Introducing Yahoo! Messenger
| What Is... | Installing Messenger and Signing In | Your Yahoo! Contacts | Conversing With Your Friends | Getting Started |
Installing Messenger and Signing In
It’s easy to download and install Yahoo! Messenger.
To use Yahoo! Messenger, make sure your PC meets these minimum requirements:
- Microsoft Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Windows XP operating system
- Microsoft Internet Explorer version 6 or later
- Pentium II 233 Mhz or better (500 MHz recommended)
- Minimum 64 MB RAM for Windows 98 and ME & 128 MB RAM for Windows 2000 and XP
- Minimum 30 MB needed to install
To use additional Messenger features, such as the voice and video features and Yahoo! Music, your PC needs:
- Windows Media Player version 7 or higher
- Webcam—Messenger compatible
- A microphone, sound card, and speakers or a headset
(More Details)
Here’s How
To install Yahoo! Messenger:
Type the following address (URL) in your browser’s address box, then press the Enter key on your keyboard.
messenger.yahoo.comThe Yahoo! Messenger web page opens.
Follow the online instructions to get the latest version of Yahoo! Messenger.
To sign in to Yahoo! Messenger:
Even though Yahoo! Messenger is local on your machine, you need to sign in to your Yahoo! account before you see your contact list, view Updates, and make calls.
Open Yahoo! Messenger in one of the following ways:
In the Quick Launch toolbar, click the Yahoo! Messenger icon.
On the desktop, double-click the Yahoo! Messenger icon
In the Messenger window, type your Yahoo! ID and password.
Tip: Some Yahoo! IDs require the domain address (the information after the @ sign), such as yourname@rocketmail.com or yourname@ymail.com. If you have this type of ID, be sure to type the domain.
If you like, check options that allow Yahoo! Messenger to:
Remember my ID & password—when you launch Yahoo! Messenger, the Sign In window automatically displays your Yahoo! ID and password. All you have to do is click the Sign In button.
Sign in automatically—when you launch the application, Yahoo! Messenger bypasses the Sign In window and automatically signs you in.
Sign in as invisible to everyone—after signing in, all of your contacts continue to see you as offline. If you like, you can let selected contacts know that you are available.
Tip: You can reset the last two options through the Yahoo! Messenger Preferences window.
If you want Messenger to display in a different language, select an option from the Language menu below the Sign In button. (You can change this anytime through the Preferences window as shown in the Changing the Messenger Language task.)
Click the Sign In button.
Your Messenger window opens.
What’s Next
Now that you’ve installed and signed in to Yahoo! Messenger, you can start communicating with your friends.
Words to Know
- Contact: a person with whom you interact; someone to whom you might want to send an email, instant message, or text message.
- Download: to transfer a file from a remote computer to your computer.
- Webcam: a video camera typically attached to a computer.
- Yahoo! ID: the name by which a person is known to all Yahoo! networks.
- URL: Universal Resource Locator; specifies the location of a file or web page, such as http://my.yahoo.com.