Microsoft Surface PRO User Manual

Surface Pro User Guide

Published: April 30, 2013

Version 1.01

BlueTrack Technology, ClearType, Excel, Hotmail, Internet Explorer, Microsoft, OneNote, Outlook, PowerPoint, SkyDrive, Windows, Xbox, and Xbox Live are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.

Surface, VaporMg, Skype, and Wedge are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Bluetooth is a registered trademark of Bluetooth SIG, Inc.

This document is provided “as-is.” Information in this document, including URL and other Internet Web site references, may change without notice.

Contents

Meet Surface Pro ............................................................................................................................... 1

About this guide ........................................................................................................................... 1

Highlights ........................................................................................................................................ 2

What is Windows 8 Pro? ............................................................................................................ 4

Surface accessories ...................................................................................................................... 4

Setup ...................................................................................................................................................... 6

Plug in and turn on ..................................................................................................................... 6

Surface setup ................................................................................................................................. 7

Lock screen and signing in ....................................................................................................... 7

The basics ............................................................................................................................................. 8

Start screen: Your favorite things ........................................................................................... 8

Charms, commands, and switching between apps ......................................................... 9

Touch: tap, slide, and beyond ............................................................................................... 10

The charms: Search, Share, Start, Devices, and Settings ............................................. 12

The familiar desktop ................................................................................................................. 15

How to search ............................................................................................................................. 15

What moved or changed in Windows 8? .......................................................................... 16

Get to know Surface ...................................................................................................................... 18

Power states: On, sleep, shut down, and restart ............................................................ 18

The touchscreen ......................................................................................................................... 20

Add your accounts..................................................................................................................... 21

On-screen keyboard ................................................................................................................. 23

Sound features ............................................................................................................................ 25

Battery and power ..................................................................................................................... 25

Share photos, links, and more ............................................................................................... 27

Change your settings ................................................................................................................ 28

Touch, keyboard, mouse, and pen ........................................................................................... 30

Touch .............................................................................................................................................. 30

Keyboard ....................................................................................................................................... 30

Mouse ............................................................................................................................................. 33

Surface Pen ................................................................................................................................... 34

Accounts ............................................................................................................................................ 37

What type of account do I have? ......................................................................................... 37

Multiple user accounts ............................................................................................................. 39

Family Safety ................................................................................................................................ 40

Account security ......................................................................................................................... 40

Sign in and out ................................................................................................................................ 41

Sign in ............................................................................................................................................. 41

Sign out or lock........................................................................................................................... 41

Switch to another account ...................................................................................................... 42

Other sign in options ................................................................................................................ 42

Account password ..................................................................................................................... 43

All about apps .................................................................................................................................. 45

Built-in apps ................................................................................................................................. 45

Find an app ................................................................................................................................... 46

Start an app .................................................................................................................................. 46

Switch between apps ................................................................................................................ 47

Use two apps side by side (snap apps) .............................................................................. 48

Close apps..................................................................................................................................... 49

Use Task Manager ..................................................................................................................... 50

App commands: Where are they? ....................................................................................... 50

App settings ................................................................................................................................. 51

App help and troubleshooting ............................................................................................. 51

Install apps ........................................................................................................................................ 52

Sign in with your Microsoft account ................................................................................... 52

Install apps and programs ...................................................................................................... 52

Get your programs working with Windows 8 ................................................................. 54

Uninstall an app or program ................................................................................................. 54

Update apps from the Windows Store .............................................................................. 55

Add or change a payment option ....................................................................................... 55

View your billing history .......................................................................................................... 56

Family Safety and the Windows Store ............................................................................... 56

Install apps that you installed on other PCs .................................................................... 56

Personalize your Surface .............................................................................................................. 57

Add your accounts..................................................................................................................... 57

Change your lock screen picture, colors, and account picture ................................. 57

Customize the Start screen .................................................................................................... 58

Desktop settings ......................................................................................................................... 60

Sync your settings ...................................................................................................................... 61

Notifications ................................................................................................................................. 62

Add languages ............................................................................................................................ 63

Connect devices .............................................................................................................................. 63

Printing ........................................................................................................................................... 64

Add, view, and manage your devices and printers ....................................................... 65

Storage, files, and backup ........................................................................................................... 70

How much local storage space do I have? ....................................................................... 70

Surface storage options........................................................................................................... 70

Files and folders .......................................................................................................................... 71

Back up files using File History ............................................................................................. 74

Networking ....................................................................................................................................... 75

What’s new in networking? .................................................................................................... 75

Connect to a wireless network .............................................................................................. 75

Connect to a wired network................................................................................................... 76

Domains, workgroups, and homegroups ......................................................................... 77

Sharing ........................................................................................................................................... 79

Mobile broadband connections ........................................................................................... 81

Tethering: Use your phone’s data connection ................................................................ 82

Airplane mode ............................................................................................................................. 83

Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) ....................................................................................... 83

Connect using a VPN connection ........................................................................................ 83

Built-in apps ...................................................................................................................................... 85

Internet Explorer ......................................................................................................................... 85

Mail .................................................................................................................................................. 88

People ............................................................................................................................................. 92

Calendar......................................................................................................................................... 94

Camera ........................................................................................................................................... 96

Xbox Music ................................................................................................................................... 97

Photos ......................................................................................................................................... 100

Import photos or videos ...................................................................................................... 100

Xbox Video ................................................................................................................................ 101

Skype ........................................................................................................................................... 103

SkyDrive ...................................................................................................................................... 104

Microsoft Office ....................................................................................................................... 106

Maps ............................................................................................................................................ 110

Xbox Games .............................................................................................................................. 112

Xbox SmartGlass ...................................................................................................................... 113

More built-in apps .................................................................................................................. 115

Free desktop apps .................................................................................................................. 116

Windows Photo Viewer ......................................................................................................... 116

Windows Media Player ......................................................................................................... 116

Photo Gallery ............................................................................................................................ 117

Movie Maker ............................................................................................................................. 117

SkyDrive ...................................................................................................................................... 117

Additional info you should know ........................................................................................... 118

Keep Surface up to date ....................................................................................................... 118

Windows Defender and Windows SmartScreen ......................................................... 120

Windows Firewall .................................................................................................................... 120

BitLocker Drive Encryption .................................................................................................. 120

Accessibility ............................................................................................................................... 121

Speech recognition ................................................................................................................ 121

Keyboard shortcuts ................................................................................................................ 121

Take a screen shot .................................................................................................................. 122

Default programs .................................................................................................................... 122

Work with files and apps on another PC ....................................................................... 123

Restore, refresh, or reset Surface ...................................................................................... 123

Add Windows Media Center ............................................................................................... 125

Surface Pro BIOS/UEFI ........................................................................................................... 125

BitLocker recovery key .......................................................................................................... 125

Clean and care for Surface ........................................................................................................ 127

Touchscreen care .................................................................................................................... 127

Cover and keyboard care ..................................................................................................... 127

Battery care ............................................................................................................................... 128

Get Help and Support ................................................................................................................. 128

That’s it! ............................................................................................................................................ 128

Meet Surface Pro

Surface Pro is a powerful PC in tablet form.

You can connect to a broad variety of accessories, printers, and networks, just like you always have.

Run both new touch-friendly apps and your favorite Windows 7 programs. With the security and manageability you expect from a PC.

About this guide

This guide walks you through everything you need to know about Surface Pro.

Whether you read this from beginning to end or jump all around, we hope you find this guide useful as you get to know Surface. As you read through this guide it’s helpful to have your Surface handy so you can try things out.

To jump between sections using the Reader app:

1. Swipe down from the top of the screen, tap the More button ( ), and

then tap Bookmarks.

2. Tap a bookmark to jump to a section in this guide.

To search this guide using the Reader app:

1. Swipe down from the top of the screen, tap the Find button.

2. Type what you want to find and press Enter.

Highlights

Touchscreen

The touchscreen, with a 16:9 aspect ratio and full-HD display (1080p resolution) is great for watching HD movies, browsing the web, and using Office apps (sold separately). You can use your fingers to select, zoom, or move things around on the screen.

Keyboard covers

And touch isn’t the only option. Choose from two unique keyboards that double as a protective cover. This way you’ll always have a keyboard with you (sold separately).

Digital pen

Take notes and mark up documents using the digital pen.

Two cameras and a microphone

Two cameras and a microphone make it easy to make phone calls and record videos using your Surface.

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth

Connect to a wireless network and use Bluetooth devices such as mice, printers, and headsets.

Real quick, here are some features of your Surface Pro:

Kickstand

Flip out the kickstand when you want to be productive or kick back and have some fun.

Stereo speakers, headset jack, and volume

Listen to music, conference calls, or audio books using apps from the Windows Store or Internet Explorer.

Ports

Yes, Surface has ports.

 Full-size USB 3.0 port

You can use USB accessories—like a mouse, a printer, a 4G USB dongle, or an Ethernet adapter—with your Surface.

 microSDXC card slot

Use the microSDXC card slot on the right edge to transfer files or for extra storage (currently up to 64 GB).

 Mini DisplayPort

Share what’s on your Surface by connecting it to an HDTV, monitor, or projector (video adapters required and sold separately).

Software

And there are plenty of apps for work and play.

 Apps

Surface Pro comes with a great collection of pre-installed apps, plus more from the Windows Store.

 Programs

Run the programs you’ve been using with Windows 7. Run the full Office suite and your specialized business programs.

What is Windows 8 Pro?

Keyboards

Add a unique click-in keyboard that doubles as a cover. There are two types to choose from (sold separately):

and trackpad. Express your personal style by choosing a color or design. To have a look at what’s available, see

Covers on Surface.com. 1

keyboard with moving keys and trackpad buttons.

Both keyboards work with Surface Pro and Surface RT.

Colors and designs vary by market.

Surface Pro come pre-installed with Windows 8 Pro, which is Windows 8 plus:

 Data protection with BitLocker and BitLocker To Go.  Domain join, so you can connect to your corporate or school network.  Remote Desktop Connection hosting, so you can connect to Surface Pro from another PC.

Surface accessories

Accessories add to your experience with Surface.

Video adapters

Surface video adapters let you connect your Surface to an HDTV, monitor, or projector (adapters are sold separately).

Learn more about this in the Connect Surface to a

TV, monitor, or projector section of this guide.

Power supply

Surface Pro includes a 48-watt power supply with a USB charging port.

For more info, see the Battery and power section in this guide.

Wedge Touch Mouse Surface Edition

This special edition Wedge Touch Mouse is small enough to fit in your pocket and wirelessly connects to your Surface using Bluetooth.

To learn more, see Wedge Touch Mouse Surface Edition on Surface.com.

To find out how to connect this mouse to your Surface, see Wedge Touch

Mouse Surface Edition at Surface.com.

Ethernet adapter

You can use the Surface Ethernet adapter to connect your Surface Pro to a wired network using an Ethernet network cable. For more info about this, see

Connect to a wired network in this guide.

To learn more, see Ethernet Adapter on Surface.com.

Find out about all of the Surface accessories at Surface.com/Accessories.

Setup

Ready to set up Surface? Grab your Surface and let’s go!

Note It’s best to have a wireless network available when you set up Surface.

Plug in and turn on

Plug in Surface and turn it on. Here's how:

1. If you have one, attach the Touch Cover or Type Cover keyboard to your Surface. When the

keyboard gets close to Surface, it clicks into place.

2. Flip out the kickstand on the back of Surface.

3. Plug the power cord into a wall outlet or power strip.

4. Connect the power cord on the lower right side of your Surface.

The connector clicks into place (either direction works). The small light at the end of the connector means Surface is getting power.

5. Press and release the power button on the top right edge of your Surface.

Surface setup

Setup runs the first time you turn on Surface. During setup you'll be able to customize things like the language, color, and name for your Surface. You can change these things later if you'd like.

Two key things happen during setup:

 You connect to a wireless network.

Setup finds and displays the available wireless networks so that you can get online.

 You create a user account for Surface.

We recommended using a Microsoft account—an email address and password. When you sign in with a Microsoft account, your Surface lights up with content from Microsoft services such as SkyDrive, Hotmail, Messenger, and Xbox, as well as your contacts and calendar from your email account.

Already have a Microsoft account? A Microsoft account (formerly known as a Windows Live ID) is the email address and password that you use to sign in to Microsoft services like Outlook.com, SkyDrive, Xbox, or your Windows Phone. If you've used these services, then you already have a Microsoft account.

Have more than one Microsoft account? If you have more than one Microsoft account, you’ll need to choose one to sign in with on your Surface. To help you figure out how to get down to just one Microsoft account, see

Choose a Microsoft account at WindowsPhone.com (English only).

Join a domain, workgroup, or homegroup Once setup is complete, you can join a network domain, workgroup, or homegroup. For info about how to do this, see the Networking section of this guide.

To learn more about local, domain, and Microsoft accounts, see the Accounts section in this guide.

Lock screen and signing in

When you turn on or wake Surface, you'll see the Windows lock screen. To dismiss the lock screen, press a key or swipe up from the bottom of the screen.

Next you'll see the Windows sign-in screen. Here you'll sign in using the account you created during setup. For more info about signing in, see the Sign in topic in this guide.

After you sign in to Windows, you'll see the Start screen. What is the Start screen? See the next section to find out.

The basics

There are a few things you need to know to get around Windows 8.

Important If you read nothing else in this guide, be sure and read this section and practice on your Surface.

Start screen: Your favorite things

The Start button from previous versions of Windows has been replaced with the Start screen. Start is your new home base. This is where you open all your apps and programs.

Each tile on Start is connected to a person, app, website, playlist, or whatever else is important to you.

Watch closely! This isn't a wall of static icons. The tiles animate with the latest information—such as status updates, new email messages, and appointments—and you'll see live updates before you even open a single app.

You can pin as many tiles to Start as you want and move them where you want. Find out all about this in the

Personalize your Surface section of this guide.

To go to the Start screen, do any of the following:

 Touch Press the Windows logo on Surface, or swipe in from the right edge of the screen and then

tap Start.

 Keyboard Press the Windows logo key on Touch Cover or Type Cover.

 Mouse or trackpad Move the pointer into the lower-left corner. When Start appears, click in the

corner.

Charms, commands, and switching between apps

Right edge: Charms

Swipe in from the right edge of the screen to see the charms. Charms help you do the things you do most often, like search, share, print, and change settings.

The charms are always available on the right side of your screen—just swipe in to see them.

Learn more about the charms later in this section.

Top or bottom edge: App commands

Swipe up from the bottom or down from the top edge of the screen to see a bar of commands related to where you are and what you’re doing.

For example, if you’re in an app you’ll see commands for that app.

Left edge: Switch apps

And finally, swipe in from the left edge of the screen to switch between open apps. For more info, see the Switch

between apps topic in this guide.

When you swipe in from the different edges of the screen, different things happen.

Touch: tap, slide, and beyond

What we say

How to do it

What it does

Tap Tap once on something.

Opens what you tap.

Press and hold

Press and hold your finger on something for a couple seconds, and when a box appears let go.

Shows options related to what you’re

doing (the same as a right-click with a mouse).

Slide to scroll

Drag your finger across the screen.

Scrolls through what’s on the screen.

Pinch or stretch

Pinch your thumb and forefinger together or move them apart.

Zooms in or out of a website, map, or picture.

Now that you know about swiping in from the edge, here are some more things to know about touch:

What we say

How to do it

What it does

Rotate

Put two or more fingers on an item and then turn your hand.

Rotates things that can be rotated.

Slide to rearrange

Tap and drag an item to a new location, and then let go.

Moves an item, just like dragging with a mouse does.

To learn how to rearrange tiles on Start, see Customize the Start screen section in this guide.

Swipe to select

Slide an item a short distance, opposite to how the page scrolls. (For example, if the screen scrolls left to right, slide the item up or down.) A quick, short movement works best.

Selects an item, like an app tile or photo. Do this at the top or bottom of an app window to show app commands.

Swipe from edge

Swipe in from the edge of the screen.

For info about this, see the previous topic.

How do I right-click using touch?

The equivalent of a right-click with your mouse is to press and hold your finger on something for a couple seconds, then let go and tap the option you want.

To try this out, try copying and pasting text using touch.

Copy, and paste using touch

Here’s how to copy and paste text using touch:

Select text Tap a word. To extend the selection, press and hold either circle and slide your finger. Let go when the selection is what you want.

Copy Now, tap the highlighted text and then tap Copy.

Paste Move to where you want to insert the text. Press and hold a couple seconds, then let go and tap

Paste.

Tip

You can also press Ctrl+C to copy and Ctrl+V to paste.

The charms: Search, Share, Start, Devices, and Settings

No matter where you are, the charms help you do the things you do most often—like search, share links and photos, print, and change settings. The charms are context sensitive, meaning that what you can do depends on where you are. For example, if you open the Settings charm from the Start screen, you’ll see settings related to the Start screen. And if you open the Settings charm from an app, you’ll see settings for that app.

The five charms—Search, Share, Start, Devices, and Settings—are always available on the right side of your screen.

Here’s how to open the charms:

Touch

Swipe in from the right edge, and then tap the one you want.

Mouse

Move your pointer into the upper-right or lower-right corner, and then move it up or down and click the one you want.

Keyboard

Press Windows logo key +C. To open a specific charm, press one of the charm keys on Touch Cover or Type Cover (they’re on the top row).

Here's what you can do with the charms:

Search Search for anything. Search the app you're in, another app, or search Surface for an app, setting, or file. For more info, see the How to search section in this guide.

Share Share files and info with people you know or send info to another app without leaving the app you're in. You can email photos to your mom or send a link to a notetaking app like OneNote. For more info, see the Share photos, links, and more section.

Start Go to your Start screen. Or if you're already on Start, you can use this charm to go back to the last app you were using.

Devices Use devices that are connected to your Surface, both wired and wireless. You can

print from an app or stream your latest home movie to your TV.

Settings Change settings for apps and Surface.

When you open Settings, the items in the upper-right corner change depending on where you are. For example, if you open Settings from an app, you’ll see settings for that app.

When you open Settings, the items in lower-right corner are always the same. Here you’ll find PC settings like network connection, volume, brightness, notifications, power (shutdown and restart), and keyboard. For more info, see the Change your settings section in this guide.

The familiar desktop

 With touch, from the Start screen, tap or click

Desktop. (It is a tile.)

 With a keyboard, press the Windows logo key

+D.

After introducing all this new stuff, here’s something familiar. The Windows desktop—with its taskbar, folders, and icons—is still here, with a new taskbar and streamlined file management.

To get to the desktop:

The desktop is where you’ll go to run desktop apps, like Windows 7 programs, and do things like copy files or use Control Panel. File Explorer (formerly called Windows Explorer) is the app you use to browse files and folders, both on Surface or your network. Learn more about this in the Files and Folders section of this guide.

Tip

When you’re at the desktop, remember you can quickly go back to Start by pressing the Windows logo on Surface or your keyboard. To switch back and forth, use the Windows logo key +D to go to the desktop and the Windows logo key to go to Start.

How to search

You can use the Search charm to find apps, settings, and files. If you are on the Start screen, you can just start typing. Here’s how:

 Go to the Start screen and start typing what you want to find. The search results update as you type.

Search defaults to Apps, but you can choose Settings or Files depending on what you’re looking for.

You can also search within an app by using the Search charm. For example, you can use the Search charm to find a song in the Music app.

To search for messages in the Mail app:

1. Open the Mail app (from the Start screen, tap or click Mail).

2. If you have multiple email accounts, select an email account in the lower-left corner.

3. Open the Search charm and type what you want to find in the search box.

To search the Internet:

The Search charm is a new way to search for apps, settings, and files. For more info, see

How to search in this guide.

Start button

The Start button is now the Start screen. You can start any app or program from the Start screen.

To access other items that used to be on the Start button, move your mouse pointer to the lower-left corner and when an image of Start appears, right-click it. A menu appears with many of the commands that were on the Start menu in previous versions of Windows—for example, Control Panel, File Explorer, and Run. (You can also press Windows logo key +X to access this menu.)

Shut down or restart

To shut down or restart Surface:

1. Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, and then tap Settings.

2. Tap Power, and then tap Shut down or Restart.

Desktop

The desktop is still around. Here’s how to go to the desktop:

 With touch or a mouse, from the Start screen, tap or click Desktop. (It is a tile.)  With a keyboard, press the Windows logo key +D.

Control Panel

Control Panel is still available, and some settings are available in PC Settings. To learn about this, see Change your settings in this guide.

 Open the Search charm, type what you want to find in the search box, and then choose Internet

Explorer from the list of apps.

Tips

 Change search settings: Open the Settings charm, then tap or click Change PC settings. Then tap or

click Search.

 You can also search for files using File Explorer. For more info, see Search for files in File Explorer on

Windows.com.

What moved or changed in Windows 8?

If you’re familiar with Windows 7, here’s the scoop on what’s moved or changed in Windows 8.

Windows Help

Go to the desktop, open the Settings charm, and then tap or click Help. Windows Help and Support opens. Windows help and support content is also available at

Windows.com.

Printing from desktop apps hasn’t changed. To print from a Windows Store app, open

the Devices charm, and then select your printer. For more info, see the Printing topic in this guide.

Close a program

Closing desktop apps hasn’t changed. To close a Windows Store app, drag the app to the bottom of the screen. For more info, see Close apps in this guide.

Find a list of all apps and programs

To see a list of installed apps:

1. Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, and then tap Start.

2. On the Start screen, swipe up from the bottom edge or down from the top

edge, and then tap All apps.

Install apps and programs

Windows 8 comes with a new store for apps called the Windows Store. You can also install Windows 7 programs. For more info about this, see Install apps and programs in this guide.

Change date and time

Here's how to change the date and time:

1. Open the Search charm, type Set the date and time, tap or click Settings, and

then tap or click Set the time and date.

2. Tap or click Change date and time.

3. Use the controls to change the date and time.

Get to know Surface

On or wake

When Surface is off, press and release the power button. If nothing happens, Surface might need to be recharged. Connect the power supply and then press the power button again.

Sleep

When Surface is on press and release the power button, or close Type Cover or Touch Cover and wait a few seconds. You can also open the Settings charm, tap or click Power , and then choose Sleep.

Shut down (off)

Open the Settings charm, tap or click Power , and then choose Shut down. You can also tap or click the Power icon on the sign in screen (lower-right corner) to quickly shut down.

Restart

Open the Settings charm, tap or click Power , and then choose Restart.

Now that you know the basics, let’s go a little deeper.

Power states: On, sleep, shut down, and restart

Here’s what you need to know about the Surface power states.

On, off, sleep, and restart

You can also press Ctrl+Alt+Delete, tap or click the Power icon (in the lower-right corner), and then tap or click Sleep, Shutdown, or Restart.

Sleep and hibernation

If you don’t use Surface for a few minutes, it goes to sleep just like a laptop. Sleep is a power-saving state that allows Surface to quickly resume when you want to start working again.

By default, if you don’t use Surface for an hour, it will go into a deep sleep called hibernation. While sleep puts your work and settings in memory and draws a small amount of power, hibernation puts your open documents and programs on your hard disk, and then turns off your Surface.

Change when the screen dims, turns off, or sleeps

If you don’t use Surface for a while, the screen may dim or turn off, or Surface may go to sleep. This happens to help preserve battery life. If you want to change these settings, you need to edit your power plan. Here’s how:

1. Open the Search charm, type edit power plan, and then tap or click Settings.

2. Tap or click Edit power plan from the search results.

3. Choose the sleep and display settings that you want for when Surface is running on battery and

when it's plugged in.

4. Tap or click Save changes.

Note A power plan is a collection of hardware and system settings (like display and sleep) that manages how your PC uses power. For more info about power plans, see the topic Power Plans: Frequently asked questions on Windows.com. (Surface Pro does not support connected standby.)

Wake

To wake up Surface, do this:

1. Do either of the following things:

 Press and release the power button (this wakes Surface from sleep or hibernation).  Press a key or tap the Windows logo on Surface. (If Surface doesn’t wake up, Surface may be

hibernating. To wake Surface from hibernation, press and release the power button.)

The lock screen appears with icons for app notifications—for example, a mail icon appears if you have new email. For more info about this, see the Notifications topic in this guide.

2. Unlock your Surface by swiping up from the bottom edge of the screen or by pressing a key.

3. If the sign-in screen appears, type your password and Surface is ready to use. If you need help signing

in, see the Sign in and out section in this guide.

Lock

To lock Surface, do any of the following:

 Tap or click your name in the upper-right corner of the Start screen, and then tap or click Lock.  Press Ctrl+Alt+Delete and then tap or click Lock.  Press Windows logo key + L.

The touchscreen

The 10.6-inch diagonal, 1080p, multi-touch screen has a 16:9 aspect ratio—perfect for watching HD videos and optimized for multi-tasking with side-by-side apps.

Like a smartphone, you can interact with Surface by touching the screen. For example, you can drag your finger down a page to scroll. To learn more about using touch, see the Touch: tap, slide, and beyond topic in this guide.

Screen rotation

When you rotate Surface, the screen content automatically rotates to the new orientation. For example, you might use landscape orientation for webpages and portrait orientation when reading a book.

Lock the screen orientation

If you don’t want the screen to automatically rotate, you can lock the orientation. Here’s how:

1. Rotate Surface to the orientation you want.

2. Open the Settings charm, and then tap or click Screen.

3. Tap or click the screen rotation icon, which is a rectangle with arrows.

A lock appears on the screen icon when screen rotation is locked.

Note Screen orientation is also in Control Panel. To find this setting, open the Search charm, type screen

orientation, tap or click Settings, and then choose Change screen orientation from the search results.

Screen brightness

By default, Surface automatically adjusts screen brightness for the light conditions. You can change this or set the brightness to whatever you’d like. Here’s how:

1. Open the Settings charm, and then tap or click Change PC settings.

2. Tap or click General.

3. Scroll down to Screen and then set Adjust my Screen Brightness Automatically to No.

To manually adjust the screen brightness:

 Open the Settings charm, tap or click Screen, and then move the slider to adjust the brightness.

Note A brighter screen uses more power. To find out how to get the most from your battery, see Tips to save

battery power on Windows.com.

Other screen settings

To change when the screen dims, turns off, or when Surface goes to sleep, see Change when the screen dims,

turns off, or sleeps in this guide.

You can use the Search charm to find more settings, such as the screen resolution. Here's how:

 Open the Search charm, type display, and then tap or click Settings. Choose a setting from the

search results.

Connect Surface a second monitor

You can connect Surface to a second monitor to get more done faster. For info on how to do this, see Connect

to a TV, monitor, or projector in this guide.

Add your accounts

One of the first things you’ll want to do with your new Surface is add your accounts—like Outlook.com, Gmail, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn. Once you add your accounts, your contacts, calendar, and email will appear in the Mail, People, and Calendar apps. And you can quickly get to your photos and files from services like SkyDrive, Facebook, or Flickr.

Add your email accounts

You can add your email accounts from Outlook, Gmail, AOL, Yahoo!, and even your work email (accounts that use Exchange ActiveSync) to the Mail app.

To add an email account:

1. Open Mail (from the Start screen, tap or click Mail).

2. Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, and then tap or click Settings.

3. Tap or click Accounts.

4. Tap or click Add an account, the type of account you want to add, and then follow the on-screen

instructions.

Most accounts can be added with only your user name and password. In some cases, you’ll be asked for more details, which you can usually find on your email account’s website.

5. Repeat steps 2-4 for each of your email accounts.

After you add an email account…

 Contacts from your email account appear in the People app.  Appointments appear in the Calendar app. If you have the most recent version of Mail, your Google

calendar will not sync with the Calendar app—see below.

You can change your email account settings at any time. While in the Mail app, open the Settings charm, choose

Accounts, and then select the account that you want to change. Learn more in the Mail section of this guide.

POP email

Mail doesn't support email accounts that use POP (Post Office Protocol). If your email account uses POP, see the options in Using email accounts over POP on Windows.com.

Syncing Google email, calendar, and contacts

To find out how to sync your Google email, contacts, and calendar, see How to sync Google services on Windows.com.

Microsoft Exchange account

To find out how to set how to set up a Microsoft Exchange account and troubleshoot connectivity problems, see

How to configure an Exchange account.

Outlook Express, Windows Mail, or Windows Live Mail

If you’ve been using Outlook Express, Windows Mail, or Windows Live Mail, you can move your email and address book from your old PC to the cloud. Once you do this, you can access your email and contacts in the Mail and People apps on Surface. For info on how to move your email and address book to the cloud, see Move

your mail and contacts off your old PC on Windows.com.

Add social network accounts to the People app

Add your social network accounts such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and you’ll get all the latest updates, Tweets, and pictures from these accounts all in one place—the People app. To add your social network accounts:

1. Open People (from the Start screen, tap or click People).

2. Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, and then tap or click Settings.

3. Tap or click Accounts.

4. Tap or click Add an account, select the type of account you want to add, and then follow the on-screen

instructions.

Add a photo service to the Photos app

The Photos app automatically shows the photos saved on your Surface, but it can also include your photos from SkyDrive, Facebook, or Flickr. Here's how:

1. From the Start screen, tap or click Photos.

2. Tap or click the tile for the photo service you want to add (such as SkyDrive, Facebook, or Flickr).

3. Follow the instructions to add your account.

You might need to wait a few minutes before photos from the new account begin to appear.

On-screen keyboard

Surface has an on-screen, touch keyboard that appears when you need it.

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