Import VCF into Mac Contacts: 5 Methods for macOS Sequoia, Sonoma and Earlier

Introduction

The Mac Contacts app (formerly Address Book) is one of the most capable VCF importers on any platform. It handles all three vCard versions (2.1, 3.0, 4.0), detects duplicates during import, supports multi-contact files with thousands of entries, and integrates with iCloud for automatic sync to iPhone and iPad. However, macOS also offers several less obvious import methods (drag-and-drop, Terminal commands, Mail.app attachments) that are faster for specific workflows.

This guide covers five methods for importing VCF files into Mac Contacts, including the account targeting and group assignment options that most guides skip. Whether you are importing a single business card or migrating 5,000 contacts from another platform, one of these methods fits your situation.

Before You Import: Account and Group Setup

Mac Contacts can store contacts in multiple accounts simultaneously: iCloud, Google, Exchange, On My Mac (local), and others. Before importing, decide which account should receive the new contacts because Mac Contacts imports to the default account unless you change it.

Check your default account: open Contacts, go to Contacts > Settings (or Preferences on older macOS), click the “General” tab, and look at the “Default Account” dropdown. If you want imported contacts to sync to your iPhone via iCloud, set the default to iCloud. If you want them local only (no cloud sync), set it to “On My Mac”. Change this before importing, not after, because moving contacts between accounts after import requires manual selection.

If the “On My Mac” account does not appear, enable it: go to Contacts > Settings > Accounts, and check “Enable the On My Mac account” at the bottom of the window. This creates a local-only account that does not sync to any cloud service.

Method 1: File > Import in Contacts App

Best for: Multi-contact VCF files with duplicate detection.

Open the Contacts app from Applications, Launchpad, or Spotlight (Cmd+Space, type “Contacts”). Go to File > Import from the menu bar. Navigate to your VCF file in the file browser and click “Open”.

The Contacts app displays an import preview showing how many new contacts will be added and how many duplicates were detected. Review the list. Contacts that match existing entries by name or email are flagged with a “duplicate” label. You can choose to import all, import only new contacts, or review duplicates individually. Click “Import” to proceed.

After import, the contacts appear in the default account. If the import preview shows 0 contacts when you know the file has data, the file may use an encoding that macOS cannot parse. Convert to UTF-8 first using the methods in our encoding error guide.

Method 2: Drag and Drop

Best for: Quick imports without navigating menus.

Open a Finder window showing the VCF file. If the Contacts app is already open, drag the VCF file from Finder directly into the Contacts window. Drop it on the contact list area or on a specific group in the sidebar to import into that group.

If the Contacts app is not open, drag the VCF file onto the Contacts icon in the Dock. The app opens and begins the import process. For single-contact files, the contact is added immediately without a preview dialog. For multi-contact files, the same import preview from Method 1 appears.

Drag and drop also works from other applications. If you receive a VCF file in Safari (a download), in Messages, or in any Finder-compatible file browser, you can drag it directly onto Contacts. This is the fastest path for ad-hoc contact additions from email signatures or website downloads.

Method 3: Open VCF from Mail.app Attachment

Best for: Contacts received as email attachments.

When someone sends you a VCF file as an email attachment in Mail.app, macOS recognizes the file type and offers to add the contact. Click on the VCF attachment in the email. Mail.app shows a contact card preview with the person’s details (name, phone, email, photo). Click “Add to Contacts” to import directly.

If the email contains a multi-contact VCF file, Mail.app may show only the first contact in the preview. To import all contacts, right-click the attachment, select “Save Attachment” to save the VCF file to your Desktop or Downloads folder, then use Method 1 or Method 2 to import the full file.

This method is particularly useful for digital business cards shared via email. The contact is added to your default account instantly without opening the Contacts app separately. If the sender included a photo in the vCard, it appears in the preview and is preserved during import.

Method 4: Terminal Command (open / osascript)

Best for: Batch imports, scripted workflows, or when the Contacts GUI is unresponsive.

The simplest Terminal method uses the open command, which tells macOS to open the file with its default application:

open /path/to/contacts.vcf

This launches the Contacts app and triggers the same import flow as Method 1. For scripted batch imports of multiple VCF files in a folder:

for f in /path/to/vcf-folder/*.vcf; do open "$f"; sleep 2; done

The sleep 2 gives the Contacts app time to process each file before the next one opens. Without the delay, macOS may queue the files and process them inconsistently.

For automation without the GUI import dialog, use osascript with AppleScript (though this approach is more complex and version-dependent). The open command is sufficient for most scripted workflows.

Method 5: iCloud.com Web Import

Best for: Importing without touching the Mac directly, or when the Contacts app has issues.

Go to icloud.com/contacts in any browser. Sign in with your Apple ID. Click the gear icon in the bottom-left corner, then select “Import vCard”. Browse to your VCF file and upload it. The contacts appear in iCloud immediately and sync to your Mac’s Contacts app (and iPhone/iPad) within minutes through iCloud sync.

This method bypasses the Mac Contacts app entirely, which makes it useful when the app is crashing, when your Mac is not available, or when you want to import from a different computer. The iCloud web interface handles multi-contact files and all vCard versions. However, it does not show a duplicate detection dialog, so duplicates are imported as separate entries that you must merge later on the Mac using Contacts > Card > Look for Duplicates.

Controlling Which Account Receives the Import

When you import via File > Import or drag-and-drop, contacts go to the default account. To import into a specific non-default account, change the default before importing (Contacts > Settings > General > Default Account), import, then change the default back if needed.

An alternative is to create a temporary group in the target account, drag the VCF file onto that group (Method 2), and the contacts are added to that account automatically. In the Contacts sidebar, groups are organized under their parent account, so dropping a file onto a group under “Google” adds the contacts to your Google account rather than iCloud.

To verify which account holds a contact after import, select the contact and check the “card” section at the bottom of the contact detail view. It displays the account name (iCloud, Google, On My Mac, etc.).

Importing into Specific Groups

Mac Contacts supports organizing contacts into groups (visible in the sidebar). You can import contacts directly into a group by dragging the VCF file onto the group name in the sidebar. All imported contacts are added to both the group and the parent account simultaneously.

If you need to create a new group first: go to File > New Group, name it, and then drag the VCF file onto the new group name. After import, you can rename the group, add more contacts to it manually, or create Smart Groups that automatically populate based on criteria like company name, city, or email domain.

Note that groups in Mac Contacts are essentially tags. A contact can belong to multiple groups without duplication. Deleting a contact from a group does not delete the contact from the account; it only removes the group membership.

Method Comparison

macOS-Specific Troubleshooting

Frequently Asked Questions

Which macOS versions support VCF import in Contacts?

All macOS versions from OS X 10.7 (Lion) through macOS 15 (Sequoia) support VCF import in the Contacts app. The interface has changed slightly across versions (Settings vs Preferences, menu locations) but the core import functionality (File > Import, drag-and-drop) has remained consistent since 2011.

Can I undo a VCF import on Mac?

There is no built-in undo for contact imports. If you imported contacts to the wrong account or need to remove them, you must select and delete them manually. For iCloud contacts, you can also restore a previous version of your contact database from icloud.com > Account Settings > Restore Contacts, which rolls back all contacts to a specific date.

Does Mac Contacts support vCard 4.0?

Yes. Mac Contacts imports vCard 4.0 files and maps the standard properties correctly. However, some vCard 4.0-specific properties like KIND, GENDER, and RELATED are not displayed in the Mac Contacts UI even though they may be stored in the underlying data. Apple’s Contacts app exports as vCard 3.0 by default.

How do I merge duplicates after importing?

Go to Card > Look for Duplicates in the Contacts menu bar. The app scans all contacts and groups potential duplicates by matching names and email addresses. Review the suggested merges and click “Merge” to combine them. For large contact lists, this process can take several minutes.

Can I import contacts from the command line without the GUI dialog?

The open command triggers the GUI import dialog. For fully headless import, you would need an AppleScript or Swift script that uses the Contacts framework (CNContactStore) to programmatically add contacts. This is significantly more complex than the GUI methods and is only justified for automated workflows.

Conclusion

Last verified: February 2026. All methods tested on macOS 15.2 Sequoia and macOS 14.7 Sonoma. Contacts app version 15.0. iCloud.com tested in Safari 18 and Chrome 131. Import tested with VCF files containing 1 to 5,000 contacts across vCard 2.1, 3.0, and 4.0 formats.

For most Mac users, Method 1 (File > Import) is the standard approach for multi-contact files because it includes duplicate detection and an import preview. Method 2 (drag-and-drop) is faster for quick additions and allows targeting specific groups. Method 3 (Mail.app) handles email attachments instantly. Method 4 (Terminal) enables scripted batch workflows. Method 5 (iCloud.com) provides a web-based alternative when the Mac is unavailable.