Steps to Transfer Lotus Notes Contacts to vCard VCF File

The Personal Address Book of Lotus Notes gets saved in names.nsf file. For every contact detail, a document is created that follows a systematic technique to store information. For example:

  • There is an index created for contacts in an alphabetical order. It's the requirement of user to sort names by the first or last name.
  • The contacts can also be categorized: For example contacts can be saved in categories: Family, Friends and Business etc. The group will have the list of person assigned to specific category.
  • The Birthdays and anniversaries can also be saved for every contact in its respective document.

At times, when any of the contact has to be shared with non-Lotus Notes user, exporting names.nsf file to vCard helps. The advantage of vCard is it is small in size, versatile in context to storing different type of information and can be read in number of email clients and Operating Systems (including Smart Phones that works on OS like Android, Blackberry, Windows, iOS etc). Here is the process to export contact details from Lotus Notes to vCard.

How To Export Lotus Notes Contacts to vCard

With Lotus Notes 6, users are provided with the provision to export contacts from names.nsf file to vCard VCF file. Further, the contacts exported as vCard can be attached in mail or forwarded to users of Lotus Notes or other email applications.

Step 1: To start up, select the Contact (s) that is to be saved as vCard. If all entries are to be exported, then directly go to Step 2

Step 2: Now, in the menu bar, go to "File" and click "Export"

Step 3: In the "Save as Type" box, select "vCard 2.1" or "vCard 3.0" box, select "vCard 2.1" or "vCard 3.0"

Step 4: Provide a name for the file where address book information is to be saved. This file will automatically get saved with .vcf file extension

Step 5: Click "Export" option and a dialog box with the name "vCard Export" will pop up on screen

Step 6: To, to make a selection for the contacts those are to be "saved" as vCard, choose any of the following options:

All Documents: All contacts from names.nsf file will be selected to save as VCF

Selected Documents: Contacts selected in 'step1' will be considered for save as VCF process

Step 7: The vCard might be shared with a Lotus Notes user or a non-Lotus user. Depending upon the need, make the selection from following options:

  • International UTF_8): Meant for Lotus Notes users
  • Native Character Set: Meant for Non-Lotus Notes users

A Suggestion: In you want to share the contact details with both Lotus Notes and users of other mail clients, then it is advised to export the contacts twice. Once by selection option 1 and then by selecting option 2.

Step 8: Now, in order to select as what type of data would be required to be saved as vCard, chose any of the following options:

  • All Fields:If the information is to be shared with Lotus Notes users only
  • Only Basic Address Fields: When Contacts are to be shared with users of mail client other than Lotus Notes.

Step 9: Click "OK"