Applies to Windows 8, Windows RT

People app for Windows: FAQ

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How do I add contacts to People?

To add a contact list from one of your accounts

  1. On Start, tap or click People

  2. Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, then tap Settings.
    (If you're using a mouse, point to the top-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer down, then click Settings.)

  3. Tap or click Accounts.

  4. Tap or click Add an account, select the type of account you want to add, and then follow the on-screen instructions.

Note

Note

  • As of January 30, 2013, Google no longer supports new EAS (Exchange ActiveSync) connections in some scenarios so how you add contacts to the People app might change. For more info, see How to sync Google services with Windows.

To add contacts one at a time

  1. On Start, tap or click People.

  2. Swipe up from the bottom edge.
    (If you're using a mouse, right-click within the app.)

  3. Tap or click New contact.

  4. Enter the info you want for this contact, and then tap or click Save.

If you want to add several contacts at once, you can import them into one of your other accounts, and they’ll appear in the People app the next time it syncs.

To add a contact from an email

  1. On Start, tap or click Mail.

  2. Tap or click a message and then tap or click the name of the person who sent it or any of the email's recipients.

  3. Add any additional info and then tap or click the save icon.

How do I delete contacts from People?

To delete a contact

  1. On Start, tap or click People.

  2. Tap or click a contact.

  3. Swipe up from the bottom edge.
    (If you're using a mouse, right-click within the app.)

  4. Tap or click Delete.

Note

Note

  • You can only delete your Hotmail or Outlook contacts from the People app. If you've connected other accounts like Google, Facebook, or Skype, you'll need to go to that app or website to delete those contacts.

How do I remove an account?

  1. On Start, tap or click People.

  2. Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, then tap Settings.
    (If you're using a mouse, point to the top-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer down, then click Settings.)

  3. Tap or click Accounts.

  4. Select the account you want to remove.

  5. Tap or click Remove account or Remove all accounts.

This removes the account from People, but doesn’t delete any contacts from the original account. You’ll still be able to get to them when you directly sign in to that account.

Note

Note

  • Removing your Microsoft account (the account you use to sign in to Windows) will remove all your accounts from People, Mail, Calendar, and Messaging. You might want to hide those contacts instead of removing the account.

How can I search my contacts?

Here are a couple of ways to quickly get to a specific contact:

Search

  1. On Start, tap or click People.

  2. Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, then tap Search.
    (If you're using a mouse, point to the top-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer down, then click Search.)

  3. Enter a name, and then tap or click the magnifying glass.

Jump to a letter of the alphabet

  1. On Start, tap or click People.

  2. Touch the Home screen with two or more fingers, and then pinch them toward each other to zoom out. (If you're using a mouse, click the Zoom button The Zoom out button.)

  3. Tap or click the letter of the alphabet that matches the person you’re looking for.

Here are a couple of ways to make sure you can quickly find someone:

Pin a contact to Start

  1. On Start, tap or click People.

  2. Tap or click a person you want to get to quickly.

  3. Swipe up from the bottom edge.
    (If you're using a mouse, right-click within the app.)

  4. Tap or click Pin to Start, enter a name for them, and then tap or click Pin to Start.

That person's profile picture and their Facebook status updates and Tweets will appear as a tile on your Start screen. Tap or click the tile to get to their contact info. From there, you can quickly email, call, or message them.

Make a contact a favorite

  1. On Start, tap or click People.

  2. Tap or click a person you want to get to quickly.

  3. Swipe up from the bottom edge.
    (If you're using a mouse, right-click within the app.)

  4. Tap or click Favorite.

That person's profile picture will stay at the top of your contact list on the home page of People. Tap or click their picture to quickly email, call, or message them.

How can I change which contacts I see?

By default, all contacts from the accounts you've added will appear in your contact list. However, you can filter the list by network. People you know on only that network will be hidden, but if you know someone on multiple networks, they'll still be visible. No matter what you filter out, your favorites won't be hidden, and everyone will be available in search results.

To change which contacts you see

  1. On Start, tap or click People.

  2. Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, then tap Settings.
    (If you're using a mouse, point to the top-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer down, then click Settings.)

  3. Tap or click Options.

  4. Under Filter my contact list, clear the check box next to any networks you want to hide. To see contacts from that network again, select its check box.

To show only the people who are online

  1. On Start, tap or click People.

  2. Swipe up from the bottom edge.
    (If you're using a mouse, right-click within the app.)

  3. If you're not on the home page, tap or click Home. Then tap or click Online only.

To change which updates you see

  1. On Start, tap or click People.

  2. From the home page, tap or click What's new.

  3. Tap or click the arrow next to What's new, and then choose which network you want to see.

How can I link two or more contacts?

In People, you might have two or more contacts for the same person. This is usually because you have contact info for that person on different social network or email accounts (for example, Outlook and Facebook). In most cases, the People app automatically links these contacts so all their info is together. You can always link or unlink contacts. Here's how:

  1. Tap or click the contact you want to link.

  2. Swipe up from the bottom edge.
    (If you're using a mouse, right-click within the app.)

  3. Tap or click Link. Any contact that is already linked appears under Linked profiles.

  4. Do the following:

    • If you see the contact you want to link under Suggestions, tap or click it.

    • If you don't see the contact you want to link, tap Choose a contact, find the right one, and then tap or click Add.

    • If you want to unlink a contact, tap or click it. It'll move to the other side and won't be associated with that person anymore.

  5. Tap or click Save.

What are the keyboard shortcuts for the People app?

The following table contains keyboard shortcuts for the People app.

Press this key To do this

Ctrl+N

Add a contact

Ctrl+S

Save changes

Delete

Delete a contact

Ctrl+F

Make a contact a favorite

Ctrl+Shift+1

Pin a contact to Start

Esc

Go back

Home

Go to beginning of contact list

Page down

Go forward in the contact list

Page up

Go backwards in the contact list

End

Go to end of the contact list