vCard QR Code Generator

Make a contact QR code in vCard 3.0 or compact MeCard format, plus a matching .vcf file. PNG or SVG download, checked by a built-in scanner.

A vCard QR code puts a business card into one square: point a phone camera at it and the "add contact" screen opens with the name, numbers, email and address already filled in. This generator writes the card in vCard 3.0 (RFC 2426) or the shorter MeCard format, draws the code, decodes it again to prove it scans, and also gives you a .vcf contact file. It runs in your browser, so the details never leave your device.

How to use this tool

Choose vCard 3.0 (read by iPhone, Android and Outlook) or MeCard (fewer characters, so a smaller code).
Fill in only what you want to share. Empty fields are left out of the card.
Set the error-correction level, image size, colours and PNG or SVG download.
Check that the scan check says Passed, then download the code and the .vcf file.

Formula

BEGIN:VCARD · VERSION:3.0 · N:Last;First;;; · FN:First Last · ORG · TITLE · TEL;TYPE=CELL · TEL;TYPE=WORK · EMAIL · URL · ADR;TYPE=WORK:;;street;city;;postcode;country · NOTE · END:VCARD

Each line ends with CRLF. In text values a backslash, comma and semicolon become \\, \, and \;, and a line break becomes \n (RFC 2426 §4). MeCard is one line, MECARD:N:Last,First;TEL:…;EMAIL:…;;, with backslash, semicolon, colon and comma escaped. Text is stored as UTF-8, so accented names survive.

Example

A card with only Jane Doe is five lines: BEGIN:VCARD, VERSION:3.0, N:Doe;Jane;;;, FN:Jane Doe and END:VCARD. That is 65 bytes, which needs a version 5 code (37 × 37 modules) at level M. The default card, with company, job title, mobile, email and website, is 187 bytes (version 10, 57 × 57 modules); as MeCard the same details take 107 bytes (version 7), because MeCard drops the title and the line headers are shorter.

Frequently asked questions

vCard or MeCard — which should I pick?

vCard 3.0 is read by the camera apps on iPhone and Android and by virtually every scanner app, and it keeps the job title and phone types. MeCard is shorter, so the code has bigger modules and scans from further away, but it has no title field. Test either one on the phones your contacts use.

Why vCard 3.0 and not 4.0?

Some phones and older Outlook versions still import 4.0 badly; 3.0 is the safest choice.

Can I add a photo or logo to the contact?

Not inside the code: a photo is thousands of bytes, more than a QR code holds (at most 2,953 bytes, at level L). Add your website instead.

What is the .vcf file for?

It is the same contact as a file. Attach it to emails, put it on your website, or import it into Google Contacts, Apple Contacts or Outlook.

Sources

Last updated: 2026-10-30