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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_GB/57f456c86928ec629094fba588609d8c.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.