vCard File and it's Limitations in Outlook

TIP: Latest version of vCard ImportExport allows to import or export multiple vCard files to Outlook contacts in a few clicks.

In the business world, it’s essential to always be able to keep in touch with your colleagues, customers, and associates at all times. But since in such an environment you might have to deal with hundreds or even thousands of contacts, the introduction of the vCard system made the whole idea of managing contacts a lot easier. vCard files usually include the name and address of a person, but depending on the situation the amount of data included in it might also provide things such phone number, mail, audio clip, URL, logo and other data.

vCards can be exchanged via networks or, in many situations, they are sent via mail. All data is stored in a VCF file and there are different size limitations, depending on the software that is used to create the vCard in the first place.

In the case of Outlook, you will be able to read only one contact from a vCard file, even if there are multiple ones included in that particular file. In fact, even when you try to write a vCard file with outlook, you will be able to include only a single contact data within in.

This particular limit exists because Outlook tries to limit the mass data exchanges that have become abusive in recent years, and instead, it allows each business to focus on a single client at a time. While understandable, the sheer fact that you are limited to sending or creating a single contact for each VCF is a major downside for Outlook, especially in the business environment where massive amounts of data need to be sent quickly in order to maintain a good productivity.

However, there are ways to export all contacts as vCard files and combine to a single file:

Unfortunately, if you need to import multiple vCard files to Outlook, or split large multiple contact vCard file into individual contacts, there is no other way, but to use additional software, such as vCard Import-Export.