Free Tool

Free vCard QR Code Generator

Encode your contact details into a QR code. One scan and your name, phone, email, and company save directly to the other person's phone — no app required.

Address (optional)
Note (optional)
#040D12
#ffffff

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vCard preview

Jane Doe

Product Manager · Scanely

📞 +1 555 123 4567

[email protected]

🔗 https://example.com

What is a vCard QR code?

A vCard QR code encodes a digital contact card (vCard 3.0 format, defined in RFC 6350) into a scannable QR. When someone scans it with their phone camera, they're prompted to add you to their contacts in one tap — no manual typing of your phone number or email.

This is the most common QR code on the back of professional business cards. It works on every modern iPhone and Android phone without an app. The full primer on QR codes for printed cards is in our business cards use case.

How to use the QR code

  • Business card back — print a 2–2.5 cm QR in a corner with the label "Scan to save my contact". The most common layout.
  • Email signature — embed the PNG so anyone reading your email on mobile can scan from a second device. Pair with our guide to QR codes in email.
  • Name badges and lanyards — at conferences, replace the awkward "let me get your email" with a scan. Cross-reference our events use case.
  • LinkedIn profile cover or banner — pair with a profile QR for full social-presence coverage.
  • Real estate signage — agents put a vCard QR on yard signs so prospects can save the agent's contact instantly. See QR codes for real estate.

What you can encode

The vCard 3.0 standard supports name, organization, job title, work and mobile phone, email, website URL, work address, and free-form notes. This generator covers all of those. We deliberately don't include photo embedding — embedded photos balloon the QR payload, making the code dense and harder to scan from a printed card.

Sizing for print

A vCard QR has more data than a typical URL QR, so the pattern is denser and needs slightly more physical size to scan reliably. Practical minimums:

  • Business card (close-range scan): 2 cm × 2 cm minimum, 2.5 cm preferred.
  • Name badge (1–2 m): 3 cm × 3 cm.
  • Wall poster (across a small room): 8–10 cm.

Run the exact recommendation through our QR size calculator before sending to print.

Static vCard QR vs dynamic profile QR

The QR generated here is static — all contact details are baked into the pattern. If your phone number or job title changes after you've printed 500 cards, the printed QR is out of date and you can't fix it.

The alternative for people who reprint often (consultants, executives, salespeople) is a dynamic QR code pointing to a hosted contact landing page. You can update the page anytime, and Scanely shows you who scanned which card and when. The trade-off: the dynamic version routes through a short URL, so the recipient lands on a webpage with a "Save contact" button rather than getting the native iOS / Android contact-save prompt directly.

For most people, the static vCard QR here is the right answer. For high-volume networkers or sales teams, the dynamic version covered in our trackable QR guide is worth a look.

Privacy

Everything you type stays in your browser. The QR code is generated client-side using a JavaScript library — your name, phone, email, and address never reach our servers and are not logged or stored.

Want a dynamic version that tracks scans?

Scanely's free plan includes 3 dynamic QR codes and 1,000 scans/month — see who scanned which card.

Frequently asked questions

Will the iPhone save my contact directly when scanned?
Yes. When an iPhone Camera scans a vCard QR code, iOS shows a "Add to Contacts" sheet pre-populated with the fields you encoded. One tap saves the entry to the Contacts app. Same flow on Android with the default Camera or Google Lens.
Should I encode my home address?
Probably not. The address field is meant for a work or business address. Anyone who scans the QR sees what's encoded, so don't print your home address on a stack of business cards left at a conference table.
Why does my QR code look really dense?
vCards encode more data than a simple URL, so the QR pattern is denser. If your generated QR looks like a crowded grid, trim the optional fields (notes, address) or print bigger. Aim for at least 2 cm × 2 cm on a business card.
Can I update my contact info after printing?
Not with a static vCard QR — the data is baked into the pattern. For editable contact details after printing, use a dynamic QR code that points to a hosted contact landing page you can update in your Scanely dashboard.
What's the .vcf file for?
The .vcf download contains the same contact data in a file format that email clients, address books, and CRMs recognize. Useful for attaching to an email signature or importing into your own contacts before you print anything.