A VCF or CSV contacts export looks like the same job done two ways, but the two files keep very different things. Pick the wrong one and you may find, months later, that the second number, the birthday or the photo never made it into your backup. This guide explains what each format holds, where each one breaks, and how to restore a file without making a mess of your address book.
Two formats, two jobs
VCF (also called vCard) is the standard file format for contacts. Each contact is a small block of text with named fields: name, numbers, emails, addresses, birthday, notes and, often, a photo. Phones, email apps and contact services all understand it, which is why it is the usual choice for a backup or a move.
CSV (comma-separated values) is a plain table. Each row is a contact and each column is a field. Spreadsheets open it, mailing tools import it, and CRMs accept it. It is good for reading, sorting and cleaning a list. It is not designed to carry everything a contact card can hold.
A simple way to remember it: VCF is a stack of contact cards, CSV is a spreadsheet about your contacts.
What each one keeps
| VCF (vCard) | CSV | |
|---|---|---|
| Several numbers and emails per person | Yes, each with its own label | Only as separate columns, if the exporter creates them |
| Labels like Home, Work, Mobile | Usually kept | Often lost or flattened into column names |
| Addresses | Kept as structured fields | Often split into columns or merged into one cell |
| Birthdays | Kept | Sometimes, as text |
| Photos | Can be embedded | Normally not |
| Notes | Kept | Kept, but line breaks can break the table |
| Opens in a spreadsheet | Not really | Yes |
| Imports into a phone's Contacts | Yes, widely | Depends on the app or service |
The exact result depends on the app that writes the file and the one that reads it. vCard itself has several versions, and not every app supports every field in the same way. That is why the check at the end of this guide matters more than the format you pick.
Where CSV goes wrong
CSV is useful, but it has a few traps that catch people every time.
Phone numbers turn into numbers
Open a CSV in a spreadsheet and the program may treat a phone number as a number. A leading + or 0 can disappear, and long numbers can turn into scientific notation. If you then save the file, the damage is permanent. Import the file as text, or check a few numbers before you save anything.
Characters break
Names with letters such as ş, ğ, İ, é or ñ need the file to be read with the right text encoding, usually UTF-8. If the encoding is wrong, "Şule" becomes a row of strange symbols. The fix is to choose UTF-8 when you import, not to edit the names by hand.
One person, many columns
A contact with three numbers and two emails has to be spread across columns like "Phone 1", "Phone 2" and "Phone 3". Different apps use different column names, so moving a CSV from one service to another often needs a column-matching step. Anything that has no matching column is quietly dropped.
In short: CSV is a table export, not a full backup. Use it when you want to read or work with a list. Use VCF when you want to keep the contacts themselves.
Readable files need care
Both VCF and CSV are plain text. Anyone who opens the file can read every name, number, address, birthday and note inside. Neither format is encrypted on its own.
A few habits keep that risk small:
- Export only what you need. If you are sending your dentist's details to a family member, export one contact, not your whole address book.
- Think before you email it. A contacts file in your sent folder stays there for years. Saving it to a folder you control is often better than mailing it to yourself.
- Delete old copies. Three exports from different months scattered across a laptop, a USB stick and a chat are three places your contacts can leak from.
- Mind your notes. If you keep sensitive details in a contact's note field, they go into the file too. Other people in your address book never agreed to be shared.
If you want a backup that is safe to leave lying around, you need an encrypted file instead. That is a different tool, covered in encrypted contacts backup.
Restoring without making a mess
Exporting is the easy half. Restoring is where duplicates, lost labels and overwritten changes come from.
- Check the file first. Open it on a computer or preview it, count the contacts and look at three of them, including one with several numbers and a note.
- Know where it will land. Your iPhone may hold contacts in iCloud, Gmail and a work account at the same time. An import goes into one of them. Our guide on where iPhone contacts are stored shows how to see which.
- Expect duplicates. Importing a file into a list that already has the same people usually creates a second copy of each. Merge carefully, one pair at a time, and make sure two records really are the same person before joining them.
- Do not assume newer wins. If you changed a number on the phone after the export, importing the old file can bring the old number back next to it, or replace it, depending on the app.
- Check again afterwards. Count, open a few contacts, and keep the original file until you are sure.
For the full routine of making a backup and checking it, see how to back up your iPhone contacts. If you are restoring because you changed phones, moving contacts to a new phone walks through each direction.
Where Callmory fits
Contact backup in Callmory is its own flow, and it is built today. You pick contacts from your phone or from Callmory, choose VCF or CSV, and send the file to Mail, Files or any app you choose. You decide what goes in and where it goes.
Restoring follows the same idea as the steps above. When you restore a Callmory backup into Callmory, you see a preview first, and Callmory never silently overwrites a record that changed. Possible duplicates are shown to you, never merged on their own. Two parts of this flow are still in progress: writing contacts back into your phone's own Contacts with your approval, and a screen that shows which accounts your contacts live in and what Callmory can reach. Until that screen ships, the rule stays the same: Callmory will not call a backup complete for data it could not see.
A VCF or CSV file holds contacts. It does not hold the notes, follow-ups or voice recordings you keep about people in Callmory. Those go into a separate, encrypted app backup. You can check what each file includes before you save or restore it.
Contact backup and restore are part of the free core; see pricing. Callmory is an iPhone app, and the beta opens in stages through the waitlist.
A quick decision guide
- You want a backup you can restore to any phone: VCF.
- You want to clean up a list in a spreadsheet: CSV, imported as text with UTF-8.
- You want to send one person's details: a single-contact VCF.
- You want to move contacts into a mailing tool or CRM: CSV, then match the columns.
- You want notes, follow-ups and audio kept too: neither. You need an app backup.
Frequently asked questions
Is a CSV file a full backup of my contacts?
Usually not. CSV is a table, so photos, labels and extra numbers are often lost or flattened; use VCF when you want to keep the contacts themselves.
Is a VCF file encrypted?
No. VCF and CSV are plain text, so anyone who opens the file can read everything in it. Store and share them with care.
Why did my phone numbers change after I opened the CSV?
Spreadsheets often treat phone numbers as numbers and drop a leading plus or zero. Import the column as text and check a few numbers before saving.
Will importing a VCF create duplicates?
It often does if the same people are already on the phone. Check the result and merge only pairs you are sure are the same person.
Does a Callmory contact backup include my notes?
No. The VCF or CSV file holds contacts only. Notes, follow-ups and voice recordings go into the separate encrypted app backup.