On Google Contacts app: Open Contacts, tap Fix & Manage, then Import from file, select your Google account, and choose the VCF file from storage. On Samsung: Open Samsung Contacts, tap the three-line menu, Manage contacts, Import or export contacts, Import. From a computer: Go to contacts.google.com, click Import, select the VCF file. Contacts sync to your Android phone automatically. All methods support multi-contact VCF files and vCard versions 2.1, 3.0, and 4.0.
Introduction
Android handles VCF contact files natively, which makes it one of the easiest platforms to import VCF to Android. Unlike iPhone, where there is no direct import button in Contacts, every Android phone has a built-in import function that reads VCF files directly from device storage.
The challenge is that different phone manufacturers (Samsung, Pixel, OnePlus, Xiaomi, Huawei) place the import option in different menus. We have tested the import process on 12 Android devices at Univik over the past 10 years while building contact migration tools, and the menu path is never quite the same across brands. This guide covers the exact steps for each major manufacturer so you do not waste time searching through settings.
Whether you are switching from iPhone, restoring a backup, or importing contacts shared by a colleague, these four methods will get your VCF contacts onto your Android phone quickly and without data loss. We cover how to transfer contacts to Android from VCF files exported by any platform, and how to handle vCard files on Android devices from every major manufacturer.
Before You Import: Android VCF Compatibility
Android supports all three major vCard versions out of the box. Here is what works and what to watch for.
| Feature | Android Support | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| vCard 2.1 | Yes (default export format) | Most Android phones export contacts in this version |
| vCard 3.0 | Yes | iCloud and Google export in this version |
| vCard 4.0 | Partial | Some newer properties may be ignored |
| Multi-contact VCF | Yes | Imports all contacts in one operation |
| Embedded photos (base64) | Yes | Contact photos preserved during import |
| UTF-8 encoding | Yes | Full international character support |
| Quoted-printable (vCard 2.1) | Yes | Decoded automatically during import |
Google Account vs Device Storage
When importing, Android asks which account to save contacts to. Always choose your Google account rather than “Device” or “Phone.” Contacts saved to a Google account sync to the cloud and transfer automatically when you set up a new phone. Contacts saved to “Device only” stay on that phone alone and are lost if the phone is reset or replaced.
4 Methods to Import VCF to Android
All four methods below work with single-contact and multi-contact VCF files. The first method uses the phone’s built-in Contacts app and does not require a computer or internet connection.
Method 1: Android Contacts App (Direct Import – Recommended)
This is the fastest and most reliable method. It works on every Android phone with a Contacts app, offline, and handles files of any size.
Get the VCF file onto your Android phone. Transfer it via USB from a computer, download it from email or cloud storage, or receive it via Bluetooth or a messaging app. The file can be anywhere in your phone’s internal storage or SD card.
Open the Google Contacts app. Tap Fix & Manage at the bottom of the screen (on Android 12 and later). On older Android versions, tap the three-dot menu in the top-right corner instead. Then tap Import from file.
Select your Google account as the destination (if prompted). Then browse to the VCF file location. Your phone may scan for VCF files automatically. Select the file and tap OK or Import.
In our testing with a 1,500-contact iCloud VCF export on a Pixel 8 running Android 14, all contacts imported in under 4 seconds with every field (phone, email, address, organization, notes) mapped correctly. Contact photos were also preserved.
Method 2: Google Contacts Web (Import from Computer, Syncs to Phone)
If the VCF file is on your computer and you want to avoid USB cables, import it through the Google Contacts website. The contacts sync to your Android phone automatically.
Go to contacts.google.com on your computer and sign in with the same Google account you use on your Android phone.
Click Import in the left sidebar. Select your VCF file and click Import. Google processes the file and adds all contacts. A label “Imported on [date]” is created automatically.
Wait for sync. On your Android phone, open Settings, Accounts, Google, and verify that Contact sync is enabled. The new contacts will appear in your Contacts app within a few minutes. To force an immediate sync, tap your Google account and toggle Contact sync off and on.
Google Contacts web supports VCF files up to 20 MB and a maximum of 3,000 contacts per import. If your file exceeds these limits, split the VCF into smaller files first. For a detailed walkthrough of the Google Contacts web method, see our Google Contacts import guide.
Method 3: Email or Messaging App (No Computer, No Setup)
Email the VCF file to yourself (or receive it from someone else), then open the attachment directly on your Android phone. This method lets you import vCard to Android without any setup, USB cables, or third-party apps. It works with any email service and any Android phone brand.
Open the email containing the VCF attachment in Gmail, Outlook, or any mail app on your Android phone. You can also receive VCF files through WhatsApp, Telegram, or any messaging app.
Tap the VCF file attachment. Android will open it with the Contacts app and display a preview of the contact(s). For multi-contact files, you may see a prompt to import all contacts at once.
Select your Google account and confirm the import. The contacts are added to your address book immediately. If the file is first saved to your Downloads folder, you can also open it from there using Method 1.
Method 4: VCF Converter Tool (Best for Bulk or Encoding Problems)
When you have thousands of contacts spread across multiple VCF files, or your VCF has encoding problems that cause garbled names after import, a dedicated VCF converter tool solves these issues before the file reaches your phone.
Load your VCF files into the converter. The tool parses all contacts, fixes encoding issues, and lets you remove duplicates before exporting. You can merge multiple separate VCF files into one clean output.
Export as a single clean VCF file in vCard 3.0 format with UTF-8 encoding. This format has the best compatibility across all Android devices. You can also export as Google Contacts CSV if you prefer importing through contacts.google.com.
Transfer the output to your Android phone via USB, email, or cloud drive, and import using Method 1 or Method 2.
Manufacturer-Specific Import Paths
The biggest frustration with importing VCF files on Android is finding the import option. Every phone brand hides it in a different menu. Here is the exact path for the six most popular Android manufacturers, based on our testing across 12 devices.
| Phone Brand | Menu Path to Import VCF | Android Version Tested |
|---|---|---|
| Google Pixel | Contacts, Fix & Manage, Import from file | Android 14, 15 |
| Samsung Galaxy | Samsung Contacts, Menu (three lines), Manage contacts, Import or export contacts, Import | One UI 6 (Android 14) |
| OnePlus | Contacts, Menu (three dots), Settings, Import/Export, Import from storage | OxygenOS 14 |
| Xiaomi / Redmi | Contacts, Settings (gear), Import/Export, Import from storage | MIUI 15, HyperOS |
| Huawei | Contacts, Menu (three dots), Import/Export, Import from storage | EMUI 14 (HarmonyOS) |
| Motorola | Google Contacts app (same as Pixel) | Android 14 |
Cannot Find the Import Option?
If your phone uses a manufacturer-specific Contacts app that does not have an import option, install the Google Contacts app from the Play Store. It works on any Android phone and always has the import function under Fix & Manage. You can use it alongside your manufacturer’s Contacts app without conflicts.
Method Comparison: Which One Should You Use?
| Criteria | Contacts App | Google Web | Converter | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Needs computer | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| Needs internet | No | Yes | Yes (to receive) | No |
| Works on all brands | Menu varies | Yes (universal) | Yes | Yes |
| Handles 3,000+ contacts | Yes | No (limit: 3,000) | File size limit | Yes |
| Removes duplicates | After import | After import | After import | Before import |
| Fixes encoding issues | No | No | No | Yes |
| Speed (500 contacts) | ~3 seconds | ~10 sec + sync | ~5 seconds | Minutes + transfer |
Source-Specific Migration Guides
The VCF file you are importing probably came from a specific platform. Here is how to handle each common migration path.
iPhone to Android
On your iPhone, go to icloud.com on a browser, sign in, open Contacts, click the gear icon, and Export vCard. This creates a VCF file with all your iCloud contacts in vCard 3.0 format. Transfer this file to your Android phone via email, Google Drive, or USB cable, and import using Method 1. For step-by-step iPhone export instructions, see our iPhone VCF guide.
Old Android to New Android
On your old phone, export contacts from the Contacts app (the menu path varies by brand; see the manufacturer table above). Choose “Export to storage” or “Export VCF.” Transfer the file to your new phone via Google Drive, Bluetooth, USB cable, or by emailing it. Then import using Method 1 on the new phone.
Google Contacts Export to Android
If your contacts are in Google Contacts, they should sync to your Android phone automatically. If sync is not working, go to contacts.google.com, select contacts, click Export, choose vCard format, and download the VCF. Import it using Method 1 or Method 2. For more on Google Contacts import, see our Google Contacts import guide.
Outlook to Android
In Outlook Classic, go to File, Open and Export, Import/Export. Outlook only exports one VCF contact at a time. For bulk export, use CSV export instead and convert to VCF with a converter tool. Then transfer the VCF to your Android phone and import. For detailed Outlook steps, see our Outlook VCF guide.
What to Do After Importing
After importing contacts to your Android phone, take these two steps to keep your address book clean and properly synced.
Merge duplicate contacts. Open the Google Contacts app, tap Fix & Manage, then Merge duplicates. Google scans your contacts and suggests merges for entries with matching names or phone numbers. Review each suggestion before accepting. On Samsung phones, the same feature is under Contacts, Menu, Manage contacts, Merge contacts.
Verify contact sync is active. Go to Settings, Accounts, Google, Account sync, and confirm that Contacts sync is turned on. This ensures your imported contacts are backed up to Google’s cloud and will appear on any new device you sign into.
Common Problems and Fixes
Based on the thousands of support cases we handle at Univik, these five problems account for most failed or incomplete VCF imports on Android phones.
“Failed to import VCF file” error. This usually means the VCF file has structural errors like missing BEGIN:VCARD or END:VCARD tags, or contains zero valid contact blocks. Open the file in a text editor on a computer and verify each contact has both opening and closing tags. Delete any incomplete entries and try again.
Import option not visible in Contacts app. Some manufacturer Contacts apps hide the import feature or do not include one at all. Install the free Google Contacts app from the Play Store. It works on all Android phones and the import function is always at Fix & Manage, Import from file.
Contacts imported but names show garbled characters. This happens when the VCF was created with Windows-1252 or ISO-8859-1 encoding but Android expects UTF-8. Convert the file to UTF-8 using Notepad++ on a computer (Encoding menu, Convert to UTF-8), or use our VCF to vCard guide for encoding conversion steps.
Storage and Sync Issues
Contacts saved to “Device only” and not syncing. During import, if you selected “Phone” or “Device” instead of your Google account, the contacts only exist on that device. To fix this, export the local contacts as VCF (Contacts, Menu, Export), then re-import and select your Google account as the destination this time.
Phone numbers imported to wrong fields (Home instead of Mobile). This happens when the VCF has TEL properties without TYPE parameters, or when TYPE labels do not match what your phone expects. Android generally maps TYPE=CELL to Mobile, TYPE=WORK to Work, and TYPE=HOME to Home. If the source VCF uses non-standard labels, the phone may default all numbers to “Other.” A converter tool can normalize TYPE parameters before import.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I import a VCF file to my Android phone?
Open the Google Contacts app, tap Fix & Manage, then Import from file. Select your Google account as the destination, browse to the VCF file on your phone’s storage, and tap OK. All contacts in the file are added instantly. On Samsung phones, the path is Contacts, Menu, Manage contacts, Import or export contacts, Import.
Can I import multiple VCF files to Android at once?
The Contacts app imports one file at a time. If you have multiple VCF files, either import each separately or merge them into a single file first. You can merge VCF files by concatenating them in a text editor (all BEGIN:VCARD to END:VCARD blocks together) or using a VCF converter tool with a merge feature.
How do I transfer contacts from iPhone to Android?
Export your iPhone contacts as a VCF file from icloud.com (Contacts, gear icon, Export vCard). Then transfer the VCF file to your Android phone via email, Google Drive, or USB. Open the file on your Android using the Contacts app to import all contacts at once.
Where should I save the VCF file on my Android phone?
The VCF file can be saved anywhere on your phone’s internal storage or SD card. The Downloads folder is the most common location. When you tap “Import from file” in the Contacts app, Android scans all storage locations for VCF files automatically.
Why did my contacts import without photos?
Contact photos are only preserved if the VCF file contains embedded base64-encoded PHOTO data. Some platforms export VCF files without photos to reduce file size. If the source contacts had photos but the VCF does not include them, re-export the contacts and look for an option to include photos in the export.
Will imported contacts sync across my devices?
Only if you imported them to a Google account (not “Device only”). Contacts saved to your Google account sync automatically to any device signed into that account, including other Android phones, tablets, and the Google Contacts website. Check your sync status at Settings, Accounts, Google, Account sync, Contacts.
Conclusion
Last verified: February 2026. All methods tested on Pixel 8 (Android 14), Samsung Galaxy S24 (One UI 6), OnePlus 12 (OxygenOS 14), Xiaomi 14 (HyperOS). VCF files tested from iCloud, Google Contacts, Outlook, and Thunderbird exports.
To import VCF to Android, the Contacts app direct import (Method 1) is the fastest option for most people. If the VCF is on a computer, the Google Contacts web method (Method 2) lets you import without touching your phone. For VCF files received via email or messaging, simply tapping the attachment handles the import automatically.
Three things to remember: always save contacts to your Google account (not “Device only”) so they sync and survive phone resets, use the Google Contacts app if your phone’s manufacturer Contacts app does not have an import option, and merge duplicates after importing using Fix & Manage in the Google Contacts app.
