Get started with Windows Phone

Here's a quick rundown of the basics on your Windows Phone—things like making calls, sending texts, and getting apps.

Sign in to your phone

Sign in with a Microsoft account to download apps, back stuff up, and more. You'll have a chance to sign in when you first set up your phone, but you can do it later, too.

Make a phone call

First and foremost, your phone is for making calls.

On Start , tap Phone 

> Keypad

.

Enter a phone number, and then tap Call.

Send a text

Here's how to start a new text. To reply to a message, just tap it.



On Start , tap Messaging 

 > New

.

 Enter a phone number or contact, type your message, and then tap Send

.

Add a contact

Add a brand-new contact like this, or import contacts from other places.

On Start , tap People

. Then swipe over to Contacts and tap New

.

 Type in the boxes and tap Save

  (if you have more than one account set up, you'll need to choose the one you want first).

Get apps

What's a smartphone without fun and useful apps?

On Start , tap Store

, then tap a tile to see details, swipe to see more, or tap Search

.

Find your apps

On Start , swipe over to the App list. Tap Search 

to find a specific app, or tap a letter to jump to that section.

Pin apps to Start

In the App list, tap and hold the app you want to pin, and then tap Pin to start.

Set a lock screen password

A lock screen password can help keep your phone more secure.