Microsoft is always striving to create a more consistent and streamlined experience across our apps. One example of this is our preview of the new People app (contacts) in the new Outlook for Windows (Preview). The new Outlook for Windows (Preview) is designed to provide a contemporary yet familiar Outlook experience that helps improve your personal productivity and organization.
How to try the new People app
Turn on the Try the New Outlook toggle located in the upper-right corner of your classic Outlook for Windows and follow the on-screen instructions.
You can also select the Try the new Outlook button displayed in the People app banner. Note—this feature is being rolled out carefully over time, so not everyone will see this banner when launching the People app from the task bar.
If you already have a Microsoft account in the classic Outlook for Windows and turn on the Try the new Outlook toggle, your account information should open and sync in the new Outlook for Windows (Preview) automatically.
You can switch back to your previous Outlook experience whenever you want. Just switch the toggle off and it will automatically open your previous version with no data or email loss.
Related topics
Note: Effective January 29, 2021, the People app will no longer be able to be launched directly (for example, through the Start Menu or search bar) in Windows 10. You'll still be able to launch it through the People icons in Mail, Calendar, and other apps.
The People app is your address book. You can add your contacts and keep in touch with friends and family. The People, Mail, and Calendar apps work together so you can easily send mail to and schedule appointments with your most important people. Delete contacts.
Getting started
To ensure that you have the latest version of the People app, check for People app updates in Microsoft Store.
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Select the Start button, then select Microsoft Store .
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Select See more next to your account profile picture.
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Select Downloads and updates.
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Select Get updates, or turn on automatic updates.
The first time you open the People app:
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Select Get Started.
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You'll then be prompted to allow the People app access to your email and calendar.
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If you already have your Microsoft account added to your Windows 10 PC, the app will automatically import contacts from that account. You can also select Import contacts to add another account such as Outlook, Exchange, Google, and iCloud.
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When you're done, select Ready to go.
After that, you can add more accounts at any time:
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Select the Start button, then select People .
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Select Settings .
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Select Add an account , choose the type of account you want to add, and follow the instructions.
If you no longer want an account imported to the People app, you can remove it.
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Select the Start button, then select Settings .
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Select Accounts > Email & accounts.
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Select the email account you want to remove.
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Select Manage.
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Select Delete account from this device and follow the on-screen instructions.
All about contacts
The People app is used to sync all your contacts to your device. You can import contacts from various services, including Outlook, Exchange, Gmail, and iCloud.
Import contacts
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Select the Start button, then select People .
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Select Settings .
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Select Add an account , choose the type of account you want to add, and follow the on-screen instructions to import contacts.
Add contacts one at a time
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Select the Start button, then select People .
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Select the New contact button.
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If you're asked, choose which account to use for saving new contacts. If you've entered more than one email account in Mail, the People app asks you to decide which account should receive the new contact.
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Fill out the New Contact form.
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Select Save.
Add a contact from an email
If you're using the Mail app, you can save a contact from an email to the People app.
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Select the Start button, then select Mail .
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Choose a message. Select the name of the person who sent it or any of the recipients.
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Select Save .
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If you've entered more than one email account in Mail, the People app asks you to decide which account should receive the new contact. Choose which account to use.
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Add any additional information, then select Save.
You can delete contacts from imported accounts and the People app. Deleting the contact removes it from both the imported account and the People app.
Note: The People app can't delete Skype contacts.
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Select the Start button, then select People .
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In the search box, type the name of the contact you want to delete. You'll see a list of contacts as you type. Select the one you want to delete.
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Select the trash can icon , then select Delete.
Or:
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Select the Start button, then select People .
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In the search box, type the name of the contact you want to delete. You'll see a list of contacts as you type. Select the one you want to delete.
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Press and hold (or right-click) the contact, select Delete , and follow the on-screen directions.
When you pin a person to your Start screen, that person's profile picture will appear as a tile on Start. Tap or click the tile to quickly get their contact info.
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Select the Start button, then select People .
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Select a person from your contacts who you want to get to quickly.
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Press and hold (or right-click) the contact, and select Pin to Start .
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In the box that appears, select Yes.
You can edit contacts if their information has changed.
Note: If the contact is linked, you'll need to choose which contact you want to edit.
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Select the Start button, then select People .
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In the search box, type the name of the contact whose info you want to edit. You'll see a list of contacts as you type. Select the one you want.
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Select Edit , and then select Add.
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Make the changes you want, and then select Save.
You can add or change a photo for a contact in your contact list.
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Select the Start button, then select People .
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In the search box, type the name of the contact whose photo you want to add or change. You'll see a list of contacts as you type. Select the one you want.
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Select Edit .
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Select Add photo if the contact has no photo. Select the contact's photo if there is one.
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Select a photo from your device. Then, on the dialog that appears, adjust how the photo will be cropped. When you're finished, select Done.
You can combine duplicate contacts. This way, all their information is combined in a single contact, and nothing gets deleted.
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Select the Start button, then select People .
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In the search box, type the name of the contact whose info you want to combine. You'll see a list of contacts as you type. Choose the one you want.
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Select Find a contact to combine.
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In the search box, type the name of the contact whose info you want to combine with the one you selected. You'll see a list of contacts as you type. Choose the one you want to combine with the one you selected.
In the People app, you can share contacts with people and apps.
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Select the Start button, then select People .
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In the search box, type the name of the contact whose info you want to share. You'll see a list of contacts as you type. Choose the one you want to share.
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At the upper right, select Share .
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Select Share contact.
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Select a person to share the contact with and follow the instructions to send the contact via email, or select an app to share the contact with and follow the instructions to share the contact.
You can select a contact and choose the email address. The People app uses your default mail client to send the email.
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Select the Start button, then select People .
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In the search box, type the name of the contact you want to email. You'll see a list of contacts as you type. Choose the one you want.
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Select Email .
You can see upcoming or recent items exchanged between you and a contact.
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Select the Start button, then select People .
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In the search box, type the name of the contact whose conversations you want to view. You'll see a list of contacts as you type. Choose the one you want.
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Under Conversations, you’ll see recent email messages and other conversations you’ve exchanged. Select any of these to open them.
If you use Microsoft 365 or Microsoft Exchange, you can see the organization chart for contacts who are in your organization.
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Select the Start button, then select People .
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In the search box, type the name of the contact whose organization chart you want to view. You'll see a list of contacts as you type. Choose the one you want.
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Under Org chart, select See more to view the organization chart for the contact.
By default, all contacts from the accounts you've added appear in your contact list. However, you can choose to only see contacts from certain accounts.
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Select the Start button, then select People .
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Select Filter contacts .
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Use the check boxes to select the accounts whose contacts you want to see on your contact list. When you're finished, select Done.
Create a contact group or distribution list in Outlook, Outlook.com, or another email account to send an email to many people at once so that you don't have to add each name to the To, Cc, or Bcc line. To learn how to do that in Outlook for PC, read Create a contact group or distribution list in Outlook for PC.
You can export your contacts from the People app and then import them into other versions of Outlook or a third-party app.
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On the toolbar, select the People icon
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Select Export contacts.
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Select a destination folder and Save. Your contacts are saved as a .csv file.
To learn how to import contacts into Outlook, read Import contacts to Outlook for Windows.
People on the taskbar
With People on the taskbar, you can reach the people you talk to most from the taskbar on your Windows 10 device. By pinning your most-frequent contacts to the taskbar, you can send them an email or call or message them on Skype with just a few clicks.
To get started, select People on the taskbar.
Note: If you don't see People on the taskbar, press and hold (or right-click) the taskbar and make sure Show People on the taskbar has a check mark next to it. If it doesn't, select Show People on the taskbar.
To pin a contact
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Select People on the taskbar.
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Select one of your contacts, or select Find and pin contacts to see all your contacts.
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After you select a contact, they'll appear on the taskbar next to People .
Note: Only the first three contacts you pin show up on the taskbar. Any contacts you pin after that appear under More pinned contacts when you select People on the taskbar.
To unpin a contact
Press and hold (or right click) the contact and select Unpin from taskbar .
To change the order of people on the taskbar, select a contact and drag it where you want it.
If you have more than three pinned contacts, you can move them from the taskbar to People under More pinned contacts, or from People to the taskbar.
After you pin contacts, you can call or message someone on Skype directly from the taskbar.
Note: Your contact must have a Skype account for you to call or message them as a pinned contact on the taskbar.
To call someone on Skype
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Select a pinned contact on the taskbar, or select People and then select a contact.
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Select Skype.
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To start a voice call, select Audio call . To start a video call, select Video call . (Both you and the person you're trying to reach must have a webcam to start a video call.)
To message someone on Skype
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Select a pinned contact on the taskbar, or select People and then select a contact.
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Select Skype.
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Type your message and select Send .
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Select a pinned contact on the taskbar, or select People and then select a contact.
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Select Mail.
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At the bottom of the window, select New .
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Type your email and select Send when you're finished.
When you first open People on the taskbar and select Apps, you'll see tiles for Mail, Skype, and People.
To import contacts from other apps
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Select People > Apps, and then select Get more apps in the Store.
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Choose an app from the list, and on its description page select Get.
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After the app is done installing, select People > Apps and select the app to import contacts.
Note: To import contacts from apps you've added to People, you'll need to be signed in to an account in that app.
The People app is your address book and your social app all in one. You can add your contacts and keep in touch with friends and family on Skype—all from a single app.
Note: The People app for Windows 8/8.1 no longer supports integration with Facebook and Sina Weibo networks due to changes in the connection software from both services. This means that the People app will no longer be able to access information from or share directly to Facebook or Sina Weibo.
All about contacts
Import contacts
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On Start, tap or click People.
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Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, and then tap Settings. (If you're using a mouse, point to the lower-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer up, and then click Settings.)
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Tap or click Accounts.
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Tap or click Add an account, choose the type of account you want to add, and then follow the on-screen instructions.
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.
Add contacts one at a time
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On Start, tap or click People.
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Swipe in from the bottom edge to see the app commands. (If you're using a mouse, right-click within the app.)
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Tap or click New contact.
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Enter the info you want for this contact, and then tap or click the save button .
If you want to add several contacts at once, you can import them into one of the accounts you've already added to the People app, and they’ll appear in the People app the next time it syncs.
Add a contact from an email
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On Start, tap or click Mail.
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Tap or click a message and then tap or click the name of the person who sent it or any of the recipients.
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Tap or click Add contact.
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Add any additional info (if possible) and then tap or click the save button .
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On Start, tap or click People.
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In the search box, enter the name of the contact whose info you want to edit. You'll see a list of contacts as you type—tap or click the one you want.
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Swipe in from the bottom edge to see the app commands. (If you're using a mouse, right-click within the app.)
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Tap or click Edit, make the changes you want, and then tap or click the save button on the screen.
You can only delete your Outlook.com or Outlook contacts from the People app. If you’ve connected other social networks like LinkedIn or Twitter, you’ll need to go to that app or website to delete those contacts.
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On Start, tap or click People.
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In the search box, enter the name of the contact whose info you want to delete. You'll see a list of contacts as you type—tap or click the one you want.
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Tap or click a contact.
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Swipe in from the bottom edge to see the app commands. (If you're using a mouse, right-click within the app.)
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Tap or click Delete.
You can choose to change a photo for a contact in your contact list. Here's how:
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On Start, tap or click People.
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Enter the name of the contact in the search box. You'll see a list of contacts as you type—tap or click the one you want.
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Tap or click the contact's photo (or if there is no photo, the space where it should be), tap or click Change photo, choose a photo and tap or click Open.
Here are a couple of ways to quickly find someone in your contact list:
Search
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On Start, tap or click People.
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Enter the name of the contact in the search box. You'll see a list of contacts as you type—tap or click the one you want.
Jump to a letter of the alphabet
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On Start, tap or click People.
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Tap or click the letter of the alphabet that matches the first name of the person you’re looking for.
By default, all contacts from the accounts you've added will appear in your contact list. However, you can choose to only see contacts from certain accounts. People you know on other networks will be hidden, but if you know someone on multiple networks, they'll still be visible. Also, your favorites won't be hidden no matter what accounts you choose, and everyone will be available in search results.
To change which contacts you see
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On Start, tap or click People.
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Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, and then tap Settings. (If you're using a mouse, point to the lower-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer up, and then click Settings.)
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Tap or click Options.
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Under Show only these contacts, clear the check box next to any networks you want to hide. To see contacts from that network again, select its check box.
When you pin a person to your Start screen, that person's profile picture will appear as a tile on Start. Tap or click the tile to get to their contact info. You can then quickly send them a text message or an email, or call, chat, or get on a video call with them on Skype.
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On Start, tap or click People.
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Tap or click a person you want to get to quickly.
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Swipe in from the bottom edge to see the app commands. (If you're using a mouse, right-click within the app.)
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Tap or click Pin to Start, enter a nickname if you want, and then tap or click Pin to Start.
Add a favorite
Anyone can be a favorite—like your mom, your boss, your best friend, or a coworker. When you add someone as a favorite, you see that person on the home page of People and can tap or click their picture to quickly email, call, or message them.
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On Start, tap or click People.
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Tap or click the tile with the star button.
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Choose the person you want and tap or click Add.
Remove a favorite
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On Start, tap or click People.
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Tap or click the person you want to remove from favorites.
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Tap or click Favorite. When you go back to the home page of the People app, you will no longer see this person under your list of favorites.
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.
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On Start, tap or click People.
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Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, and then tap Settings. (If you're using a mouse, point to the lower-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer up, and then click Settings.)
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Tap or click Accounts.
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Select the account you want to remove.
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Tap or click one Remove account, Remove all accounts or Manage this account online.
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.
Social notifications and updates
All Windows RT 8.1 and Windows 8.1 PCs come with Skype installed and you can easily get in touch with someone on Skype from the People app. Here's how:
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On Start, tap or click People.
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Enter the name of a Skype contact (if you updated to Skype and signed in with your Microsoft account, your Messenger contacts should have automatically been added to the contact list). You'll see a list of contacts as you type—tap or click the one you want.
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Tap or click how you want to contact them (send a message, call, or video call), and you're on your way.
You can post your own updates in the People app. You can also share links, photos, and messages to your social networks from other apps and websites. Here's how to compose a Tweet:
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On Start, then tap or click People.
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Tap or click Me.
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In What's new, choose the social network you want to use, write your message, and tap or click the send button
Keep an eye on what’s new with your friends and family using the People app. When you connect your accounts, like Twitter, and LinkedIn, you’ll get all the latest updates, Tweets, and pictures in one place. You can retweet a Tweet without switching to another app.
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On Start, tap or click People.
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Tap or click What's new.
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You'll see recent updates and Tweets, and you can like, comment, and retweet.
Note: As of May 2016, newsfeeds from Twitter and LinkedIn are no longer available.
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On Start, tap or click People.
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Tap or click What's new.
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Tap or click the arrow next to What's new, and then choose which network you want to see.
Note: As of May 2016, newsfeeds from Twitter and LinkedIn are no longer available.
Pin people to Start to see their picture and new updates without opening the app. It's also a handy shortcut to send them email, start chatting, and more.
Here's how:
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On Start, tap or click People.
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In the search box, enter the name of the contact you want to pin. You'll see a list of contacts as you type—tap or click the one you want.
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Swipe in from the bottom edge to see the app commands. (If you're using a mouse, right-click within the app.)
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Tap or click Pin to Start, enter a nickname if you want, and then tap or click Pin to Start.
Note: As of May 2016, updates from Twitter will no longer display on tiles pinned to Start.
Keyboard shortcuts for the People app
The following table contains keyboard shortcuts for the People app.
|
Press this key |
To do this |
|---|---|
|
Home |
Go to beginning of contact list |
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Page down |
Go forward in the contact list |
|
Page up |
Go backwards in the contact list |
|
End |
Go to end of the contact list |
