A VCF file can refer to a vCard file or a Variant Call Format file. The former is used to store contact information like name, phone number and address. The latter is used to store genetic variations data. This article is about how to convert a VCF file that contains contact information to a CSV file.
Storing the information of your contacts in a CSV file could make it easier to edit the information. The more common reason why people convert a VCF file to the CSV format is that they need to import the contacts stored in the VCF file to a place (like a email client) that supports CSV but not VCF. CSV is a more widely supported format.
There are two common ways to convert VCF to CSV. You can use a web-based VCF to CSV converter or a desktop one.
Method 1. Use a web-based converter
There are several choices, such as aconvert.com and products.groupdocs.app/conversion. Both converters are web based. You can access and use any of them via a web browser, which means that this method is available for computers and smartphones.
Both of the mentioned converters are very easy to use. But there are two things to note. To be able to do the conversion, you need to upload your VCF file to the converter’s server first. There’s little customizability. Therefore, if you don’t like the idea of uploading your file online or you’d like more control over the conversion, you can check out the second method.
I’ve tried a few online converters, including the two mentioned ones. As far as I’m concerned, aconvert.com is the best of them. The other ones either failed or worked very slowly.
Step 1. Open a web browser and visit aconvert.com.
Step 2. Scroll down until you see the Online Converter section.
Step 3. Drag your VCF file into the Drag files here area.
Step 4. Click the Target drop-down menu and choose the CSV format.
Step 5. Click the Convert Now area. The time that the conversion will take depends on the size of the VCF file. If your VCF file contains a large number of contacts, the conversion can take a while.
Step 6. When the conversion is complete, go to the Conversion Results section. There, download the CSV file, which now contains the contacts.
This converter allows no customization at all.
The CSV file will be deleted and not available online after one hour and a half. So please download it to your computer or phone as soon as possible.
Method 2. Use a desktop converter
There are a number of VCF to CSV converter apps available for Mac or Windows computers. They don’t need the internet when doing the conversion, which means they can work offline. Some of them are dedicated to converting contacts. Some of them, like Cisdem ContactsMate, are designed to help you manage your contacts and provide features like conversion, cleanup, synchronization and organization.
Unlike online converters (which pretty much work in the same way), desktop ones usually vary in customizability, operation, features and more. Therefore, this article only provides the general steps.
Step 1. Check the compatibility of each converter. Ignore the ones that are not compatible with your computer.
Step 2. Go to each converter’s website and learn about the available features and customizability related to VCF to CSV conversion. Pick the converter that fits your needs best.
Step 3. Install and download it.
Step 4. Import your VCF file.
Step 5. If you don’t need to do any customization, such as including or excluding certain contact information (like notes or middle name) when converting, you can click the Convert/Export button.
If you’d like some customization, then utilize the available settings/options before you click the button. For example, Cisdem ContactsMate allows you to choose to display the last name and the first name of the contact in the same row/column or two separate rows/columns in the CSV file. It also allows you to include/exclude information.
Step 6. When asked where to save the converted file, specify a location on your computer.
Conclusion
Which conversion method is the best? It depends on your needs. If you don’t convert contacts often or you are a fan of online tools, the first method is recommended. If you care about privacy or need more customization, the second method is definitely better.
