Frequently asked questions
These cover how vCard QR codes work, which phones support them, what fields to include, and the tradeoffs of using one for a business card or conference badge.
FAQ
What is a vCard QR code, and how does it work?
A vCard QR code encodes your contact details — name, organization, phone, email, website, address — in the standard vCard 3.0 format (the same format used by phone address books and many CRM systems for decades). When you scan the QR with a modern phone camera, the operating system reads the encoded fields and offers to add them to your contacts as a single tap. The QR is just a way to deliver the same data you'd otherwise type by hand. The format is supported by the built-in camera apps on iOS 11+ and modern Android, and by every third-party QR scanner worth using.
FAQ
Which phones can scan vCard QR codes?
Most modern smartphones, but support is slightly less consistent than WiFi QR codes. iOS 11 and later (any iPhone from the 5s onward) recognizes vCard QRs through the built-in camera app and offers to add the contact directly. Android 10 and later usually supports it via the camera app or Google Lens, though the exact UX depends on the OEM (Samsung, Pixel, Xiaomi, and Huawei all handle it slightly differently). On older Android versions or some third-party scanners, the contact may show up as raw text instead of being added automatically — the user can still see all the fields and tap to save, but it takes an extra step.
FAQ
What fields should I include in a contact QR?
The minimum useful contact has a name (first, last, or organization) and at least one way to reach you (phone, email, or website). Beyond that, include whatever the recipient is most likely to need: a job title for networking events, a website for professional contexts, a full address for in-person businesses like real estate, accounting, or in-home services. There's no penalty for adding more fields — vCard QRs handle multiple lines of contact info without growing too dense to scan. The contact card preview on this page shows exactly which fields will appear when someone scans your code.
FAQ
Should I print this on a business card?
Yes, this is one of the strongest use cases. The contact card preview is designed to print cleanly onto a business card, sticker, name badge, or conference table tent. Click 'Print contact' to trigger your browser's print dialog with a stylesheet that hides everything except the contact card and centers it on a clean white page. You can also download the QR as PNG or SVG and embed it in your own business card template — the vector SVG is the right choice for professional print runs, and the high-resolution PNG works well for inline use in design tools.
FAQ
Why didn't all the fields show up in my phone's contact app?
vCard 3.0 has dozens of optional fields, and not every phone OS or contact app respects every one. The most universally supported fields are the name (FN/N), organization (ORG), title (TITLE), one phone (TEL), one email (EMAIL), one website (URL), and one address (ADR). This calculator emits all of those when you fill them in. If a field is missing from your phone after scanning, it's almost always because your phone's contact app doesn't render that specific field type — try a different scanner app, or open the same QR on iOS to confirm the data is in there. The plain-text vCard payload below the download row shows exactly what's encoded.
FAQ
Is anything I enter here stored or sent anywhere?
No. Everything runs in your browser. The QR is generated locally by a JavaScript library, your contact details are never transmitted, and the page makes no network requests for the calculation. Nothing you enter is logged, stored, or sent to Everyday Tools Hub or anywhere else. The PNG and SVG downloads are generated and triggered entirely client-side.