VCF and CSV: Understanding Contact Import Formats for Your CRM

When you're ready to move your contacts into a CRM, two file formats come up repeatedly: CSV and VCF. If you've never thought much about the difference, here's what you need to know before you start your import.

CSV: The Spreadsheet Standard

CSV stands for Comma-Separated Values. It's the file format that spreadsheets export to and most CRMs import from. A CSV file is essentially a table: the first row contains column headers (First Name, Last Name, Email, Phone, etc.) and every row after that is a contact.

When to use CSV:

• You're exporting contacts from Google Contacts, Outlook, or another CRM
• You have a spreadsheet of contacts you want to bring in
• You want to review and clean the data before importing (CSV opens in Excel or Google Sheets, making it easy to edit)
• You're importing a large number of contacts (hundreds or thousands)

CSV strengths: Flexible, easy to edit, supports custom fields and bulk data, universally compatible with CRM import tools.

CSV limitations: Doesn't support photos or contact photos; some special characters can cause encoding issues if not handled carefully.

VCF: The Contact Card Format

VCF stands for vCard Format. It's the format used by your phone's contact app, Apple's Contacts, and most business card scanner apps. A VCF file can contain one contact or many, each formatted as a digital business card with fields for name, phone, email, address, and more.

When to use VCF:

• You're exporting from your iPhone or Android contacts app
• You're using a business card scanner app that exports to vCard
• You have a small number of contacts to import

VCF strengths: Universal across mobile and desktop contact apps, supports profile photos, standard format for single-contact sharing.

VCF limitations: Harder to review and edit in bulk than CSV; less flexible for custom fields; some CRMs handle VCF imports less cleanly than CSV.

Which One Should You Use?

For most CRM imports, CSV is the better choice because it's easier to review and clean before importing. Export from your source (Google Contacts, Outlook, your old CRM), open the file in a spreadsheet app, clean up any issues, and import.

If your contacts are on your phone and you want to bring them in quickly, VCF works well for small sets.

ContactHoney supports both CSV and VCF imports, so either path gets your contacts in without manual data entry.

Before You Import: Two Minutes of Cleanup

Regardless of format, run a quick check before importing:

1. Remove obvious duplicates
2. Make sure names are formatted consistently (First / Last, not FIRST / LAST or first / last)
3. Verify email addresses don't have obvious typos
4. Remove contacts with no usable information

Clean data in means clean data out. The few minutes you spend before import save hours of cleanup inside the CRM.