vCard QR code generator for business cards

A QR code that saves your contact details in one scan

Paper business cards tend to end up in a drawer, and copying a number by hand invites typos. Put a vCard QR code on the back of your card and the other person simply points their phone at it: the phone offers to add a ready-filled contact with your name, organisation, phone numbers, email, website and address. The same code works on screen too, on the last slide of a presentation, a conference badge, a shop window or the footer of a quote.

This page makes the code, the matching .vcf file and a preview of the card. Everything happens in your browser: your details are not sent anywhere.

How to use it

1. Fill in the fields you need: "First name", "Last name", "Organisation", "Job title", "Mobile phone", "Work phone", "Email", "Website", the address and a "Note" if you want one.
2. Pick the "Format": "vCard 3.0 (full)" or "MECARD (shorter)".
3. Check the "Card preview" and, if you are curious, the "Text encoded in the QR code".
4. Set the colours, error correction, quiet zone and size, then click "Download PNG" or "Download SVG". "Download the .vcf file" gives you a contact card to attach to an email.

Spaces, dots and brackets are stripped from phone numbers, so type them in international format, +44 7700 900123, and they will still dial from abroad. A website entered without https:// gets it added automatically.

Which fields should you fill in?

The more you add, the denser the code gets and the bigger it has to be printed. On a standard 85 × 55 mm card, stick to the essentials: a name, one phone number, an email and perhaps your website. The address and a note are better suited to a poster or a screen. With no first or last name, the organisation becomes the contact's name.

Example: a bakery in Bristol entering its organisation, the job title "Manager", a +44 mobile, an email, its website and its postal address gets a 273-byte vCard 3.0, which means a version 12 QR code (65 × 65 modules) at error correction M. At 0.4 mm per module, quiet zone included, allow about 3 cm across. As a MECARD, the same details shrink to 163 bytes and version 9 (53 × 53 modules), so 2.5 cm is enough. From version 15 the tool tells you the minimum print size it recommends; from version 25 it suggests trimming the card.

vCard or MECARD?

vCard 3.0 is the contact format address books understand most widely. It separates mobile and work numbers, keeps the job title, splits the address into street, town, postcode and country, and handles accents thanks to UTF-8 encoding. Commas, semicolons, backslashes and line breaks are escaped, and every line ends in CRLF, as the standard requires.

MECARD fits on a single line and makes a lighter code that is easier to scan at small sizes. The trade-off: it has no job title field and puts the whole address in one field. Choose it when space is tight.

Frequently asked questions

Can I edit a QR code after printing it?

No. The code is static: it holds your details directly, with no link to a server. If your number or address changes, make a new code and reprint your cards. In return, there is no subscription and it never expires.

Will names with accents come through correctly?

Yes. The text is encoded in UTF-8, which recent phones read properly, so words such as "Café" or "Zürich" arrive intact in the address book.

Are my details kept anywhere?

They never leave your browser. The "Remember these details on this device" box keeps them only on the device you are using, so you do not have to type everything again; untick it to clear them.