vCard QR Code Generator
Share a contact card that adds you to the address book in one tap.
vCard QR Code Generator: the generator
Make a QR code that holds your contact details. When someone scans it, their phone offers to save you as a new contact, with your name, numbers, email, company and address already filled in. Perfect for business cards, name badges and email signatures.
How it works
The code stores a vCard, the standard file format for a contact, written out as text: BEGIN:VCARD, one line for each detail, END:VCARD. This generator writes version 3.0, which iPhone and Android contact apps both import. Each line starts with a label such as TEL, EMAIL or ORG.
Commas, semicolons and line breaks have a special meaning inside a vCard, so the generator escapes them with a backslash. A company called Smith, Jones & Co stays one company, and a street such as 1, Rue de la Paix stays one address line.
Every detail you add makes the code denser. The full card in the example below needs a grid of 65 by 65 squares, while a card with only a name and one phone number needs 41 by 41. For a small print such as a business card, keep to the few details people really use.
How to use it
- Enter a first name, a last name or a company. At least one of them is required.
- Add the phone numbers, the email, the website and the address you want to share. Leave the rest empty.
- Check that the preview stays easy to scan. If it looks crowded, remove the address or the job title.
- Download the code, then scan it with a phone and confirm that the new contact has every detail correct.
Example
A contact with a company, a job title, a mobile number, an email, a website and an address, and the vCard stored in the code. Each filled field becomes one line.
Contact card (vCard)
65 × 65 squaresWhat is typed in
- First name
- Ada
- Last name
- Lovelace
- Company
- Analytical Engines Ltd
- Job title
- Mathematician
- Mobile phone
- +44 20 7946 0000
- ada@example.com
- Website
- www.example.com
- Street
- 1 Example Street
- City
- London
- Postal code
- EC1A 1AA
- Country
- United Kingdom
What the code stores
BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Lovelace;Ada;;; FN:Ada Lovelace ORG:Analytical Engines Ltd TITLE:Mathematician TEL;TYPE=CELL:+442079460000 EMAIL;TYPE=INTERNET:ada@example.com URL:https://www.example.com ADR;TYPE=WORK:;;1 Example Street;London;;EC1A 1AA;United Kingdom END:VCARD
Good to know
- Pictures, logos inside the contact and notes are not included, which keeps the code small enough to scan.
- A vCard is a snapshot. If your number or email changes, a printed code still adds the old details. For details that change, use a link code to a page that you update.
- Phone numbers need 3 to 15 digits, emails and websites are checked, and an address can be left out entirely.
Questions people ask
What happens when someone scans my vCard code?
On an iPhone the Camera app shows a banner that opens a new contact card with your details filled in. On Android the camera app or Google Lens offers an Add contact button. The person can check the details and save them, or cancel.
Which details can I include?
First and last name, company, job title, a mobile and a work phone, an email, a website and a postal address. The only required part is a name or a company. Everything else is optional, and fewer details make a code that is easier to scan.
Why is my vCard code so dense?
A contact is a lot of text for a QR code, and each line adds labels as well as your data. Leave out the address and the job title first, drop a second phone number, and print the code a little larger. The preview shows you the effect as you remove details.
Can I update the contact later?
Not in a printed code, because it holds the details themselves. If your information may change, make a link code that opens your own contact page, and keep that page up to date. Use the vCard when the details are stable, as on a business card.
Is a vCard QR code private?
The code contains every detail you entered, so anyone who scans it reads them. Share only what you would put on a business card. Your details are never sent to this site; the card is built in your browser.