An Outlook Contact is the core data record (name, email, phone) you save, while an Outlook Business Card (or vCard) is a customizable, visual representation of that contact's info, designed for easy sharing, looking like a digital version of a physical business card with fields, logos, and formatting. Think of the Contact as the raw data entry and the Business Card as the polished, shareable graphic/file (vCard) you attach to emails or display visually.
A contact card is slightly different from a business card. Typically, a business card has a person's name and job title, the company's name and logo, a work number, and a work email address. A contact card, on the other hand, will contain more personal information, such as: Social media profiles.
A business card in Outlook email enables you to send your contact information in a format that can be easily read by the recipient of your email. This is often referred to as a vCard. It is saved as a . vcf file, which is the Internet standard for sharing contact information.
Open Outlook. Go to People view (bottom left) On the Home tab, choose Current View > Business Card.
The contact card displays detailed information about people and provides one-click access to several ways of communicating with someone. For example, you can send an instant message, start a call, or send an email message directly from someone's contact card.
The contact card displays information about people and provides several ways to communicate with someone. For example, you can send an instant message, start an audio or video call, or send an email message directly from someone's contact card.
Outlook contacts lets you store personal contacts' data, and is part of the Outlook messaging hub in Microsoft 365. Through Outlook, you can manage emails, schedule meetings, find information about users in an organization, initiate online conversations, share files, and collaborate in groups.
Use Office Lens to scan a business card to add a contact to Outlook mobile. Or search and add a contact in just a few taps. Note: This functionality is currently supported in English only.
Scanning business cards into Google Contacts is a simple and efficient way to keep all your business contacts in one place. Instead of manually typing in contact information, you can quickly scan the business card and let Google Lens recognize the information for you.
Unlike paper cards that can easily get lost or damaged, digital cards are securely stored and backed up, ensuring your details are always accessible. They can be updated instantly, allowing you to make changes to your information without having to reprint physical cards.
A business card is a highly personal form of marketing, and does exactly what you need it to. Business cards serve the key purpose of marketing your business and getting your key contact information into your client's hands… all in a matter of seconds. Fundamental to the value of the business card, is its portability.
Choose the contacts you want to forward. Choose multiple contacts by holding down the Ctrl key and selecting each contact. In the Share group, click Forward Contact, and then click As a Business Card. Outlook attaches the vCard to the message and inserts a picture of it in the body of the message.
You can track individual card metrics such as card views, contact saves, unique users, and card views by time, device, city, and location. Note: If you want to track an individual card's engagement metrics, the steps are the same as those used to track overall engagement metrics.
On the Insert tab, select Business Card. Do either of the following: If the vCard you want to add to the message appears in the short list that is displayed, select it. If you want to add one or more vCards that don't appear in the list, select Other Business Cards.
Lead: A new individual or business entity that has entered your database. A raw prospect that you haven't sold to in the past. Your representatives must qualify and vet them before they can move further. Contact: Specifically, an individual whose contact information is in your database and has been qualified.
Add a contact
FAQs about business card information
Add your phone number, email address and website URL—whatever makes it easiest for people to contact you. For physical businesses, include your address to guide customers to your location. These are the most essential business card details, no matter your industry.
Open the contact that you want to send to another person. From the Contact tab on the Ribbon, select Forward. Select one of the following: As a Business Card - to forward the information as a business card attachment in internet format.
The Microsoft Lens app will be retired from iOS and Android devices starting January 9, 2026, and will no longer be supported after February 9. You can continue to scan documents in the app until March 9, 2026.
Yup, it's hiding in plain sight in Google Photos and in your Android phone's camera app. Click the little Google Lens icon (same as the one in the screenshot above, indicated with the red arrow), scan the business card, and then click the little contact chip to add a contact to your Google Contacts.
You can sort your contacts by the first or last name, company, home city, and more. People. Select the View tab from the ribbon, in the Current View group, select View Settings. Select the Sort button, then you can choose from the Sort items by drop down to select how you want your contacts to be sorted.
In Outlook.com, go to Mail. Open an email message in the reading pane, and then select the name of the sender or recipient you want to add to your contacts. > Add to contacts. Note: The contact is automatically saved in your default Contacts folder on the People page.