On desktop: Go to contacts.google.com, sign in, click Import in the left sidebar, select your VCF file, and click Import. On Android: Open the Contacts app, tap Organize, then Import from file, select your VCF. Limit: Google allows a maximum of 3,000 contacts per import and 25,000 total contacts per account. For VCF files exceeding 3,000 contacts, split the file first or use a VCF converter tool for bulk import.
Introduction
Google Contacts is the central hub for contact management across the entire Google ecosystem. When you import VCF to Google Contacts, those contacts automatically sync to your Android phone, Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Meet, and any other device signed into your Google account. That cross-device sync is the main reason people move their contacts here.
We have helped thousands of users migrate contacts into Google Contacts over the past 10 years at Univik, and the process is simpler than most guides make it seem. Google Contacts natively supports VCF file import with full UTF-8 encoding, which means international characters, accented names, and non-Latin scripts all import cleanly without special handling. The main complications arise with large files (over 3,000 contacts), multiple VCF files, and the differences between desktop, Android, and iPhone import paths.
This guide covers all four methods to import vCard to Google Contacts across every platform, along with the preparation steps that prevent data loss and the post-import cleanup that keeps your address book organized.
Before You Import: Limits and Preparation
Google enforces specific limits on contact imports that most guides fail to mention upfront. Knowing these before you start prevents failed imports and wasted time.
| Google Contacts Limit | Value | What Happens If Exceeded |
|---|---|---|
| Contacts per import | 3,000 | Import fails silently or partially |
| Total contacts per account | 25,000 | New imports blocked entirely |
| VCF file size limit | 20 MB | Error: “Select a CSV or vCard file under 20 MB” |
| Files per import | 1 | Must import one VCF file at a time |
Preparation Checklist
Before importing, do these three things. First, check your contact count. If your VCF has more than 3,000 contacts, split it into smaller files. Second, verify the VCF is valid by opening it in a text editor. Each contact should start with BEGIN:VCARD and end with END:VCARD. Third, back up your existing Google Contacts by exporting them (Google Contacts, Export, Google CSV) so you can restore if something goes wrong.
If your VCF file has structural issues like missing END:VCARD tags, incorrect encoding, or unsupported properties, Google will either skip those contacts silently or show a generic “Can’t import contacts” error. Our guide on fixing VCF file import errors covers how to diagnose and repair these problems before importing.
4 Methods to Import VCF to Google Contacts
The import process differs depending on whether you are using a computer browser, an Android device, or an iPhone. Whether you want to upload VCF to Google Contacts from a desktop or import VCF to Gmail contacts on a phone, we have tested all four methods with VCF files containing up to 2,800 contacts exported from iCloud, Samsung, Outlook, and Thunderbird. Google Contacts VCF import support is built in across platforms, though the steps vary.
Method 1: Google Contacts Web (Desktop) – Recommended
This is the fastest and most reliable method. It works on any computer with a web browser and handles both single-contact and multi-contact VCF files up to the 3,000 contact limit.
Go to contacts.google.com and sign in with your Google account. If you have multiple Google accounts, make sure you are signed into the correct one before importing.
Click Import in the left sidebar. In the Import contacts dialog, click the Select file button. Browse to your VCF file on your computer, select it, and click Open.
Click Import. Google processes the file and adds all contacts. After import, Google automatically creates a label called “Imported on [date]” so you can review the new entries separately from your existing contacts.
This method supports vCard 2.1, 3.0, and 4.0. In our testing with a 2,800-contact iCloud export, all contacts imported in under 10 seconds with zero data loss. Google correctly decoded quoted-printable encoding from Samsung vCard 2.1 exports and preserved all UTF-8 characters from a multilingual address book.
Method 2: Android Contacts App (Phone/Tablet)
If your VCF file is already on your Android device (downloaded from email, transferred via USB, or saved to cloud storage), you can import directly from the Contacts app without a computer.
Open the Contacts app on your Android phone or tablet. Make sure it is the Google Contacts app (not a Samsung or manufacturer-specific contacts app, which may have different steps).
Tap Organize (or the three-line menu), then Import from file. If you have multiple accounts on the device, select your Google account as the destination. Browse to the VCF file in your device storage or SD card.
Select the VCF file and tap Import. The contacts are added to your Google account and will sync across all connected devices automatically.
The menu path varies by Android version and manufacturer. On Samsung devices, the path is Contacts, Menu, Manage contacts, Import or export contacts, Import. On Pixel phones, it follows the standard Google Contacts flow described above. If you cannot find the import option, try searching “import” in the app’s settings search bar.
Method 3: iPhone to Google Contacts
iPhones do not have a built-in way to import VCF files directly into a Google account. The most reliable approach is to use the desktop web method from your iPhone’s browser, or to transfer the VCF file to a computer first.
Open Safari on your iPhone and go to contacts.google.com. Sign in with your Google account. Tap the three-line menu icon and look for the Import option.
If the mobile site does not show Import (which happens on some iOS versions), request the desktop site by tapping the AA icon in Safari’s address bar and selecting “Request Desktop Website.” The Import option will appear in the left sidebar.
Tap Import, select your VCF file from the Files app or iCloud Drive, and tap Import again. The contacts are added to your Google account and will sync to any device signed in with that account.
Alternative: Email the VCF to Yourself
If the browser method is difficult on your iPhone, email the VCF file to yourself, open it on a computer, and use Method 1 (desktop). This is often faster and more reliable than fighting with mobile browser limitations.
Method 4: VCF Converter Tool (Best for Bulk Import Over 3,000 Contacts)
When your VCF file exceeds Google’s 3,000-contact import limit, or you have dozens of individual VCF files to import, a dedicated VCF converter tool handles the splitting, merging, and format optimization automatically.
Download and install the converter. Open the application and click Add File or Add Folder to load your VCF files. The tool parses all contacts and displays them in a preview panel.
Select Google Contacts CSV as the output format. This produces a CSV file with the exact column headers Google expects (Given Name, Family Name, Phone 1 – Value, E-mail 1 – Value, etc.). Do not choose Outlook CSV because Google will mismap the fields.
Import the CSV into Google Contacts. Go to contacts.google.com, click Import, and select the CSV file instead of the VCF. Google CSV import also supports up to 3,000 contacts per file, but the converter tool can automatically split the output into multiple CSV files if needed.
A professional vCard converter tool is the right choice when you have more than 3,000 contacts, need to merge multiple VCF files before import, want to remove duplicates before importing, or need to convert VCF files from legacy formats like vCard 2.1 with quoted-printable encoding. During development of our converter at Univik, we tested Google CSV output against imports of up to 10,000 contacts split across four files, and all imported cleanly with zero field mapping errors.
Method Comparison: Which One Should You Use?
| Criteria | Desktop Web | Android App | iPhone | Converter Tool |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Most people | File already on phone | iOS users | Bulk and enterprise |
| Handles multi-contact VCF | Yes | Yes | Yes (desktop site) | Yes |
| 3,000+ contacts | No (must split) | No (must split) | No (must split) | Yes (auto-split) |
| Multiple VCF files at once | No (one at a time) | No (one at a time) | No (one at a time) | Yes |
| Preserves photos | Partial | Partial | Partial | Depends on format |
| UTF-8 international names | Full support | Full support | Full support | Full support |
| Duplicate detection | After import only | After import only | After import only | Before import |
| Cost | Free | Free | Free | Paid (free trial) |
For most people doing a one-time import, the desktop web method (Method 1) is the fastest and most reliable. If you are on an Android phone with the file already downloaded, Method 2 saves you from needing a computer. iPhone users should use Method 1 from a computer when possible, as the mobile Safari experience is inconsistent.
What to Do After Importing
Importing is only half the job. After the contacts land in Google Contacts, take these three steps to keep your address book clean.
Merge duplicates. Go to contacts.google.com, click Merge & fix in the left sidebar. Google automatically detects duplicate entries and offers to merge them with one click. Review each suggested merge before confirming, as Google sometimes flags similar but distinct contacts.
Review the “Imported on” label. Google creates a label with the import date. Use this to quickly scan your newly imported contacts and spot any entries with missing data, garbled names, or incorrect field mapping. Delete or correct any problematic entries before they sync across devices.
Wait for sync to complete. After import, allow 5 to 15 minutes for Google to sync the new contacts to all connected devices. If contacts do not appear on your phone, open Settings, Accounts, Google, and force a manual sync of Contacts.
Importing from Specific Platforms
Different source platforms produce VCF files with different quirks. Here is how to handle the most common migration paths into Google Contacts.
From iCloud / iPhone
Go to icloud.com/contacts, select all contacts (Ctrl+A), click the gear icon, and choose Export vCard. This creates a single VCF with all contacts in vCard 3.0 format. Import it directly into Google Contacts. Common mistake: exporting only one contact instead of all because “Select All” was not clicked first.
From Outlook / Exchange
In Outlook Classic, go to File, Open & Export, Import/Export, Export to a file, and choose vCard (.vcf). Note that Outlook only exports one contact at a time. For bulk export, use Outlook’s CSV export instead and import the CSV directly into Google Contacts. For a VCF-based path, see our Outlook VCF guide.
From Samsung / Android
Samsung phones export contacts as vCard 2.1 with quoted-printable encoding. Google Contacts handles this automatically. Go to Samsung Contacts, Menu, Manage contacts, Export, and save the VCF. Import it using Method 1 or 2. If names appear garbled, the file may need encoding conversion. See our VCF to vCard guide for version conversion steps.
From Thunderbird
In Thunderbird, open the Address Book, select all contacts, right-click, and choose Export. Save as vCard. Thunderbird exports vCard 3.0 with proper UTF-8 encoding. These files import cleanly into Google Contacts without any special handling required.
Common Problems and Fixes
Based on our support experience at Univik, these five issues account for the majority of failed or incomplete VCF imports into Google Contacts.
“Can’t import contacts” or “Unable to import” error. This usually means the VCF file is malformed, exceeds 20 MB, or contains more than 3,000 contacts. Split the file into smaller chunks and try again. If splitting does not help, validate the file structure by checking for proper BEGIN:VCARD and END:VCARD tags around every contact.
“Gmail is temporarily unable to access your contacts.” This is a Google server-side issue, not a problem with your file. Wait a few minutes and try the import again. If the error persists, try using an incognito browser window or a different browser entirely. In our testing, this error resolved on its own within 5 to 10 minutes every time.
Contacts imported but fields are missing or wrong. If phone numbers, emails, or addresses are missing after import, the VCF file likely has properties without TYPE parameters (for example, TEL without TYPE=CELL or TYPE=WORK). Google may place untyped fields in generic categories. Check the VCF in a text editor and add TYPE parameters where missing.
Duplicate and Encoding Issues
Duplicate contacts appearing after import. If you already had some of these contacts in Google, you will now have duplicates. Google does not automatically deduplicate during import. After importing, go to Merge & fix in the sidebar to let Google detect and merge duplicate entries. Review each suggestion before accepting.
Garbled characters in imported contact names. Google Contacts handles UTF-8 perfectly, but if your VCF uses Windows-1252 or ISO-8859-1 encoding without proper declaration, accented characters may appear corrupted. Convert the VCF to UTF-8 first using Notepad++ (Encoding menu, Convert to UTF-8) and re-import.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I import VCF to Google Contacts?
Go to contacts.google.com, sign in, click Import in the left sidebar, select your VCF file, and click Import. All contacts in the file are added to your Google account and sync across all connected devices automatically.
Can I import multiple VCF files to Google Contacts at once?
No. Google only allows importing one file at a time. If you have multiple VCF files, either merge them into a single file first or import each one separately. To merge VCF files, concatenate them in a text editor (each contact block from BEGIN:VCARD to END:VCARD) or use a VCF converter tool that includes a merge feature.
What is the import limit for Google Contacts?
Google allows a maximum of 3,000 contacts per single import operation and a total of 25,000 contacts per Google account. The VCF file must also be under 20 MB. If your file exceeds these limits, split it into smaller files before importing.
Why did some contacts not import into Google Contacts?
Three common causes. First, contacts with only a name and no phone or email may be silently skipped. Second, the VCF file may have structural errors in specific contact blocks that cause Google to skip them. Third, you may have hit the 3,000-contact limit mid-import. Check the “Imported on” label to count how many actually imported and compare against your source file.
Do imported contacts go to “Other contacts” or the main Contacts list?
Imported contacts always go to the main Contacts list, not “Other contacts.” Google creates an automatic label with the import date so you can easily find and review them. The “Other contacts” section only contains contacts you have emailed but never explicitly saved.
Platform and Device Questions
How do I import VCF to Google Contacts on Android?
Open the Google Contacts app, tap Organize (or the menu), then Import from file. Select your Google account as the destination, browse to the VCF file on your device storage, and tap Import. The contacts sync to your Google account immediately.
Can I import VCF to Google Contacts from iPhone?
Yes, but indirectly. Open Safari, go to contacts.google.com, request the desktop version of the site (tap AA, then Request Desktop Website), and use the Import function. Alternatively, email the VCF file to yourself and open it on a computer for a smoother experience.
Will importing VCF create duplicate contacts?
If any imported contacts match existing contacts in your Google account, you will get duplicates. Google does not deduplicate during import. After importing, use the Merge & fix feature in Google Contacts to detect and merge duplicates. Always review the suggested merges before accepting them.
Conclusion
Last verified: February 2026. All methods tested with Google Contacts web interface, Android 14 (Pixel), and iOS 17 (Safari). Import steps confirmed against VCF exports from iCloud, Samsung, Outlook, and Thunderbird.
To import VCF to Google Contacts, the desktop web method at contacts.google.com is the fastest and most reliable option for most people. Android users can import directly from the Contacts app if the file is already on the device. iPhone users should use the desktop web approach for the best results.
Remember three key things: check your contact count first (split files over 3,000 contacts before importing), always export as Google CSV if using a converter tool (not Outlook CSV), and run Merge & fix after importing to clean up duplicates. Follow these steps and your contacts will be in Google Contacts and syncing across all your devices within minutes.
