How to Convert CSV Contacts to vCard (VCF) on iPhone
ShowPro Team
Expert tool tutorials · showprosoftware.com
Apple Contacts does not import an arbitrary CSV file as a contact list on iPhone. A practical route is to convert the contact rows to vCard (.vcf), which Apple Contacts understands.
ShowPro's CSV to vCard tool at https://showprosoftware.com/tools/csv-to-vcard creates one VCF file containing multiple vCard 3.0 records in your browser.
What the current converter supports
The converter currently maps three CSV fields:
Each contact is written as its own vCard 3.0 record with FN and, when mapped, EMAIL and TEL fields.
The tool does not currently export addresses, company names, notes, birthdays, photos, or arbitrary custom columns.
Prepare the CSV
Use a normal comma-separated file with a header row.
For example:
Name,Email,Phone
Ada Lovelace,ada@example.com,+441234567890
Grace Hopper,grace@example.com,+12025550123
Quoted CSV fields containing commas are supported on a single line.
The current parser is intentionally simple: it expects comma-separated rows and does not support multiline quoted fields or alternative delimiters such as semicolons.
Convert it on iPhone
ShowPro attempts to preselect common header names such as Name, Full Name, Email, Phone, Mobile, and Telephone. You can change those mappings before conversion.
Import the VCF into Apple Contacts
After downloading the VCF, open the file from Files or the download interface on your Apple device and follow the Contacts import options shown by iOS.
If you prefer to manage contacts on a Mac, you can also move the VCF to macOS and import it with Contacts there.
Why use vCard rather than CSV?
CSV is a general table format. Contact apps need to know what each column represents.
vCard is a contact exchange format. A VCF can explicitly label a person's full name, phone number, and email, which makes it a better handoff format for address-book applications.
Browser-local contact conversion
For this operation, ShowPro reads the CSV and generates the VCF in browser code rather than sending the contact file to a ShowPro conversion endpoint.
Contact data is sensitive, so this local-processing boundary is especially useful here. Normal website analytics, advertising, billing, and other networked site functions are separate. See https://showprosoftware.com/privacy#local-processing.
Common problems
The wrong column became the name
Use the Full Name mapping dropdown before conversion.
Email or phone is missing
Make sure the corresponding column is selected rather than None.
A row has the wrong number of columns
The current parser expects each data row to have the same number of comma-separated fields as the header.
My CSV uses semicolons
Convert it to a comma-separated CSV first. The current ShowPro parser does not auto-detect alternate delimiters.
I need company, address, or birthday fields
The current converter only exports FN, EMAIL, and TEL. Keep the original CSV so those extra columns are not lost.
Going the other direction
If you have an Apple Contacts VCF and need a spreadsheet, use the reverse workflow:
https://showprosoftware.com/tools/contacts-to-csv
The field behavior is documented here:
https://showprosoftware.com/blog/apple-contacts-vcard-csv-field-reference
FAQ
Does ShowPro create one VCF per contact?
No. It downloads one contacts.vcf file containing multiple independent vCard 3.0 records.
Can I map CSV columns before converting?
Yes. After selecting the file, the tool reads the header and shows the mapping controls.
Does it support addresses and companies?
Not in the current version. It currently exports full name, email, and phone.
Is the CSV uploaded for conversion?
The current CSV parsing and VCF generation happen in browser code rather than a ShowPro contact-conversion endpoint.
Try CSV to vCard Converter — Free
Browser-based. Private. No upload required. Works on iPhone, Mac, and Windows.
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