How to Import Excel Contacts to Your Phone (Android & iPhone)

The short version

Phones don't import Excel files. Android's Contacts app and the iPhone both import contacts from a vCard file (.vcf), so the job has three steps: tidy the sheet, convert it into one .vcf file, and import that file on the phone or into the account it syncs with (Google or iCloud).

Do it in your browser: the CSV & Excel to VCF converter reads your .xlsx or .csv, lets you check the columns, fixes +92 numbers, merges duplicates and downloads one .vcf. The file never leaves your device.

1. Prepare the spreadsheet

• One contact per row, with the column names in the first row (for example Name, Mobile, Email, Company, Notes).
• Use separate columns for different things. A second number can go in its own column (Mobile 2) or in the same cell separated by a comma or slash; the converter splits both.
• If you have First Name and Last Name columns, keep them; otherwise one Name column is fine.
• Format the phone column as Text before typing numbers (Format Cells, then Text). Excel otherwise removes the leading 0 from 03001234567, and shows long numbers like 923001234567 in scientific notation.
• Delete rows that are notes or section headings rather than contacts, or leave them: rows with no phone number or email are skipped and listed so you can check them.

Exporting from Google Sheets? Use File, then Download, then Microsoft Excel (.xlsx) or Comma-separated values (.csv). Both work. If you save a CSV from Excel, choose CSV UTF-8 (Comma delimited) so Urdu, Arabic and other non-Latin names are kept; the plain CSV option can turn them into question marks.

2. Convert the sheet to one VCF file

• Open the CSV to VCF converter and upload the .xlsx or .csv (or paste the rows).
• Check the column mapping. Columns are detected from the header names, including Google Contacts exports (Phone 1 - Value, E-mail 1 - Value) and Outlook exports (Mobile Phone, E-mail Address). Change anything that is wrong.
• Turn on +92 formatting if the numbers are Pakistani (see the next section), and keep Merge duplicates on unless you want every row as a separate contact.
• Read the skipped-rows list, fix the sheet if something important is missing, then download the .vcf.

The file is vCard 3.0 with every contact in one .vcf, which is the safest choice for both Android and iPhone.

Pakistani numbers, +92 and WhatsApp

Lists from Pakistan mix formats: 0300-1234567, 0300 1234567, +92 300 1234567, and 3001234567 when Excel has eaten the zero. A number saved as 0300… only dials correctly from a phone set up for Pakistan, while +92300… works from anywhere. WhatsApp's help also asks you to save contacts from another country in full international format: a plus sign, the country code, then the number.

With the +92 option on, the converter writes every Pakistani number as +923001234567. Landlines with an area code, such as 042 35761234, become +924235761234. Numbers that already start with + or 00 and another country code are left alone, and mobile numbers with too many or too few digits are kept as typed and listed for you to check. Leave the option off if your sheet has local numbers from another country, because it treats numbers without a country code as Pakistani.

3. Import on Android

First copy the .vcf to the phone: download it on the phone directly, or send it to yourself by email, a cloud drive, a USB cable or a chat app.

Google Contacts app (the Contacts app on Pixel and many other phones), following Google's help: open Contacts, tap Organize at the bottom (called Fix & manage on older versions), tap Import from file, pick the Google account to save to if you have more than one, then select the .vcf file.

Samsung Contacts app: the import option is usually under the menu, then Manage contacts, then Import or export contacts, then Import. Menu names vary by One UI version; if you can't find it, install Google Contacts and use the steps above.

Saving the contacts to your Google account rather than the phone means they sync to any other Android phone you sign in to, and you can manage them at contacts.google.com.

Import into Google Contacts on a computer

If the contacts should end up in your Google account anyway, a computer is often quickest: go to contacts.google.com, click Import, choose the .vcf file and confirm. Google Contacts also accepts CSV files directly, but converting to .vcf first means you decide which column becomes which field instead of relying on Google's header matching.

Afterwards, open Merge & fix in Google Contacts to combine any duplicates with contacts you already had. The contacts appear on every phone signed in to that Google account with contact sync turned on.

4. Import on iPhone

From the phone: save the .vcf to Files, or email it to yourself and open the attachment in Mail. iOS shows the contacts in the file and offers to add them all; tap that option and choose where to save them if asked.

From iCloud.com (computer or tablet), following Apple's help: go to icloud.com/contacts and sign in, click the plus button, choose Import Contact, and select the .vcf. If the file contains several people, each becomes a separate contact in All Contacts, and they sync to your iPhone when iCloud Contacts is turned on.

If you use Google Contacts on an iPhone instead of iCloud, import the file at contacts.google.com and make sure your Google account is added in the iPhone's Contacts settings with Contacts switched on.

Common problems and fixes

Why convert in the browser

A contact list is personal data: names, phone numbers and often notes about customers or students. Many online converters upload the file to their server to process it. The ToolsWebPro converter reads the spreadsheet with JavaScript on your device and creates the .vcf there, so the list is never sent anywhere. The difference is explained in browser tools vs cloud uploads, and the same idea applies to documents in online PDF tools and privacy.

Other business tools that run the same way: the ICS calendar generator for sending an event everyone can add to their calendar, the WiFi QR code generator for guests, and the free invoice generator. All of them are on the business tools page.