What is the CONTACT file format?
A .contact file is an XML-format contact record used by Windows Contacts, the address-book application Microsoft introduced with Windows Vista to replace the older .wab Windows Address Book. Each file stores the full details of exactly one person - name, email addresses, phone numbers, postal addresses, and an optional embedded photo - in a plain-text XML document under the urn:schemas-microsoft-com:windows:contacts namespace.
The file begins with a standard <?xml declaration and a root <c:contact> element. Every data sub-element carries a c:ElementID GUID and a c:CreationDate timestamp, letting Windows track individual field-level history. Files are typically small (1 KB - 50 KB), growing noticeably larger only when a contact photo is embedded as Base64-encoded data.
Windows stores each user's contacts in %USERPROFILE%\Contacts. The folder can hold thousands of individual .contact files - one per person - and the Windows Contacts application surfaces them as an address book. The format's XML schema has remained structurally unchanged from Vista through Windows 11, though the Contacts app is barely visible in the modern Windows UI.
To share contacts with other applications or platforms, export or convert .contact to a .vcf vCard file, which is the cross-platform standard for contact interchange. Classic Microsoft Outlook can also import .contact directly. Because the format is plain XML, any text editor - including Notepad - can display the raw content.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWA .contact file is plain XML data with no executable code, so it is low risk to open. The only real concern is privacy: it can contain personal details (and an embedded photo) for the person, so treat it like any address-book data. Be wary of unexpected .contact attachments only insofar as they reveal someone's personal information.
Format details
in a nutshellPrograms that open CONTACT files
Windows3 apps
Windows Contacts (built-in)
Built-in Double-click the .contact file - it opens in the Windows contact card. To make many at once, open the Contacts folder (type 'contacts' in the address bar of %USERPROFILE%).
Notepad / any text editor
Built-in Right-click - Open with - Notepad to read the raw XML fields directly.
Microsoft Outlook (classic)
Paid Outlook does not open .contact directly - first export it to vCard from Windows Contacts, then File - Open & Export - Import in Outlook. Technical details
deep spec| File type | XML contact record (plain text) |
| Developer | Microsoft |
| XML namespace | urn:schemas-microsoft-com:windows:contacts |
| Root element | <c:contact> with Windows Contacts namespace prefix |
| Character encoding | UTF-8 (UTF-16 with BOM also supported) |
| File signature | 3C 3F 78 6D 6C ("<?xml") at byte offset 0 |
| MIME type | text/x-vcard; also application/x-mscontact |
| Records per file | Exactly one contact (person) |
| Typical file size | 1 KB - 50 KB; grows when a photo is embedded |
| Photo storage | Base64-encoded image data embedded inline in the XML |
| Element tracking | Each sub-element carries a c:ElementID GUID and c:CreationDate timestamp |
| Default storage path | %USERPROFILE%\Contacts (one file per person) |
| Supported OS | Windows Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, 10, 11 |
| Stored data fields | Name variants, email addresses, phone numbers, postal addresses, notes, optional photo |
| Predecessor format | .wab (Windows Address Book) binary, replaced by .contact in Vista |
| Cross-platform interchange | Export to vCard (.vcf) for use outside Windows |
| Released | 2006 (Windows Vista, replacing the .wab Windows Address Book) |
| Latest version | Windows Contacts schema (Vista era; unchanged through Windows 11) |
| Specification | learn.microsoft.com |
CONTACT conversions
Community Q&A
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