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Manage your contacts

You can add friends, business associates, family, and other important people to the contacts list on your phone.

For each contact, you can add:

  • Multiple phone numbers, e-mail addresses, physical addresses, a Web page, and other information
  • A picture and a custom ring tone to uniquely identify them when they call
  • A custom category, that you can then use to filter your contact list
  • Personal information, including birthday, anniversary, and nickname
You can call, e-mail, or text message a contact from the contacts list. You can also set up speed dial numbers to quickly call your most important contacts. If you set up Windows Live or Messenger on your device, you can merge your Messenger contacts with the on-device contact list. You can view the Space for or send an instant message to a Messenger contact who is on the device contact list.

These how-to instructions are for touch screen and non-touch screen phones with Windows Mobile 5. To find help and how-to for Windows Mobile 6 and later versions, go to the main Help & how-to section.

Not sure what type of phone or version of Windows Mobile you have? Identify your Windows Mobile phone.

5.0 Touch Screen5.0 Non-Touch Screen

Get started with contacts

Create a contact

  • Tap Start> Contacts.
  • Tap New and enter the contact information.
  • When finished, tap OK.
Note
If your contact list has been filtered by a category when you create a contact, that category is automatically assigned to the new contact.

Tips
If someone who isn't in your list of contacts calls you or sends you a message, you can create a contact from Call History, or from the message by tapping Menu > Save to Contacts.

To include a nickname, title, and more, while creating a contact, tap the Name arrow. For an existing contact in the contact list, tap the contact, tap Menu > Edit, and tap the Name arrow.

If most of the contacts you create have phone numbers that begin with the same area code, in the contact list, tap Menu > Options and enter that area code in the Area code box.

Edit a contact

  • Tap Start > Contacts.
  • Tap the contact.
  • Tap Menu > Edit and enter the changes.
  • When finished, tap OK.
Tip
To include a nickname, title, or other information for an existing contact, tap the contact, tap Menu > Edit, then tap the Name arrow.

Find a contact

There are several ways to find a contact when your contact list is long.
  • Tap Start > Contacts.
  • If you are not in Name view, tap Menu > View By > Name.
  • Do one of the following:
    • Begin entering a name or phone number in the provided text box until the contact you want is displayed. To show all contacts again, tap the text box and clear the text, or tap the arrow to the right of the text box.
    • Use the alphabetical index displayed at the top of the contact list.
    • Filter the list by categories. In the contact list, tap Menu > Filter. Then tap a category you've assigned to a contact. To show all contacts again, select All Contacts.
Note
To search for a contact by entering a name or number, or by using the alphabetical index, you must be in Name view. To switch to Name view, tap Menu > View By > Name.

Tips
You can locate your contacts by the name of the company they work for. In the contact list, tap Menu > View By, and tap Company. Tap the company to see the contacts who work there.

When working in Company view, you can filter by categories you've assigned to contacts. Then, only the companies with contacts that have that category assigned to them will appear in the list.

Send a message to a contact

  • Tap Start > Contacts.
  • Tap the contact you want to send a message to.
  • Tap the address you want to send a message to.
  • Tap the account you want to send the message from.
Tip
To quickly add a contact's address to a new message, tap the To, Cc, or Bcc line, and tap Menu > Add Recipient. Tap the contact you want to send the message to and choose the address if necessary.

Add a picture to contact information

  • Tap Start > Contacts.
  • Tap the contact.
  • Tap Menu > Edit.
  • Tap Picture.
  • Do one of the following:
    • Tap the picture you want to add.
    • Tap Camera and take a picture.

Remove a picture from contact information

  • Tap Start > Contacts.
  • Tap the contact.
  • Tap Menu > Edit.
  • Tap Menu > Remove Picture.

Create a contact from an existing one

If you want to create multiple contacts that have similar contact information, you can save time by creating one contact and then copying it.
  • Tap Start > Contacts.
  • Tap and hold the contact you want to copy.
  • Tap Copy Contact.
  • Tap the copy of the contact.
  • Tap Menu > Edit.
  • Change the contact information as needed and tap OK.
Note
The displayed category is automatically assigned to the new contact.

Create a category

In the Calendar, Contacts, and Tasks programs, you can use categories to help you organize and group your appointments, contacts, and tasks.
  • From the program, tap an existing item or create a new one.
  • Do one of the following:
    • For an existing item in Calendar and Tasks, tap Edit > Categories.
    • For an existing item in Contacts, tap Menu > Edit > Categories.
    • For a new item in Calendar, Contacts, and Tasks, tap Categories.
  • Tap New, enter the category name, and tap Done.
    The new category is automatically assigned to the item.
  • Tap OK to return to the appointment, contact, or task.
Note
Categories are shared between your appointments, Contacts, and Tasks. A category will remain in the list of shared categories as long as it is assigned to at least one appointment, contact, or task.

Assign a category to an item

In the Calendar, Contacts, and Tasks programs, you can use categories to help you organize and group your appointments, contacts, and tasks.
  • From the program, tap the item you want a category assigned to.
  • Do one of the following:
    • In Calendar and Tasks, tap Edit > Categories.
    • In Contacts, tap Menu > Edit > Categories.
  • Select the category you want, and tap OK.
  • Tap OK again to return to the calendar, contact list, or task list.
Note
Categories are shared between your appointments, Contacts, and Tasks. A category will remain in the list of shared categories as long as it is assigned to at least one appointment, contact, or task.

Get started with contacts

Beam a contact

  • On the Home screen, click Start > Contacts.
  • Select the contact to beam.
  • Click Menu, Beam Contact.
  • Scroll to the device to which you want to beam.
  • Do one of the following:
    • To beam using infrared, ensure that the infrared ports are unobstructed and within close range of each other.
    • To beam using Bluetooth, ensure that both Bluetooth radios are turned on and that Bluetooth is discoverable on the receiving device.
  • Click Beam.
    Status information displays, indicating the name of the device to which the phone is beaming, and whether the beaming process is pending, finished, or was unsuccessful.
Note
You cannot synchronize SIM contacts.

Call a contact from the contact list

  • On the Home screen, click Start > Contacts.
  • Click the contact to call.
  • Press TALK. The contact's default phone number is dialed.
Tip
To call a phone number other than the default, click the contact, scroll to the number you want to dial, and press TALK.

Create a new contact

  • On the Home screen, click Start > Calendar.
  • Enter information for the new contact.
  • Click Done.
Tips
If someone who isn't in your list of contacts calls you or sends you a message, you can create a contact from Call History or from the message by clicking Menu > Save to Contacts.

To save an existing contact to your SIM, open the contact and click Menu > Save to SIM.

Tip
If someone who isn't in your list of contacts calls you or sends you a message, you can create a contact from Call History or from the message by clicking Menu > Save to Contacts.

Create a SIM contact

Contacts can be created and stored on a subscriber identity module (SIM.) If you move the SIM to another phone, your SIM contacts are moved as well.
  • On the Home screen, click Start > Contacts.
  • Click Menu > New SIM Contact.
  • Enter the contact's information and click Done.
Tip
To save an existing contact to your SIM, open the contact and click Menu > Save to SIM.

Delete a contact

  • On the Home screen, click Start > Contacts.
  • Scroll to the contact you want to delete.
  • Click Menu > Delete Contact.

Filter your contacts

Contacts that have categories assigned are displayed in the list when you filter by category.
  • On the Home screen, click Start > Contacts.
  • Click Menu > Filter.
  • Click a category to filter.
Note
SIM contacts do not appear in a filtered list.

Find a contact

  • On the Home screen, click Start > Contacts.
  • Begin entering the name or phone number of the contact until the contact is displayed. For example, to find "Sandra," enter 7, 2, 6, 3, 7, 2 because these numbers correspond to the letters for that name.

Send an e-mail to a contact

  • On the Home screen, click Start > Contacts.
  • Click the contact.
  • Click the e-mail address.
  • Select the e-mail account to use.
  • Enter a subject, compose your message, and then click Sen.

Find a contact online

In addition to having contacts on your device, you can also access contact information from your organization's Global Address List (GAL). This enables you to quickly add a message recipient from a GAL. Access to the GAL is available if your organization is running Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 SP2 or later and you have completed your first synchronization with Exchange Server.
  • Synchronize with Exchange Server if you have never done so.
  • Click Start > Contacts Menu > View By > Name.
  • Do either of the following:
    • In Contacts, click Menu > Find Online.
    • In a new message, in the To box, click Menu > Add Recipient > Menu > Find Online.
  • Enter the contact name and click Find.
Notes
Your device must be set up with a data connection.

You can search on the following information as long as that information is included in your organization's GAL.
  • First name
  • Last name
  • E-mail name
  • Display name
  • E-mail address
  • Office location

Send a text message to a contact

  • On the Home screen, click Start > Contacts.
  • Click the contact, and click Menu > Send Text Message.
  • Compose your message, and click Send.

View and edit a contact information

  • On the Home screen, click Start > Contacts.
  • Click the contact whose information you want to view.
  • To edit the information, click Menu > Edit.
  • When finished making changes, click Done.

Add a picture to a contact

  • On the Home screen, click Start > Contacts.
  • Click the contact.
  • Click Menu > Edit.
  • ClickPicture.
  • Do one of the following:
    • Click the picture you want to add.
    • Click Camera and take a picture.

Remove a picture from a contact

  • On the Home screen, click Start > Contacts.
  • Click the contact.
  • Click Menu > Edit.
  • Click Menu > Remove Picture.

Assign a category to a contact

You can use categories to help you organize and group your contacts.
  • On the Home screen, click Start > Contacts.
  • Click the contact.
  • Click Menu > Edit.
  • Click Categories.
  • Select the category you want and click Done
Note
Categories are shared between your appointments, contacts, and tasks. A category will remain in the list of shared categories as long as it is assigned to at least one appointment, contact, or task.

Assign a ring tone to a contact

To easily identify who is calling you by the ring tone, you can assign a custom ring tone to each contact.
  • On the Home screen, click Start > Contacts.
  • Click the contact you want to assign a ring tone to.
  • Click Menu > Edit.
  • Click Custom ring tone and select the ring tone you want.
  • Click Done.

Send contact information

Using a text message, you can quickly send someone information about a contact in your contact list.
  • On the Home screen, click Start > Contacts.
  • Select the contact.
  • Click Menu > Send Contact > Text Message.
  • Select the contact information that you want to send and click Done
  • In the new text message, enter the address of the person to whom you are sending the contact information and click Send.

Assign a category to a contact

You can use categories to help you organize and group your contacts.
  • On the Home screen, click Start > Contacts.
  • Click the contact.
  • Click Menu > Edit.
  • Click Categories.
  • Select the category you want and click Done.
Notes
Categories are shared between your appointments, contacts, and tasks. A category will remain in the list of shared categories as long as it is assigned to at least one appointment, contact, or task.

Filter the contact list by category

Contacts that have categories assigned are displayed in the list when you filter by category.
  • On the Home screen, click Start > Contacts.
  • Click Menu > Filter.
  • Click a category to filter.
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