Windows 8 Bible

Chapter 21

Managing Names and Addresses

IN THIS CHAPTER

Using your Contacts folder

Creating and managing contacts

Creating contact groups

Importing and exporting contacts

You’ve no doubt seen and tried out the new People app, which lets you integrate your contracts and updates from multiple social network sites such as Windows Live, Facebook, and Twitter. The Mail and Messaging apps rely on the People app for selecting contacts to send e-mail and instant messages. If you haven’t tried out the People app, have a look at Chapter 19, “Social Networking with Windows 8.”

Windows 8, like Windows 7 before it, offers an alternative you can use from the desktop to manage contacts — the Contacts folder. Each file in that folder is a contact, someone with whom you communicate. It doesn’t have to be only people you contact online. You can store anybody’s contact information in your Contacts folder. As with pictures, songs, videos, and other documents, each user account has its own Contacts folder. So each person who has a user account can have his or her own collection of names and addresses.

Note

Keep in mind that the Windows Contacts folder and the contacts in it are separate from the contacts in your e-mail program. For example, if you opt to download and use Windows Live Mail as your e-mail program, it has its own set of contacts. Although you can import your Windows Contacts into Windows Live Mail, the contacts are not synchronized. So, if you import your Windows Contacts into Windows ...