vCard QR Code Generator
Share your full contact card with a single scan. Free, fast, and your files never leave your device.
The payload this builds, line by line
A contact QR code is not magic. It is a block of plain text in the vCard 3.0 format, and phone camera apps recognise the opening line and offer to save it. This page assembles that text from the seven fields above, then draws it onto a canvas using qrcode-generator, with medium level error recovery built in. Everything happens in your browser and nothing is uploaded to a server. Your details stay with you.
Every record opens with BEGIN:VCARD and VERSION:3.0, then a structured name line N:Last;First;;; and a formatted display name FN:First Last. After that, only the fields you filled in are added: ORG: for organisation, TITLE: for job title, TEL;TYPE=CELL: for phone, EMAIL: for address and URL: for website. The block closes with END:VCARD. At least one of first or last name is required, and leaving the rest blank simply omits those lines rather than writing empty ones.
A worked example
Enter Jane, Doe, Acme Pty Ltd, Marketing Manager, +61 400 123 456, jane@example.com and https://example.com. The encoded text is exactly:
BEGIN:VCARDVERSION:3.0N:Doe;Jane;;;FN:Jane DoeORG:Acme Pty LtdTITLE:Marketing ManagerTEL;TYPE=CELL:+61 400 123 456EMAIL:jane@example.comURL:https://example.comEND:VCARD
Press Download PNG and the canvas is saved as vcard-qrcode.png at the size the modules were drawn, which is the largest whole number of pixels per module that fits inside 300.
Escaping, and why a comma matters
The vCard format treats comma, semicolon and backslash as structural characters. A job title of "Director, Operations" would otherwise be read as two separate values, and an organisation with a semicolon in it would break the line apart. Before anything is written, those three characters are prefixed with a backslash, so "Director, Operations" is encoded as Director\, Operations and reassembled correctly by the receiving phone. You do not have to do anything, but it explains why a scanned result looks clean even when your details contain punctuation.
Where a contact QR earns its place
- The back of a printed business card, so a new contact is saved without anyone typing a phone number wrongly.
- A conference lanyard or exhibitor stand at a trade show, where people are collecting details quickly.
- A tradesperson's ute door or a market stall sign, so a passer by can save your number on the spot.
- The footer of an email signature or a PDF quote, giving the reader a one scan way to add you.
- A staff noticeboard or reception desk, listing the right person to contact for each department.
- A real estate board or open home flyer, where agents want the enquiry to arrive without friction.
Limits and things to check
More text means a denser QR code with smaller modules, and dense codes are harder to scan from a distance or from a small print. If you fill in every field with long values, print the result at least 25 mm square and test it before ordering a thousand cards. Always scan your own downloaded PNG with a real phone before it goes to print, because a mistyped email address is far more expensive on paper than on screen.
What this tool does not cover: postal addresses, a second phone number, fax, a photo, notes, a birthday, social profiles or vCard 4.0 syntax. It also will not add a logo in the centre, change the colours, or produce an SVG. The PNG is plain black on white, which is the most reliable combination for scanning. Anything you type stays on the page, and nothing is stored between visits.
If you need something else
- Encoding a plain link, a phone number or free text is a job for the general QR Code Generator.
- Handing out network access rather than contact details? Go to the WiFi QR Code page.
- Designing the card itself is handled by Business Card Maker.
- For a matching sign off in your mail client, see Email Signature Generator.
- Sole traders adding contact details to paperwork may also want the Invoice Generator plus our write up of invoicing basics for Australian sole traders.
Building a card costs nothing. Where your credit has been used up, a brief rewarded advert runs beforehand, and at no point is an account involved.
Questions and answers
Which vCard version does this produce?
Version 3.0, which is the most widely supported flavour across iOS, Android, Outlook and Google Contacts. Version 4.0 exists but is handled less consistently by phone camera apps.
Do I have to complete every field?
No. Only a first or last name is required. Any field left blank is left out of the record entirely, which also keeps the QR code less dense and easier to scan.
Will a phone camera recognise it without an app?
Yes on current iPhones and Android handsets. The camera detects the BEGIN:VCARD opening and offers to create a contact. Older devices may need a dedicated scanner app.
What happens to a comma in my job title?
Commas, semicolons and backslashes are escaped with a backslash before encoding, so a title like Director, Operations arrives intact instead of splitting into two values.
Can I make one for everyone in my team?
Yes. Fill in each person's details, download their PNG, then clear the fields and do the next one. Each download is named vcard-qrcode.png, so rename as you go.