Contacts quick reference

This quick reference includes a screen image explaining the basics in Contacts, as well as tables listing other commonly-used tasks and shortcuts.
Screen image of product showing different areas of the screen highlighted

Table 1. Getting started
Task Action

Open Contacts

Click Open > Contacts (Notes Basic client users: To open Contacts, click this icon in the Bookmark bar: Contacts icon).

Search for a name in the My Contacts view

Type the first few letters of a contact or group name.

Table 2. Adding and editing contacts
Task Action

Add a contact

  • From the My Contacts view, click New (Notes Basic client users: Click New Contact).
To add someone from a public directory, click Browse for Contacts above the contacts list.

Move a contact from Recent Contacts to My Contacts

  1. Open Contacts.
  2. Click Recent Contacts.
  3. Select one or more contacts, and then click Move to My Contacts.

Add a picture for a contact

While adding or editing a contact, click Add picture button on new contact form.
Note: The recommended size in pixels is 85w x 74h. Any image you import is automatically resized to these specifications.

Choose the primary email, address, or phone number for a contact

The primary email, address, or phone number is the one that appears when you print contacts or view your Contacts as business cards.

  1. While creating or editing a contact, click the email, Addresses, or Phone Numbers link.
  2. At the bottom of the dialog box, select a primary email, address, or phone number.

Add more phone numbers for a contact

While adding or editing a contact, click the Phone Numbers link.

To change a phone number label, select a new one from the list, or highlight the existing label and then type a new one.

Add a birthday or anniversary

While adding or editing a contact, click the Other Information link.

Add custom fields to a contact

While adding or editing a contact, click the Other Information link. Edit any of the custom fields at the bottom of the dialog box.

Table 3. Adding and editing groups
Task Action

Create a group from existing contacts

Open Contacts, and then select the names you want in the group. Click More > Copy Into New Group.

Sort group members alphabetically

  • To sort the members in one group, select the group entry, click Edit, and then click Sort Member List.
  • To sort the members in all groups, click File > Preferences (Macintosh OS X users: Click Notes > Preferences), and then click Contacts. Select Sort the names of group member alphabetically (Notes Basic client users: To sort the members in all groups, from any of the Contacts views, click More > Preferences). Setting this preference does not sort existing groups.
Table 4. Changing your settings
Task Action

Change the address format for business cards, previewing, and printing

  • To change the address format for all contacts, click File > Preferences (Macintosh OS X users: Click Notes > Preferences), and then click Contacts. Select an address format under Default address format

    Notes Basic client users: To change the address format for all contacts, open contacts, and then click More > Preferences. Select an address format under Default address format

    .
  • To change the address format for one contact, open the contact you want to modify, and click Select Address Format. Setting this field for a contact entry overrides the Contacts preference.

Set how long to keep items in the Trash before deleting them permanently

  1. Click File > Preferences.

    Notes Basic client users: From any of the Contacts views, click More > Preferences.

    Macintosh OS X users: Click Notes > Preferences.

  2. Click Contacts.
  3. Enter a number for Delete documents in my Trash after <n> hours.

Select how you want names display in your Contacts (First Name, Last Name or Last Name, First Name)

  1. Click File > Preferences.

    Notes Basic client users: From any of the Contacts views, click More > Preferences.

    Macintosh OS X users: Click Notes > Preferences.

  2. Click Contacts.
  3. Select an option for Default display for contact names.

Set the format for contact names with three parts, such as George De Marco

If you add a contact whose name has three parts, such as George De Marco, a Name Helper displays so that you can specify De Marco as the last name.

To suppress the Name Helper and always accept the default, click File > Preferences (Notes Basic client users: Open Contacts, and then click More > Preferences; Macintosh OS X users: Click Notes > Preferences), and then click Contacts. Select Always accept the default name assignment when adding contacts.

If the default is incorrect for a contact, open the contact, and click the Contact Name link to correct it.

Table 5. Shortcuts
Task For Windows For Macintosh
Open Contacts
Note: To enable this shortcut, click File > Preferences > Basic Notes Client Configuration > Enable alternate keyboard shortcuts.
Ctrl+3 Ctrl+3
Open selected contact Enter Enter
Close selected contact or view Esc Esc
Get help for the current feature F1 Help or Command + ?
Enlarge selected text to the next point size F2 N/A
Reduce selected text to the next point size Shift + F2 N/A
Undo last action Ctrl + Z Command + Z
See a list of available shortcuts Ctrl+ Shift + L Ctrl+ Shift + L