How to import multiple contacts vCard VCF file into Outlook?

Question

I have multiple contacts vCard VCF file created on my Android device and I would like to import it to Outlook 2010. It seems that Outlook doesn't support multiple contacts VCF file and import just first contact from such file. Is there any way to import my 1000 contacts from such VCF file into Outlook 2010?

Answer 1

These days, you can use the Outlook mobile app to import a VCF with multiple contacts in it. Just email the VCF to yourself, open the email in the Outlook mobile app, tap the VCF and you'll be prompted about "Add All Contacts". The contacts are all added into your Outlook account, and they'll be accessible from Outlook on your desktop as well (assuming your Outlook is connected to Exchange or a cloud-synced account, not POP!)

(The Outlook desktop app in 2023 still only supports VCFs with a single contact, so you'll need to use the mobile app to do the import.)

Bonus tip: here's how to create a VCF of your iPhone contacts.

Answer 2

One solution is to split the VCF with manty contacts into multiple VCFs using powershell, each one containing only one contact.

Then, you can drag and drop the individual VCF files into outlook. Limit the number of files you drag and drop at any one time because each VCF will open a new contact dialog.

Set-Location -Path "C:\Users\$ENV:UserName\Contacts"
$ext = "vcf"
$rootName = "contact_"
$reader = new-object System.IO.StreamReader("Contacts\MultipleContacts.vcf")
$count=1
while(($line = $reader.ReadLine()) -ne $null)
{
  if ($line -eq "BEGIN:VCARD")
  {
    $fileName = "{0}{1}.{2}" -f ($rootName,$count,$ext)
    ++$count
  }
  Add-Content -path $fileName -value $line
}
$reader.Close()

Answer 3

I know this is old and an answer has been selected, but Outlook still has issues with VCF files. I just want to mention that Apple supports multi-contact vCard files in the same way Google does. Instructions can be found here: https://support.apple.com/guide/icloud/import-or-export-vcards-mmfba748b2/icloud

If the vCard contains contact information for more than one person, each contact becomes a separate entry.

In Contacts on iCloud.com, click the Show Actions Menu pop-up button in the sidebar, then choose Import vCard.

Select a vCard to import.

Contacts from imported vCards are added to the All Contacts group. You can add contacts to any other group by dragging them.

Of course, you could then connect Outlook to iCloud to download and copy/merge the contacts to a local or other internet address book.

Answer 4

After many tries with different 3-rd party software this workaround did the job just fine and simple:

1. Import file (from leftside menu "Import contacts") to Google Contacts https://contacts.google.com/ in a group named "Imported [date]" is automatically created
2. Export (from top menu "More") "Imported [date]" group as Outlook CSV format
3. Import it to Outlook: File/Open/Import/Import from another program or file/Comma Separated Values/ Choose source file/Choose destination Outlook folder/Finish

Note that Outlook failed to open the CSV file until I removed some contacts with Chinese characters.

Answer 5

Blind friend had to move from Outlook Express to full MS Office Outlook, but we did not found any reasonable method how to import multiple contacts in any format (wab, vcf, etc.) - maybe CSV, but there were compatibility issues with encoding, etc.

As there was not much time, we used quite stupid method - batch file:

for %%a in (*.vcf) do "...\MS Office\OfficeXX\OUTLOOK.EXE" /v "%%a"

And AutoIt very stupid script.au3 to press Save&Close button (each window was on same place):

#include <AutoItConstants.au3>

For $a=0 to 1000
   MouseClick($MOUSE_CLICK_LEFT, 300, 150, 2)
Next

Anyway there were also some problems with file names(?) - lot of error messages about non-unique contact - seemed like Outlook was trying to merge some contacts for no reason (similar vcf names?).

Answer 6

I found an ok but not great solution to importing multiple *.vcf files into Win10 Outlook 2017 which does not require a plugin (but is a little mandrolic).

1. Open up your contracts in outlook's
2. Select all the contracts you want to import in the folder
3. Drag and drop these contracts files onto Outlook's contact area
4. Outlook will open each contact and you need to close each one click "yes" to saving the contents

It's a bugger closing and saving all the contact windows that pop up. But it work well for my 50 or so contracts and didn't require me installing any third-party extensions.

Answer 7

In order to copy your android phone contacts to microsoft outlook do the following steps, 1. First Export Your Contacts From Your Phone to .vcf file format. -In most android phone export/import can be seen in menu option when
takes contacts(people). 2. Copy the .vcf file from phone or sd card to a computer or a place you can easily access.

3. Login to your gmail account.

   a) Then choose contact --> more option --> import option --> select your .vcf file and upload it to gmail. b) Then again choose contact --> more option --> export option --> Select all contacts & Export Format - Outlook CSV format (for importing into Outlook or another application). c) Click the Export button to export and save the Microsoft Office Excel Comma Separated Values File (.csv) to some where in you computer

4 . Open Outlook

Choose File -- > Import adn Export Wizerd -- > Choose import from another program or file --> Choose coma seprated values(Windows)   
--> Specify the path for the file( Microsoft Office Excel Comma Separated Values File (.csv) ) we got in prevoius step(step 3)  
--> Specify the location in outlook where the contact to be saved (choose contact folder in outlook)--> click next and finish
--> we are done !!!

Answer 8

To import all your contacts in one click: Save all contacts in one folder. Open cmd Go to the folder where you saved contacts using

cd "folder"

Run the following command:

type *.vcf > all_contacts.vcf

Now you just have to import the all_contacts.vcd contact and all contacts are imported