Uploading multiple vCards to Google Contacts

29Mar/1057

Uploading multiple vCards to Google Contacts

As you can see from my last post, I've been messing around with my contacts list as of late. I'm trying to get as much info on these people as possible. Stuff like their birthdays and anniversaries, mailing addresses, emails, phone numbers, etc. While I'm putting all of this together, I'm also adding pictures for everyone on their vCard; a head shot for friends and the company logo for business contacts. Since I'm using Outlook 2007 as my main mail program, it's pretty easy to get all of this stuff in one place. The only problem I was running across was, like I said in the last post, Google was screwing with my contacts list. First off, you can only import 2 types of files to Google; a vCard file and a CSV. You can't upload a .pst file which would contain all of my contacts' pictures. The CSV file does move all the info I want except the pictures, and the vCard file moves everything, but you have to do it one at a time... or do you?

Click on the business card for the full vCard.

For those of you that don't know what I'm talking about, this is what a Business card vCard looks like in Outlook if I were to email it to you. It's a .vcf file and contains all kinds of rich information on the back end. There's a link under the picture for you to download a full vCard for the president. There's also tons of other formats out there to store your contacts; everything from simple text files all the way to QR codes. If you have an app on your phone that does 3D barcodes, snap a pic of that one and you'll get the same info that's in the vCard.

Now, back to what I was originally talking about. Seeing as I want all that rich information in my contacts and I want to import them into Google, I need to use a vCard. I don't want to have to upload 239 individual files, so this is what I'm going to do.

Go to your contacts in Outlook and highlight them all (ctrl-A). Right click and "Send Full Contact" then "In Internet Format (vCard)". Depending on how many contacts you have, you may have to split them up into groups. I did...
An email should pop up with a bunch of attachments. Send that email to yourself.
From the email you just sent to yourself, highlight all the attachments, right-click, save as. Save them somewhere easy to access.
Open up a command line. (Windows Key + R, then type "cmd" and press OK)
Navigate to the folder where you saved the contacts. I saved them in C:\contacts, so we'll use that.
The command to type from the directory you have saved your contacts is:
copy /B *.vcf all_contacts.vcf
This will create a file in that directory called "all_contacts.vcf". In that file will be the vCards of all of your contacts.
Now you just go to Google.com/contacts, click "Import" on the right side of the page, and upload that file!

It's pretty easy when you think about it. I don't know of any way to do this from the GUI, so you're going to have to use the command line. Once you have everything uploaded to Google Contacts, you should be set. All you pictures and information should have been transferred and now you have a full backup of your contacts list should your computer crash! I also use the same contacts list on my Windows Mobile phone, so I have multiple backups of my contacts list. I'll never have to run around trying to rebuild it after losing my phone again!!!

-Greg

Tagged as: 2007, anniversary, birthday, CLI, command line, contacts, export, gmail, Google, GUI, import, multiple, obama, outlook, vcard, Windows Leave a comment

adam j

Hi Greg, interesting comments. i recently got a windows mobile 6.5 phone (HTC HD2) and needed to transfer some contacts into google. I used a program called “vcard expert”, downloaded from the windows phone marketplace. it saved the contacts into a .vcf file that was recognized by google. cleaner approach than dealing with lots of vcf files. adam
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TC

Big thanks for this, after 30 seconds uploading individual vCards I gave up and started googling. This was really helpful.
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it helps me a lot
skibomb

I’m confused about the command line i go through the copying but i cannot find the master file, can you help me please the .vcf’s are located in B:/Addresses
http://www.gregoryledet.com Greg Ledet

I’m not going to ask why you have a B: drive in this day and age, I’ll just give you what you need to do.

Once you open up the command line, just type “B:” first. That will bring you to the B: drive. Once there, type “cd Addresses” and you’ll be in the folder where your addresses is.
lucy haddin

It’s a great article comments and so nice your product. keep ruling on post. thanks……………….
Toma Ruzic

Great tip! Works!!
RicK

Thanks…
kenjiro

GREAT!!! It’s WORKK!!! Thx MAN!
Many THANKS from GREECE

T H A N K Y O U
Bsp131

I have tried B *.vcf all contacts.vcf like you said and get “B is not recognized as external or internal command , operable program or batch file. I tried it usind C and tried it without B or C. Got same message. what am I doing wrong?
thanks.
http://www.gregoryledet.com Greg Ledet

You’re using the wrong slash…
Bsp131

I tried it again and now I keep on getting “syntax of the command is incorrect” can you please print out the command again. my file is in the C drive and named contacts. thank you.
http://www.gregoryledet.com Greg Ledet

Copy and paste from above. Which version of Windows are you using?
Bsp131

I am using Windows XP. That worked but now I am getting the message “can’t find specified file.” The file is there and I named it contacts so I can’t understand what is happening.
James Andariese

Thanks for the info. also a small edit (I realize it’s many years later but it’s still showing up on google so here ya go): a QR code is a 2d bar code, not 3d. 3d would be holographic.

Also, if there is only a single contact imported after this, here’s a workaround:

before doing the copy /b, type
notepad blankline.txt
when it starts, it will ask if it should create a file; say yes.
hit enter so the file has a single return in it.
save and exit.
now run
for %f in (*.vcf) do type blankline.txt >> %f

continue with step 6.
It might be worthwhile to backup the vcards before doing all this just in case it doesn’t help (or perhaps hurts).

YMMV
Sverrelitleskare

god bless you
Arun Tej

Hey.. It was li’l confusing for the first two attempts for a non programming people like me.. But, GREAT.. Its working.. Thanks TON
Arun Tej

Hey.. It was li’l confusing for the first two attempts for a non programming people like me.. But, GREAT.. Its working.. Thanks TON
Nissan Patel

i keep getting syntax of the command is incorrect what to do
Nissan Patel

someone plz help me out im not computer programming savvy so plz help me
http://www.gregoryledet.com Greg Ledet

Copy the command exactly as shown.
Loknath_sudhakar

gud info…thank u very much….
Daniele Maccari

Thanks man, you saved my life
Acominato

tks!!!!
Sonimanjari

thanks
very helpful
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thank you it helps a lot!
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Anuroop

Thank you Greg. I was having a big trouble having to upload 600 vcard files. Now I did it within a minute. Thanks a lot.
Sadesh

Works perfectly… Thank you Greg
Simcha

I didn’t realize the vCard format could hold multiple contacts. How did you figure that part out? As an old DOS hand, I love the simplicity and directness of your solution.
Ben Williams

You absolute star thank you. What a hassle and haven’t had to resort to cmd line stuff since my Commodore 64 days!! Google are kidding themselves if they think they are ready to be taken seriously as a software and business management provider (this is fundamental). Only thing is the instructions for navigating once at CMD (using for example) is not explicit enough for us tech-losers and had to web search “how to navigate using CMD Line”. But you did all the hard work and pasting your cmd in once at the correct location worked first time for about 65 contacts (created single vCard that imported to Google no problems). Top of the class for you; and big cross/Fail/kick-in-pants to Google Developers. LISTEN TO YOUR CLIENTS GOOGLE. You want us to use your blooming mail service then how about a facility to import our Outlook contacts; I mean really….it’s the 21st Century yeah? Can’t believe a $100b Corporation and we are even having this hassle!
Awbalboa

Thanks! I need the pictures from my Outlook 2007 contacts into the format they were when they were put into Outlook. I do not have the originals (previous employees did not save). I tried just copying the image and pasting in Microsoft Paint, but then it is tiny and does not enlarge clearly. I have the .pst file, but that doesn’t get me the individual photos. Anyway to get the photo collection out of the .pst?
Saajidarbee

thankyou you are a life saver
Bsp131

Hi, I have followed your instructions before and was able to copy my files. Now I tried it again and I get a pop-up box that says “choose the program you want to use to open this file.” What program shiould I pick. Or is this somethng that is not supposed to happen. Thanks for your help.
Bsp131

sorry, I forgot the cmd. I got to the right area but when put in copy /B *.vcf all_contacts.vcf ,it says it cannot find the file, 0 files copied. please help
Bluejamie

I’ve tried this and created the file, but when I tell Google to import the file, nothing happens. It acts as if I’ve imported it but I get no new contacts. Would be grateful for help?
Confused

Thank you so much. The command worked, but when I try to upload it to Google, nothing happens. It seems to accept the file and even looks like it is processing for a few seconds, but then nothing. No prompts, no new contacts, etc.

Any ideas as to what is happening and what I should do next?
Violynn17

I saved all my vcard contacts to a single file, but when I tried to open the “all… vcf” file in outlook 2010 and it only opened one card. How do I get it recognize all of the entries?
Junior

excellent, worked for my 1000+ vcf files. Thanks!
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thank you for the info! it totally worked!!
Haim_shp

I used nbuexplorer to extract contacts from nokia backup file, then used the cmd + copy… line to unify all contacts to one file, then imported the
all_contacts.vcf to gmail. the import to gmail worked without problems, didn’t need to add spaces or anything.
Rajachib

Thanks alot… I too got all my contacts in gmail and then into my phone with no effot at all
Tim Roberts

Thank you VERY VERY VERY much for this post. I have over 250 contacts and to add them 1 at a time, was going to be killer! Thank you!
Sharat

not working for me… file is created all fine.. but when i upload it to gmail contacts, error shows up ” unknown error occured while importing your contacts”
Mohammad ZeinEddin

Thanks a lot man… this worked fine with me…

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