Salesforce does not accept VCF files directly. To import contacts to Salesforce from a VCF file, first convert the VCF to CSV (using a converter tool, Google Contacts export or our VCF to CSV guide). Then open Salesforce Setup, search for Data Import Wizard, click Launch Wizard, select Contacts under Standard Objects, upload the CSV, map fields (Last Name is required, Account Name is required for Contacts) and click Start Import.
Introduction
Salesforce is the most widely used CRM platform, but it has no built-in way to import VCF (vCard) files. The Data Import Wizard and Data Loader both require CSV format. This means every VCF-to-Salesforce migration is a two-step process: convert the VCF to CSV, then import the CSV through the Salesforce import tool.
The conversion step is where most problems occur. VCF fields do not map 1:1 to Salesforce fields. A vCard stores everything in a flat contact record, while Salesforce separates data across Contacts, Accounts, and Leads. Getting the field mapping right determines whether your import succeeds cleanly or creates records with missing data.
We have built VCF conversion tools at Univik since 2013 and help users import contacts to Salesforce from VCF files exported by iCloud, Google, Outlook, Android and other platforms. This guide covers the complete pipeline from VCF file to Salesforce contact record, including field mapping, CSV preparation and the Data Import Wizard steps.
Why Salesforce Requires CSV (Not VCF)
Salesforce’s import tools are designed around tabular data (rows and columns) rather than the property-based structure of VCF files. The Data Import Wizard reads CSV column headers and maps them to Salesforce object fields. It cannot parse the BEGIN:VCARD/END:VCARD structure or vCard property syntax like TEL;TYPE=WORK or ADR;TYPE=HOME.
This is a deliberate design choice. Salesforce data is relational (Contacts belong to Accounts, Leads convert to Contacts and Opportunities) while VCF is a flat contact format. The CSV conversion step is where you bridge that structural gap by mapping vCard properties to the correct Salesforce object fields.
Contacts vs Leads: Which Salesforce Object to Use
Before importing, decide whether your VCF contacts should become Salesforce Contacts or Leads. This is the single most important decision in the import process, and getting it wrong creates cleanup work later.
Import as Contacts
Use when the people in your VCF are existing customers, partners, vendors, or people you already have a business relationship with. Salesforce Contacts must be linked to an Account (company). If your VCF file does not include company/organization data, you will need to add an Account Name column to the CSV before importing or import into a catch-all Account like “Individual” or “Unassigned.”
Import as Leads
Use when the people are prospective customers who have not yet qualified as sales opportunities. Salesforce Leads do not require an Account. They have a simpler structure: Name, Company, Email, Phone, Status. If your VCF contacts are from a conference, trade show, marketing list or cold outreach source, import them as Leads. They can be converted to Contacts later when they qualify.
3 Methods to Import VCF to Salesforce
Method 1: Convert VCF to CSV, Then Import via Data Import Wizard (Recommended)
This is the standard method that works with any Salesforce edition and any VCF file. It has two phases: converting the VCF to a properly formatted CSV, then importing that CSV through Salesforce.
Phase 1: Convert VCF to CSV
1
Convert VCF to CSV. Use any of these approaches: a VCF converter tool (fastest for bulk files, preserves all fields), manual VCF to CSV conversion via Google Contacts export, or a Python script. The output should be a CSV file with columns for First Name, Last Name, Email, Phone, Company, Title and Address fields.
2
Rename CSV headers to match Salesforce fields. Salesforce auto-maps CSV columns that match its field names. Rename your CSV headers to match the Salesforce standard field names listed in the field mapping table below. At minimum, you need “Last Name” (required for Contacts and Leads) and “Account Name” (required for Contacts).
3
Add Account Name if importing Contacts. Salesforce Contacts must be associated with an Account. If your VCF has an ORG (organization) field, map it to the “Account Name” column. If many contacts have no company, add a default value like “Individual” so the import does not fail on the required field.
Phase 2: Import CSV via Data Import Wizard
4
Open Data Import Wizard. In Salesforce, go to Setup (gear icon, top right). In the Quick Find search box, type “Data Import Wizard” and select it. Click Launch Wizard.
5
Select the target object. Under Standard Objects, click “Accounts and Contacts” (if importing as Contacts) or “Leads” (if importing as Leads). Choose “Add New Records” unless you are updating existing records.
6
Upload the CSV. Drag your CSV file into the upload area or click Browse to select it. Choose the appropriate character encoding (UTF-8 is correct for most VCF exports).
7
Map fields. Salesforce auto-maps columns whose headers match standard field names. Review the mapping and manually map any “Unmapped” fields. Make sure Last Name, Email, Phone and Account Name (for Contacts) are all mapped correctly.
8
Review and Start Import. The confirmation screen shows how many records will be imported and how many fields are mapped. Click Start Import. Salesforce processes the import and sends you an email when complete.
Method 2: Smart vCard AppExchange App (Direct VCF Import)
If you need to import VCF files regularly, the Astrea Smart vCard app from the Salesforce AppExchange adds direct VCF import capability to your Salesforce org. It supports importing multiple contacts and leads from VCF files in vCard 2.1 and 3.0 format.
1
Install Smart vCard from AppExchange. Search for “Smart vCard” on appexchange.salesforce.com and install it in your org. Both free and paid versions are available.
2
Import VCF file. In Salesforce, navigate to the Smart vCard component. Upload your VCF file. The app parses the vCard data and creates Contact or Lead records directly in Salesforce.
This method skips the CSV conversion step entirely but is limited to the Smart vCard app’s field mapping. For large imports or complex custom field mapping, Method 1 gives you more control.
Method 3: Outlook Sync (If Salesforce for Outlook Is Configured)
If your organization uses Salesforce for Outlook (or Outlook Integration), contacts added to Outlook automatically sync to Salesforce during the next sync cycle.
1
Import VCF files into Outlook. Follow our import VCF to Outlook guide to add the contacts to your Outlook Contacts folder.
2
Wait for sync. Salesforce for Outlook syncs contacts based on your configured sync settings. The imported contacts will appear in Salesforce after the next sync cycle (typically within minutes to an hour).
This method is only available if Salesforce for Outlook is already set up and configured to sync contacts. It is being replaced by Salesforce’s newer Outlook Integration, which has different sync capabilities. Check with your Salesforce admin to confirm which integration your org uses.
VCF to Salesforce Field Mapping
This table shows how standard VCF properties map to Salesforce Contact and Lead fields. Use these Salesforce field names as your CSV column headers for automatic field mapping in the Data Import Wizard.
| VCF Property | CSV Header (for Salesforce) | Salesforce Object | Required? |
|---|---|---|---|
| N (first name component) | First Name | Contact, Lead | No |
| N (last name component) | Last Name | Contact, Lead | Yes |
| ORG | Account Name / Company | Contact (Account Name), Lead (Company) | Yes (Contacts) |
| TITLE | Title | Contact, Lead | No |
| Contact, Lead | No (recommended) | ||
| TEL;TYPE=WORK | Phone | Contact, Lead | No |
| TEL;TYPE=CELL | Mobile Phone | Contact, Lead | No |
| TEL;TYPE=HOME | Home Phone | Contact | No |
| TEL;TYPE=FAX | Fax | Contact, Lead | No |
| ADR street (WORK) | Mailing Street | Contact | No |
| ADR city (WORK) | Mailing City | Contact | No |
| ADR state (WORK) | Mailing State/Province | Contact | No |
| ADR postal code (WORK) | Mailing Zip/Postal Code | Contact | No |
| ADR country (WORK) | Mailing Country | Contact | No |
| URL | (Custom field needed) | N/A | No |
| NOTE | Description | Contact, Lead | No |
Account Name Is Required for Contacts
Unlike most contact apps that treat contacts as standalone records, Salesforce requires every Contact to belong to an Account. If your VCF file includes an ORG (company) field, map it to “Account Name” in your CSV. If contacts do not have a company, create a default Account Name column with a value like “Individual” or “Personal Contacts.” Without this column, the Data Import Wizard will reject every record.
Preparing the CSV for Salesforce
After converting your VCF to CSV, review the file in Excel or Google Sheets before uploading to Salesforce. These preparation steps prevent the most common import failures.
1
Ensure Last Name is populated for every row. Salesforce rejects any record where Last Name is empty. If your VCF has contacts with only a full name (FN) and no structured name (N), the CSV may have the full name in one column. Split it into First Name and Last Name columns, or put the entire name in Last Name.
2
Remove duplicate rows. Sort by email address and remove duplicates. Salesforce does not deduplicate during import unless you configure matching rules. Importing duplicates creates double records that are tedious to merge later.
3
Check file size and record count. The Data Import Wizard accepts files up to 100 MB and up to 50,000 records per import. If your CSV exceeds either limit, split it into smaller files.
4
Save as UTF-8 CSV. In Excel, use Save As, CSV UTF-8 (Comma delimited). In Google Sheets, download as CSV (it is UTF-8 by default). This preserves international characters correctly during import.
Salesforce Import Limits
| Limit | Data Import Wizard | Data Loader |
|---|---|---|
| Records per import | 50,000 | 5,000,000 |
| File format | CSV only | CSV or database connection |
| File size limit | 100 MB | No hard limit |
| Fields per record | 90 | No limit |
| Automation | Manual only | CLI scheduling available |
| Best for | Small to medium imports | Large or recurring imports |
For most VCF contact imports (under 50,000 records), the Data Import Wizard is sufficient. If your VCF file contains more than 50,000 contacts, convert to CSV and use the Salesforce Data Loader instead.
Common Problems and Fixes
“Required field missing: Account Name” error. Every Salesforce Contact must belong to an Account. Add an “Account Name” column to your CSV with the company name from the VCF ORG field. For personal contacts without a company, use a default value like “Individual.” This is the most common import failure when migrating VCF data to Salesforce.
“Required field missing: Last Name” error. Salesforce requires Last Name for both Contacts and Leads. If your VCF has contacts stored as FN (full name) without a structured N (name) property, the CSV may not have a separate Last Name column. Open the CSV and ensure every row has a value in the Last Name column.
Fields show as “Unmapped” in the wizard. The Data Import Wizard auto-maps CSV headers that exactly match Salesforce field names. If your CSV uses different header names (like “Phone Number” instead of “Phone” or “Company” instead of “Account Name”), map them manually in the field mapping step. Renaming headers before upload is faster than mapping each field manually.
Special characters or accented names display incorrectly. The CSV file is not saved in UTF-8 encoding. Open the CSV in a text editor (Notepad++, VS Code) and convert to UTF-8, or re-export from your conversion tool with UTF-8 encoding selected. In the Data Import Wizard, confirm the encoding dropdown is set to “Unicode (UTF-8).”
Duplicate contacts created after import. If the same person already exists in Salesforce and you chose “Add New Records,” the wizard creates a duplicate. To prevent this, use the “Add and Update Records” option and select a matching field (like Email) so Salesforce can identify existing records and update them instead of creating new ones.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I import a VCF file directly into Salesforce?
No. Salesforce does not accept VCF or vCard files through its native import tools. You must first convert the vCard to CSV, then import the CSV using the Data Import Wizard or Data Loader. The only exception is the Smart vCard AppExchange app, which adds direct VCF import capability to your Salesforce org.
How do I import VCF contacts as Leads instead of Contacts?
In the Data Import Wizard, select “Leads” under Standard Objects instead of “Accounts and Contacts.” Leads have a simpler structure and do not require an Account Name. The required fields for Leads are Last Name and Company (which maps to the VCF ORG property).
What if my VCF contacts do not have a company or organization?
If importing as Contacts, add a default Account Name column (e.g., “Individual”) to your CSV because Salesforce requires it. If importing as Leads, the Company field is also required, so use a placeholder value. Without these values, the import will fail.
How many contacts can I import at once?
The Data Import Wizard supports up to 50,000 records per import. For larger imports, use Salesforce Data Loader (up to 5 million records). If your VCF file has more than 50,000 contacts, convert to CSV and split the CSV into batches of 50,000 rows each.
Can I map VCF custom fields to Salesforce custom fields?
Yes. First, create the custom fields in Salesforce (Setup, Object Manager, Contact or Lead, Fields and Relationships). Then include matching columns in your CSV. During the field mapping step in the Data Import Wizard, map the CSV columns to your custom Salesforce fields.
Conclusion
Last verified: February 2026. Tested with Salesforce Sales Cloud (Enterprise Edition), Data Import Wizard, and Data Loader. VCF files tested from iCloud, Google Contacts, Outlook 2024, and Samsung exports.
To import contacts to Salesforce from a VCF file, convert the VCF to CSV first (Salesforce does not accept VCF), rename the CSV headers to match Salesforce field names, add an Account Name column if importing as Contacts, and upload through the Data Import Wizard. For recurring imports, consider the Smart vCard AppExchange app or the Outlook sync method.
Three things to remember: Salesforce only accepts CSV (never VCF directly), every Contact requires an Account Name and Last Name (the two fields that cause the most import failures), and rename your CSV headers to match Salesforce standard field names for automatic mapping.
