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Text, call, or email a contact in Contacts on Mac
You can easily get in touch with a contact directly from their card in the Contacts app.
![A contact card showing the buttons located below the contact’s name. You can use these buttons to start a text message; a phone, audio, or video call; or an email.](https://help.apple.com/assets/63FD4EF5822E256A0128CF2E/63FD4EF6822E256A0128CF35/en_US/4fe8ca68fbfe2a1f1e66f3995f747253.png)
In the Contacts app
on your Mac, select a contact.
Click a button under the contact’s name (or use the Touch Bar) to start a text message, a phone or audio call, a video call, or an email.
You can also move the pointer over a field in the contact card, then click the button that appears to the side.
Message button
: Start a text message using the Messages app. If your contact doesn’t use Messages, you may be able to send an SMS message instead.
If you have a choice of which contact information to use—such as work, home, and mobile phone numbers—choose the one to use. Contacts labels the button with your choice and uses it each time you click the button, until you Control-click or force click the button to choose a different one.
Call button
: Make a phone call from your Mac (if you set it up for phone calls). If you enabled Real-Time Text (RTT) phone calls, you can click the RTT button
to make an RTT call. If your Mac is set up for FaceTime calls, you can make a FaceTime audio call.
Video button
: Make a video call using FaceTime.
To make a video call using FaceTime, your Mac and your contact’s Mac or iOS device must support FaceTime.
Mail button
: Start writing an email addressed to the contact using the Mail app.
If you have a choice of which contact information to use—such as work, home, and mobile phone numbers—choose the one to use. Contacts labels the button with your choice and uses it each time you click the button, until you Control-click or force click the button to choose a different one.
If a parent or guardian has set up communication limits for you in Screen Time, you may be unable to send a text message or make a phone or video call to contacts, or edit contact information.
Tip: Set a custom ringtone or text tone in a friend’s card, so you know who’s contacting you just by the sound. Click Edit in a card, click the ringtone or text tone pop-up menu, then choose a sound.