# how to export your contacts as Markdown

Apple's built-in route is vCard: select contacts in the Contacts app, File > Export > Export vCard. It is free and works for moving contacts into another address book. vCard files are for importing into other apps, not for reading or searching as text.

## contacts as Markdown

[Notes Exporter](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/notesexporter/id6741618455?mt=12) exports every contact card as a Markdown file: phones, emails, addresses and groups, with YAML front matter. Two things vCard does not do:

- your people and your conversations cross-link — a contact's page lists your iMessage conversations with them, and each conversation links back to the person
- it keeps syncing: edit a contact and the file updates automatically

Plain files work in Obsidian, in backups, and as context for AI tools ([use in Claude](/apps/notes-exporter/notes/claude)).

Your first 100 contacts export and re-sync free. Unlimited contacts are a one-time $4.99 (US price, [adjusted per country](/apps/notes-exporter/pricing)) — not a subscription.

[Download Notes Exporter for Mac](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/notesexporter/id6741618455?mt=12)

More: [export iMessage conversations](/apps/notes-exporter/messages) · [faq](/apps/notes-exporter/faq)