Single VCF file: Open Thunderbird, go to Address Book, click Tools, Import, select “Address Books”, choose “vCard file (.vcf)”, and browse to your VCF file. Multiple VCF files: Open Address Book, select the target address book, then drag and drop the VCF files from your file manager into the address book window. Live sync: Add a CardDAV account in Address Book to sync contacts from Google, iCloud or Nextcloud directly. All methods import VCF to Thunderbird address book with contact fields preserved.
Introduction
Mozilla Thunderbird supports VCF (vCard) import natively, but the process has some limitations. The import wizard handles one VCF file at a time, the drag-and-drop method works for multiple files but provides no preview or field mapping, and some VCF properties do not map to Thunderbird’s contact fields. Knowing which method to use and what to expect saves time and avoids duplicate contacts.
This guide covers four methods to import VCF to Thunderbird, from the built-in import wizard to CardDAV sync for live contact access. If you are importing to a different email client, see our guides for Outlook, Google Contacts, iPhone or Android.
We have tested VCF imports across Thunderbird versions from 78 through 128 (Supernova) at Univik since 2013, covering vCard 2.1, 3.0 and 4.0 files from iCloud, Google, Outlook, Samsung and Android exports.
Before You Import: Check Your VCF File
Before importing, verify two things about your VCF file to avoid common problems.
1
Single file vs multiple files. If your contacts are spread across many separate .vcf files (one per contact), you need Method 2 (drag and drop) or merge them into one file first. The import wizard (Method 1) accepts only one file at a time.
2
Check for duplicates. Thunderbird does not deduplicate contacts during import. If a contact with the same name or email already exists in your address book, Thunderbird creates a duplicate entry. Remove duplicates from the VCF file before importing if you have previously imported some of these contacts.
4 Methods to Import VCF to Thunderbird
Method 1: Import Wizard (Single VCF File)
This is the official method. It works for a single VCF file containing one or multiple contacts.
1
Open Thunderbird and click the Address Book icon in the toolbar (or press Ctrl+Shift+B).
2
Go to Tools, Import. In the Import wizard, select “Address Books” and click Next.
3
Select “vCard file (.vcf)” as the file format and click Next.
4
Browse and select your VCF file. Click Open. Thunderbird imports all contacts from the file into a new address book or the selected address book.
5
Click Finish. Open the Address Book to verify the imported contacts. Check that names, email addresses, and phone numbers were imported correctly.
Method 2: Drag and Drop (Multiple VCF Files)
When you have many separate .vcf files (one contact per file, common with Android exports), drag and drop is the fastest approach.
1
Open the Address Book in Thunderbird (Ctrl+Shift+B). In the left panel, select the address book where you want to import the contacts.
2
Open your file manager (Windows Explorer, Finder, or Nautilus) and navigate to the folder containing your VCF files.
3
Select the VCF files. Press Ctrl+A to select all files, or hold Ctrl and click to select specific files. Then drag the selected files into Thunderbird’s Address Book window and drop them.
4
Verify the import. Thunderbird adds each contact silently without a confirmation dialog. Scroll through the address book to confirm all contacts were imported.
Alternative: Merge Files First
If drag and drop is not working in your Thunderbird version, merge all VCF files into one first. On Windows, open Command Prompt, navigate to the folder, and run copy *.vcf merged.vcf. On Mac/Linux, use cat *.vcf > merged.vcf. Then import the single merged file using Method 1.
Method 3: CardDAV Sync (Live Sync with Server)
Instead of importing a static VCF file, you can sync contacts from a CardDAV server. This keeps your Thunderbird address book in sync with Google Contacts, iCloud, Nextcloud, or any CardDAV provider. Changes made on either side sync automatically.
1
Open Address Book and click the arrow next to “New Address Book”. Select “Add CardDAV Address Book”.
2
Enter the CardDAV URL and credentials. For Google Contacts, use https://www.googleapis.com/.well-known/carddav with your Google account. For Nextcloud, use https://your-server.com/remote.php/dav. Thunderbird auto-discovers the address book from the URL.
3
Sync contacts. Thunderbird downloads all contacts from the server. The address book updates automatically. To use this method, first import your VCF to Google Contacts (or another CardDAV provider), then set up CardDAV sync in Thunderbird.
Method 4: Import via CSV (When VCF Fails)
If your VCF file causes import errors in Thunderbird (missing fields, encoding issues, or unsupported vCard properties), converting to CSV first can resolve the problem.
1
Convert VCF to CSV using any method from our VCF to CSV guide.
2
Import CSV into Thunderbird. Go to Address Book, Tools, Import, select “Address Books”, then choose “Text file (LDIF, .csv, .tsv, .tab)”. Select your CSV file. Thunderbird opens a field mapping dialog where you can map each CSV column to a Thunderbird contact field. This mapping step is the key advantage of the CSV method: you get full control over which data goes where.
Thunderbird Contact Field Mapping
Thunderbird’s address book has a fixed set of contact fields. VCF properties that do not match these fields are silently dropped during import. This table shows which VCF properties Thunderbird imports and which are lost.
| VCF Property | Thunderbird Field | Imported? |
|---|---|---|
| FN / N | First Name, Last Name | Yes |
| Email (primary + secondary) | Yes | |
| TEL | Work Phone, Home Phone, Mobile | Yes |
| ORG | Organization | Yes |
| TITLE | Job Title | Yes |
| ADR | Home/Work Address fields | Yes |
| URL | Web Page | Yes |
| NOTE | Notes | Yes |
| BDAY | Birthday | Yes (TB 91+) |
| PHOTO | Contact Photo | Yes (TB 102+) |
| X-SOCIALPROFILE | Not supported | No (dropped) |
| X-ABShowAs | Not supported | No (dropped) |
| CATEGORIES | Not supported natively | No (dropped) |
If you rely on CATEGORIES (contact groups), PHOTO, or other properties that older Thunderbird versions drop, upgrade to Thunderbird 128 (Supernova) or later. The Supernova release significantly improved vCard handling with a modernized address book that stores contacts natively in vCard format.
Method Comparison Table
| Criteria | Import Wizard | Drag and Drop | CardDAV Sync | CSV Import |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Multiple files at once | No (one file) | Yes | Yes (all from server) | No (one file) |
| Field mapping control | No | No | Automatic | Yes (manual mapping) |
| Preview before import | No | No | No | Yes |
| Live sync | No (one-time) | No (one-time) | Yes (automatic) | No (one-time) |
| Requires internet | No | No | Yes | No |
| Best for | Single multi-contact VCF | Many separate .vcf files | Ongoing sync | Problematic VCF files |
Importing Multiple Separate VCF Files
Android phones, Samsung contacts, and some export tools create one .vcf file per contact. To import hundreds of these individual files into Thunderbird, you have three options.
Drag and Drop (Fastest)
Select all .vcf files in your file manager and drag them into Thunderbird’s Address Book. Works in Thunderbird 78 and later. No merging required.
Merge Then Import (Most Reliable)
Combine all files into one: copy *.vcf merged.vcf (Windows) or cat *.vcf > merged.vcf (Mac/Linux). Then use the Import Wizard on the single merged file. This avoids any drag-and-drop compatibility issues across Thunderbird versions.
Common Problems and Fixes
Contacts import with names but missing phone numbers or addresses. Thunderbird may not recognize the VCF TEL or ADR property if it uses non-standard type labels (e.g., TEL;TYPE=IPHONE instead of TEL;TYPE=CELL). Open the VCF in a text editor and check the property labels. If they use Apple-specific or custom types, edit them to standard types (CELL, HOME, WORK) or use the CSV import method (Method 4) where you can map fields manually.
International characters appear garbled. The VCF file is not UTF-8 encoded. Thunderbird expects UTF-8. Open the file in a text editor that shows the encoding (Notepad++, VS Code) and convert it to UTF-8 before importing. VCF files from older Nokia or Blackberry phones sometimes use Latin-1 encoding.
Duplicate contacts after import. Thunderbird does not check for existing contacts when importing. If you import the same VCF twice, every contact is duplicated. To clean up, use Thunderbird’s built-in “Detect Duplicates” (available in some versions via add-ons) or remove duplicates from the VCF before importing.
The Import option does not show “vCard file (.vcf)”. In very old Thunderbird versions (before 78), the native VCF import option may be missing. Upgrade Thunderbird to version 102 or later (128 Supernova recommended). If upgrading is not possible, convert VCF to CSV first and use the CSV import option instead.
Contact photos are not imported. Thunderbird versions before 102 do not import the PHOTO property from VCF files. Upgrade to Thunderbird 102 or later for photo support. Even in newer versions, very large base64-encoded photos may be silently skipped.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I import a VCF file directly into Thunderbird?
Yes. Thunderbird supports native VCF import through the Address Book import wizard (Tools, Import, Address Books, vCard file). You can also drag and drop VCF files directly into the Address Book window.
How do I import multiple VCF files into Thunderbird at once?
Use drag and drop: select all .vcf files in your file manager and drag them into Thunderbird’s Address Book. If you prefer the import wizard, merge all VCF files into one first using copy *.vcf merged.vcf (Windows) or cat *.vcf > merged.vcf (Mac/Linux), then import the single merged file.
Does Thunderbird support vCard 4.0?
Thunderbird 128 (Supernova) and later store contacts in vCard 4.0 format internally and handle vCard 4.0 imports well. Older versions (102 and earlier) may have limited vCard 4.0 support. If you experience import issues with vCard 4.0 files, try converting to vCard 3.0 or using the CSV import method.
Can I sync Thunderbird contacts with Google Contacts?
Yes, using CardDAV (Method 3). Add a CardDAV address book in Thunderbird with Google’s CardDAV URL. Contacts sync bidirectionally. This is better than importing a static VCF because changes on either side are reflected automatically.
What is the difference between importing VCF and CSV in Thunderbird?
VCF import is faster (no field mapping needed) but gives you no control over how fields are mapped. CSV import shows a field mapping dialog where you can manually assign each column to a Thunderbird field. Use CSV when VCF import produces missing or misplaced data. See our VCF to CSV guide for the conversion step.
Conclusion
Last verified: February 2026. Tested with Thunderbird 102, 115, and 128 (Supernova) on Windows 11, macOS 14, and Ubuntu 24.04. VCF files tested from iCloud, Google Contacts, Outlook, Samsung, and Android exports across vCard 2.1, 3.0, and 4.0.
To import VCF to Thunderbird, use the Import Wizard (Method 1) for a single multi-contact VCF file, drag and drop (Method 2) for many separate .vcf files, CardDAV sync (Method 3) for live contact syncing with Google or Nextcloud, or CSV import (Method 4) when VCF import produces errors or missing data.
Three things to remember: merge separate VCF files first if the import wizard only accepts one file at a time, upgrade to Thunderbird 128 (Supernova) for the best vCard 4.0 and PHOTO support, and remove duplicates before importing because Thunderbird does not deduplicate contacts during import.
