# vCard QR code generator

> Put your name, phone, email and company into a QR code. Scanning opens a prefilled contact card. Free vCard 3.0 generator, no account needed.

Source: https://qr-code-build.com/vcard-qr-code-generator/  
Last reviewed: 2026-08-24  
Publisher: QR Code Builder

## Summary
A vCard QR code encodes contact details in the vCard 3.0 format. When scanned, the phone recognises the format and offers to save a new contact with the fields already filled in. It works offline and does not depend on any app or service.

## vCard 3.0, not MeCard or vCard 4.0
Three formats compete here and only one is reliably safe on both platforms.

| Format | Support | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| vCard 3.0 | iOS and Android, universally | Use this — it is what the generator produces |
| vCard 4.0 | Patchy on older Android | Newer standard, worse real-world results |
| MeCard | Good on Android, weaker on iOS | More compact, less compatible |

The compactness argument for MeCard matters less than it used to. A full vCard with name, title, company, mobile, email and website lands around 180 bytes, which is a version 9 code at level M — perfectly printable at 25 mm.

## Every field you add makes the grid denser
Business cards are small, and a dense code on a small card is a code that does not scan. Add fields in this order and stop when you have what you need:

1. Name and mobile number — the two that matter.

2. Email address.

3. Company and job title.

4. Website.

5. Postal address — the biggest single addition, often 40+ bytes. Skip it unless people genuinely post you things.

Watch the byte counter in the readout as you type. Under 200 bytes keeps you in comfortable territory for a card-sized print at 20–25 mm.

## Placement that survives a real print run
- **20 mm minimum** on a standard 85 × 55 mm card. Below that, module size drops under 0.4 mm and scan failures climb.

- **Keep the quiet zone.** Four empty modules on every side. Bleeding a code to the card edge is the single most common print mistake.

- **Dark on light.** Inverted codes — light modules on a dark background — fail on a meaningful share of older scanners. If your card is black, put the code in a light patch.

- **Matte, not gloss.** Gloss lamination throws camera flash straight back into the lens.

- **Vector, not raster.** Send your printer the [SVG](/qr-code-svg/). A 300 dpi PNG scaled up will show soft edges that confuse the decoder.

## Frequently asked questions
### Does a vCard QR code work on iPhone and Android?
Yes. vCard 3.0 is recognised natively by both. The phone shows a contact preview and an option to save it.

### How much can I put in one contact code?
Technically thousands of bytes, but practically you want to stay under about 300 so the printed grid stays coarse enough to scan from a business card.

### Can I include a photo in the vCard?
You can in the format, but you should not. An embedded photo is tens of kilobytes and produces a code far too dense to print. Link to a profile page instead.

### What happens if I change jobs?
The printed code keeps the old details, because they are encoded in the pattern. If your details change often, encode a link to a contact page you control instead.

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Licence: this page may be quoted with attribution to QR Code Builder (https://qr-code-build.com/vcard-qr-code-generator/).