-click, choose “Add to Contacts”. Then export from the Contacts folder using Methods 1 or 2.
CSV export from web is missing phone numbers or addresses. Outlook.com’s CSV export includes all contact fields by default. If fields appear empty, the data may not have been stored in the standard fields. Check the original contacts in the People view to verify the data exists. Some contact data synced from connected accounts (LinkedIn, Google) may not export in the CSV.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Outlook 365 export all contacts as a single VCF file?
Not directly. Classic Outlook exports individual VCF files per contact. To create a single multi-contact VCF, export all contacts using the Forward Contact method, then combine them using the command copy *.vcf all-contacts.vcf on Windows. Outlook.com and New Outlook export CSV only, which must be converted to VCF with a converter tool.
Which vCard version does Outlook export?
Classic Outlook desktop exports vCard 2.1 by default. This version uses quoted-printable encoding for non-ASCII characters and is the most widely compatible but may cause encoding issues with some platforms. To export in vCard 3.0 or 4.0, convert the exported files using a VCF converter or third-party Outlook add-in.
Do exported VCF files include contact photos?
Yes. When exporting from classic Outlook desktop (Methods 1 and 2), contact photos are embedded in the VCF file as Base64-encoded data. When exporting from Outlook.com/New Outlook as CSV, photos are not included because CSV does not support binary data. You would need to re-add photos after converting to VCF.
Can I export contacts from a shared or delegated mailbox?
Yes, if you have access to the shared mailbox’s contacts folder. Open the shared mailbox in Outlook, navigate to its Contacts folder, and use the same export methods. For Outlook.com, switch to the shared mailbox before accessing the People module.
Is there a way to automate VCF export from Outlook?
Classic Outlook supports automation via VBA macros and PowerShell scripts that can iterate through contacts and save each as VCF programmatically. For Exchange Online (Microsoft 365), the Microsoft Graph API provides access to contacts and can output vCard data. These approaches require development effort but are useful for recurring exports.
Conclusion
Last verified: February 2026. All methods tested on Microsoft 365 (Version 2401) classic Outlook, New Outlook for Windows, and Outlook.com in Chrome 131. Forward Contact bulk export tested with 500+ contacts. CSV export tested from both personal and work/school accounts.
The easiest path to VCF depends on your Outlook version. Classic Outlook desktop users should use Method 2 (Forward Contact > As Business Card) for bulk export, then optionally combine the individual files. Outlook.com and New Outlook users must export as CSV first, then convert to VCF using a converter tool or Google Contacts. In all cases, verify the exported data by opening a sample VCF file in a text editor or our VCF viewer to confirm names, emails, and phone numbers are present and correctly formatted.
Fastest path for bulk export: if you have classic Outlook desktop, select all contacts, Forward as Business Card, drag the VCF attachments to a folder, then combine with copy *.vcf all-contacts.vcf. If you only have web or New Outlook, export as CSV, then convert using Univik vCard Converter or import to Google Contacts and re-export as vCard.
