How to Get Help from Microsoft Using the Contact Support App

When using our computers, it is really unavoidable that we run into certain problems that ranges from the simple ones to the complicated ones. It is a big advantage if you have the technical know-how in dealing with different problems and troubles in the Windows operating system but what if you’re a novice user who only knows the basic? What if you are only familiar with the things that are found on the front end and you have limited to no knowledge at all on what’s under the hood and how to fix certain problems from there when needed?

And the problem even worsens if there are plenty of other things in your life such as work or business that will be affected if the problem is not addressed or fixed right away! Operating systems and computers are not perfect at all so no matter how the manufacturer markets it to be sturdy both hardware and software-wise, it would still run into problems whether we like or not.

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Thankfully with Windows 10, Microsoft has finally made sure that users (especially the novice and less techie ones) will get help and would not be left alone in times of trouble. They did not do it by spying at you and making a prompt offering help suddenly pop-up on your computer screen when they see that you are in trouble, they did it using a ready-to-use app that is pre-installed in every computer that runs the Windows 10 operating system platform.

You surely are very excited now and you’re having the right feeling because in this tutorial, we will be discussing the steps in how you can take advantage of this awesome feature in your Windows computer so be sure to have it turned on and join us as we demonstrate everything about Windows 10’s Contact Support App.

Launching the Contact Support App in Windows 10

Since the Contact Support is a tool that is built-in with Windows 10 both the PC and Mobile version of the operating system, you can easily launch it using the Search tool. Doing this is pretty simply. First you will simply need to press the Windows + S keys on your computer and the Search screen will slide in from the bottom-left portion of your computer monitor.

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Once the screen appears, just put your attention into its bottom portion where you will find a search input box. In this box, just type in the words “contact support” in order to bring up search results that will appear just above the box itself. From these search results, you will need to click on the shortcut that is labeled “Contact Support” in order to launch the tool as you can see on the screenshot below.

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Now that’s the easiest way in finding the tool in Windows 10 and it works similarly in Windows 8.1 as well. If you want to learn another method in finding this app, here’s how. First, you will need to open the Start Menu simply by pressing the Windows key or clicking on the Start Button on your Windows 10 machine. Once the Start Menu launches, just click on the link that is found on its bottom-left portion which says “All apps” as you can see being highlighted on the screenshot below.

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After clicking on the “All apps” link, you will now be able to view the list of all the installed apps and programs as well as the ones that are pre-installed or built-in with Windows 10. This programs and apps are going to be listed alphabetically so in order to find the “Contact Support” app, all that you need to do is to scroll towards the “C” apps and programs group list and find the shortcut in there that is labeled “Contact Support”, once you find it, simply click or tap on it in order to launch the tool as you can see below.

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After clicking on the shortcut that you found in the list of all the apps and programs that are installed and built-in with your Windows computer, you will be able to launch the Contact Support tool instantly without any hassle.

Now, both of these methods would seem quite complicated to most novice users so if you tend to easily forget the steps in doing things then you can just simply add an app tile for the Contact Support tool into the Start Menu. Doing this is quite simple as well and that’s what we’re going to talk about next.

Creating a Start Menu Tile and Taskbar Icon for the Contact Support App

As was mentioned earlier, we understand that not all users would prefer going through the steps that we have shown above. They might look quite simple and easy to follow for you but its as complicated as a calculus problem to novice users who are struggling even in the simplest of tasks such as launching Microsoft Edge or even shutting down Windows. This is the reason why we would like to include adding a tile for the Contact Support app into the Start Menu in this tutorial so let’s start.

First, you will need to once again access the “All apps” list by clicking on the link labeled the same from the bottom-left portion of the Start Menu. After doing this, just scroll towards the “C” apps and programs group and once you find the “Contact Support” shortcut, all you need to do is right-click on it and on the options that will appear, simply click on the one that says “Pin to Start” as highlighted on the screenshot below.

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After you do so, you will be able to see the Contact Support tile already pinned on the Start Menu so the next time you want to launch the app again, all that you need to do is launch the Start Menu by pressing the Windows key or clicking on the Start Button and once it launches, simply click on the Contact Support tile in it and the app will launch instantly. The “Contact Support” app tile should look like the one which is highlighted on the screenshot below.

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If you want to access the app in a lot easier manner, you an also choose to pin an icon for it into the Taskbar. Doing this is simple and there are two available methods that you can use. First, you can access the “All apps” list of the Start Menu once again, scroll towards the “C” programs and apps group and once you find the “Contact Support” app shortcut, just right-click on it and on the menu box that would appear, click on the option that says “More >” as you can see being highlighted on the screenshot below and click on “Pin to taskbar” in order to create a quick launch icon for the app and have it pinned to the Taskbar.

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You can also do this trick from the Start section of the Start Menu or the right hand side portion where the app tiles are found. This is possible if you already pinned the Contact Support app tile into this section of the Start Menu as we have demonstrated earlier. If the tile for the app is already pinned here, all that you need to do is to right-click on it and on the menu box that would appear, you will need to click on the “More” option then on the menu box that would appear once again containing further options, jut hit “Pin to taskbar” in order to create a quick launch icon for it and have it pinned on the Taskbar.

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That’s basically how you create an easy shortcut for this app on the Start Menu and have a quick launch icon for it that is pinned on the Taskbar. Launching the app itself would be a lot easier if you choose to do this and now that you know how these are done, let’s get going and learn how you can actually use the app in getting support from Microsoft.

How to Use the Contact Support App

Now that you already know how to launch the Contact Support app as well as how shortcuts to it can be created in both the Start Menu and the Taskbar, it is time to learn how you can use it in getting help from Microsoft.

Once the app itself launches, you will notice that there are only two general categories that are available which are “Windows, Office, Services & Apps” then below it, you will find “Accounts & Billing”. In previous Windows versions such as Windows 8.1, there were 6 categories within the Home screen of the Contact Support app but in Windows 10, it has been narrowed down to two and grouped everything else into these two main categories. So let’s start with the first category and its contents.

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After clicking on the first category, you will then be taken to the next screen which shows its contents. Let’s go over each one of them and briefly explain what each one of them is for so you can easily find support every time your run into certain problems while using your Windows 10 computer.

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  • Windows- This category is the one that you would need to click in case you need help in “Setting up” Windows or when you need help regarding “Technical support” for errors and problems that you are experiencing in your computer and lastly, you can also go to this category if you need help regarding viruses and other malware problems simply by clicking on the “Protecting my PC” link as you can see on the screenshot below.

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  • Internet Explorer or Edge- Under this category, you will find two items which are “Setting up” and “Technical support”. If you need help in getting any of these built-in Windows browsers fired up and working, you simply need to click on the “Setting up” link while if you are having problems using the browser, you can click on “Technical support”.

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  • Office or Office 365 for Windows- Next item has to do with the Microsoft Office and Office 365 Suite in your computer. If you are having a hard time in setting it up then you can click on the “Setting up” link or if you are having problems that are beyond your knowledge then you can click on “Technical support”.
  • OneDrive- Microsoft’s cloud is already a part of the Windows operating system and if you are having problems in having it started up and working in your computer, you can simply click on it and hit the “Setting up” link in it. For technical problems, you can simply click on the link that says “Technical support” in order to get help for the errors and troubles that you are having when using OneDrive.
  • Skype- Unlike the other items in this list, clicking Skype will take you to your computer’s default browser and a link towards the Skype support page will open. You can take it from there if you need information or technical support in making Skype work smoothly on your computer.
  • Xbox- The same as Skype, clicking on the Xbox item from the list will also take you to the Xbox support page on your computer’s default web browser.
  • See more- If the concern that you have is not found on the list that readily appears on the Contact Support app’s “Windows, Office, Services & Apps” category, you can simply click on the link that says “See more” as highlighted on the screenshot below.

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After hitting on the “See more” link, you will be able to expand the list and reveal the “Services & Apps” section which contains even more items in it as you can see on the screenshot below. Just go through this list and look for the item that best fits your problem and take it from there.

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What’s Within the Accounts & Billing Category

Below the “Windows, Office, Services & Apps” category is another one which is labeled “Accounts & Billing”. Just like the former, clicking on this category will take you to even more sub-categories that belong to it as you can see on the screenshot below.

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The items that are found under it are “Manage your account on the website”, “Xbox”, “Office or Office 365”, “Skype” and “Windows and other Microsoft apps & subscriptions”. If you have active subscriptions with these services, you can always click on their corresponding links and get support either through the service’s website or through chat, call or schedule a call at your most convenient time. The same is true with the other items that are found under the “Windows, Office, Services & Apps” category that we have discussed earlier. The contents of the “Accounts & billing” category are shown on the screenshot below.

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As you can see, Microsoft has really improved Windows by including this Contact Support tool which is designed to make finding help a lot easier for novice users and those who have limited knowledge in dealing with technical problems and errors in their Windows machine.

What Support Options are Available?

Most of the items that are found in the Contact Support app have the same forms and ways of support that are being offered. You can choose to chat, take a call or schedule a call from a technical support person and others also have an option that will take you to the Microsoft community page where you can find answers to specific questions or solutions to problems that other users and experts who serve as moderators were able to solve. Other items that are found in the Contact Support app just takes you directly to the support page of the service or feature such as Skype and Xbox as we have mentioned earlier. Sample of the support options in the items that are found in the app are shown on the screenshot below.

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While Contact Support is a very convenient way in getting help, there are also some other options in getting help from your friends with the use of the Windows Remote Assistance tool which we have covered in our previous tutorial.

Getting Help is Now Made Easier with the Contact Support App!

While most of us prefer to solve problems and errors in Windows by researching and doing our best in following tutorials, there still are other users who really need help in terms of fixing even the most minor errors and problems in their Windows machines. This is what the Customer Support app is for. Now, getting help doesn’t require users to access certain websites or undergo long processes. It is as easy as launching the app and clicking towards the concern category and choosing which support format is preferable in resolving the problem. Have you tried using the Contact Support app in Windows 10? Did it help solve your concern? We’d like to hear about your experience! Please feel free to air them off through the comments section below.