Free vCard QR Code Generator

Linkly makes dynamic vCard QR codes: scan one and the phone offers to save your name, photo, job title, phone number, email and website as a new contact. You fill in plain fields (no vCard syntax), and you can edit the details at any time — even after the code is printed on your business cards — without changing the QR code.

What is a vCard QR code?

A vCard is the standard file format for contact details (a .vcf file). Every Contacts app on iPhone and Android understands it. A vCard QR code is a QR code that delivers a vCard when scanned, so the person scanning gets your details straight into their address book — no typing, no spelling mistakes, no paper business card to lose.

In Linkly the same thing is called a contact card, because that is what you and the person scanning actually see: a contact, not a file format.

Static vs dynamic vCard QR codes

Most free vCard QR code generators produce a static code: the vCard text is encoded directly into the QR code itself. That is how the vCard QR code format works, and it has three problems:

• It can't be changed. New phone number or job title? Reprint everything.
• It can't be tracked. You will never know whether anyone scanned it.
• It's a dense, ugly code. A vCard is a few hundred characters, which makes a big, hard-to-scan QR code with no room for a logo.

A dynamic vCard QR code points at a short link instead. The link shows a small contact page with a Save contact button. You can edit the details whenever you like, the QR code stays small enough to carry your logo, and every scan shows up in your analytics. Linkly only makes dynamic ones.

vCard QR code with photo

Add a JPG or PNG in the form and it does two jobs. It appears on the contact page the scan opens, and it is embedded in the vCard itself, so the photo lands in the phone's Contacts app along with the name and number. Phones ignore photo links inside vCards, which is why Linkly inlines the image rather than pointing at it.

A head-and-shoulders shot works best; the photo is shown as a circle.

Saving the contact on iPhone and Android

• iPhone: tapping Save contact in Safari opens the details in a New Contact sheet. Tap Create New Contact or Add to Existing Contact.
• Android: the phone downloads the contact file and offers to open it in Contacts (or Google Contacts). One more tap saves it.

The scan itself works with the built-in camera app on both platforms. You do not need a separate QR reader.

vCard QR code for business cards

Print the QR code on the back of your business card, on your email signature, on conference badges, or on a sticker on your laptop. Because the code is dynamic, one design lasts for years: when your title or number changes, update the contact card in Linkly and every printed code keeps working.

For a team, create one contact card link per person. Each has its own QR code, short link and scan count, and attaching your own domain puts them all on your brand.

vCard QR code format

A static vCard QR code encodes text like this:

BEGIN:VCARD
VERSION:3.0
N:Doe;Jane;;;
FN:Jane Doe
ORG:Acme Robotics
TITLE:Head of Sales
TEL;TYPE=CELL:+44 7700 900123
EMAIL:jane@acmerobotics.com
URL:https://acmerobotics.com
END:VCARD

Every extra field makes the QR code denser. Linkly generates this file for you when someone taps Save contact (version 3.0, the one both iPhone and Android import most reliably), so the QR code itself only has to hold a short link.

Related QR code resources

• Create QR Codes - Complete guide to creating dynamic QR codes
• Mailto QR Codes - QR codes that open a pre-filled email
• Add Logo to QR Code - Make branded QR codes with logos
• SVG QR Codes - Create scalable vector QR codes
• QR Code Analytics - Track QR code performance and scans