TSV to VCF Converter

Convert your Tab-Separated Values (TSV) contact files to VCF (vCard) format for seamless contact management integration.

Step 1: Upload TSV File
Select your TSV (Tab-Separated Values) file containing contact information

TSV Format Requirements

For optimal conversion results, your TSV file should follow these formatting guidelines:

Required Structure

  • Header row: First row should contain column names
  • UTF-8 encoding: Supports international characters
  • Tab separated: Use tabs (\\t) to separate columns
  • Clean data: Remove or escape newlines within fields

Recommended Column Names

  • Name, Full Name, Display NameNames
  • Email, Email AddressEmail
  • Phone, Mobile, Home PhonePhone
  • Company, OrganizationWork
  • Address, Street AddressAddress

✅ Good Example

Name	Email	Phone
John Doe john@email.com 555-0123
Jane Smith jane@email.com 555-0456

⚠️ Common Issues

  • • Missing header row
  • • Mixed tabs and spaces
  • • Embedded newlines in fields
  • • Inconsistent column count

💡 Pro Tips

  • • Use consistent field formatting
  • • Validate tab separators
  • • Clean empty rows first
  • • Test with small samples

How to Export TSV from Different Platforms

📊Microsoft Excel

  1. 1. Open your Excel contact file
  2. 2. Click FileSave As
  3. 3. Choose Text (Tab delimited) (*.txt)
  4. 4. Click Save
  5. 5. Use saved file for conversion

🌐Google Sheets

  1. 1. Open your contact spreadsheet
  2. 2. Click FileDownload
  3. 3. Select Tab-separated values (.tsv)
  4. 4. Save the downloaded file
  5. 5. Upload to the converter

🗄️Database Export

  1. 1. Query your contact database
  2. 2. Export results as TSV/Tab-delimited
  3. 3. Include column headers
  4. 4. Use UTF-8 encoding
  5. 5. Upload to converter

🔧Programming Tools

  1. 1. Use tab character (\\t) as delimiter
  2. 2. Include header row with field names
  3. 3. Escape special characters properly
  4. 4. Save as .tsv or .txt file
  5. 5. Convert using our tool

📄LibreOffice Calc

  1. 1. Open contact spreadsheet
  2. 2. Go to FileSave As
  3. 3. Select Text CSV (.csv)
  4. 4. Set Tab as field separator
  5. 5. Save and upload for conversion

🏢CRM Systems

  1. 1. Access your CRM contact export
  2. 2. Select TSV as export format
  3. 3. Choose contact fields to include
  4. 4. Download the exported file
  5. 5. Convert to VCF format

TSV to VCF Field Mapping

Our converter intelligently maps your TSV columns to VCF fields. Here's how different TSV column names are interpreted:

Name Fields

Name, Full Name, Display Name→ FN
First Name, Given Name→ First
Last Name, Family Name, Surname→ Last
Middle Name, Middle Initial→ Middle

Contact Fields

Email, Email Address, E-mail→ EMAIL
Phone, Phone Number, Mobile→ TEL
Home Phone, Home→ TEL;HOME
Work Phone, Business Phone→ TEL;WORK

Work & Address

Company, Organization, Org→ ORG
Job Title, Title, Position→ TITLE
Address, Street Address→ ADR
Website, URL, Homepage→ URL

How to Convert TSV to VCF

1

Upload TSV File

Select your TSV file containing contact data

2

Map Fields

Match TSV columns to VCF contact fields

3

Download VCF

Get your converted VCF file ready for import

When to Use TSV to VCF Conversion

🗄️

Database Exports

Convert contact data exported from databases, CRMs, or data management systems to VCF for contact app import.

⚙️

Data Processing

Transform programmatically generated contact lists or API responses in TSV format to VCF for mobile devices.

📊

Analytics Export

Convert contact data from analytics platforms or reporting tools to VCF format for customer relationship management.

🔧

System Migration

Migrate contacts between systems where source exports TSV and destination requires VCF contact format.

📱

Mobile Import

Convert tab-delimited contact lists to VCF for easy import into smartphone and tablet contact applications.

🏢

Enterprise Data

Transform employee directories or customer databases in TSV format to VCF for distribution and contact sharing.

Troubleshooting TSV Conversion Issues

❌ File Not Loading

If your TSV file won't load:

  • Check file format: Ensure it's a .tsv or .txt file with tab separators
  • File encoding: Save as UTF-8 to support international characters
  • Tab validation: Verify file uses actual tab characters, not spaces
  • File content: Open in text editor to verify tab-separated structure

⚠️ Field Mapping Issues

If fields aren't mapping correctly:

  • Column headers: Use standard names like "Name", "Email", "Phone"
  • Embedded tabs: Remove tab characters within field values
  • Column alignment: Ensure consistent number of tabs per row
  • Special characters: Escape or remove characters that break TSV format

🔧 Data Quality Issues

For better conversion quality:

  • Clean separators: Ensure only tabs are used as field separators
  • Consistent formatting: Use consistent phone number and date formats
  • Remove newlines: Eliminate line breaks within individual fields
  • Validate structure: Check that all rows have the same number of columns

✅ Optimization Tips

For best results:

  • Test first: Convert a small sample to verify field mapping
  • Backup originals: Keep copies of your original TSV files
  • Review output: Check converted VCF contacts before importing
  • Import gradually: Import converted contacts in batches for large files

Frequently Asked Questions

What TSV formats are supported?

We support standard TSV formats including database exports, Excel tab-delimited files, and custom TSV files. The converter automatically detects common field names and tab separators.

How do I prepare my TSV file?

Ensure your TSV has a header row with column names like "Name", "Email", "Phone". Use UTF-8 encoding for international characters and verify that tabs are used as field separators.

Can I convert large TSV files?

Yes! The converter can handle large TSV files with thousands of contacts. Processing happens entirely in your browser, so very large files may take a few seconds to complete.

Will all my TSV columns be included in the VCF?

Standard contact fields (name, email, phone, address, company) will be mapped to VCF. Custom or unusual column names may not be recognized, but you can manually map them during conversion.

Is my data secure during conversion?

Absolutely! All conversion happens directly in your browser using JavaScript. Your TSV files never leave your device, ensuring complete privacy and security.

What vCard version is generated?

You can choose between vCard 2.1, 3.0, and 4.0 formats. vCard 3.0 is recommended as it offers the best compatibility across different devices and contact management systems.