Common FAQs for AOL Desktop

General
Screen Names and Signing In
E-mail

General

To launch the AOL® Keywords box, tap and hold down the Ctrl key, and then tap the K key on your keyboard. (The Ctrl key is on the lower-left of your keyboard.)

Type your keyword into the text field of the AOL Keywords box, and then tap the Enter key on your keyboard or click Go on the Keywords window. Ensure that the browser is open. The AOL Keyword feature throws up an AOL® search results page. You can navigate through this page to view content on any desired service.

How do I print Web sites?

• On the Browser window, click the File menu, and then click Print.

  

• Navigate to the Web page that you wish to print, tap and hold down the Ctrl key, and then tap the P key on your keyword.

  

• Navigate to the Web page that you wish to print, right-click anywhere in the text, and then click Print.

  

  Back to Top

  How do I chat on AOL Desktop?

  To access the classic AOL® chat, do the following:
  1. Sign on to AOL Desktop, and then go to AOL Keyword: Chat Room Listings.

  Note: To launch the AOL Keywords box, tap and hold down the Ctrl key, and then tap the K key on your keyboard.

  

  Alternatively, you can also try the new AIM Chat at http://chat.aim.com/. It is optimized for a broadband experience and is not currently recommended for dial-up users. From the Chat section of People Connection, you will see links to both the classic AOL chat experiences and the AIM Chat experience. Here's the link to the AOL People Connection chat area: http://peopleconnection.aol.com/chats.

  How do I turn off my IM, Mail, and AOL sounds?

  If you're hearing doors slamming or other weird sounds while using AOL Desktop, these are probably the sounds of your buddies coming online or going offline.

  To turn off or edit the sounds you and your buddies make during IM or Chat conversations, do the following:
  1. Launch the AOL Desktop software, enter your screen name and password, and then click the Sign In link.

   

  

   

  2. On the AIM® window, click the Edit menu, and then click Settings.

  Note: You can also tap the F7 key on your keyboard to get to the Settings window.

  

  3. Click the Sounds tab. Here, you can turn sounds on or off, as well as choose custom sounds from files on your PC. Make sure you scroll down the entire settings page to see all the options.

  

  4. Make the desired changes, and then click Save.

  

  Back to Top

  Mail Sound

  You can turn off the sounds that you receive when a new mail is received or sent by going to Mail Settings.

  1. On the Mail window, click the Settings menu, and then click General Settings.

  

  2. Under Notifications, click the Play a sound when new mail arrives and Play a sound when a new mail is sent boxes to clear them.

  

  3. Click Save.

  

  AOL Sounds (for Advanced Users):

  In AOL Desktop, there is currently no way to mute AOL sounds. However, advanced users can disable these sounds from within the PC.

  To turn off Welcome, You've Got Mail and Goodbye, do the following:
    1. Click the Start button, and then click Control Panel.
    2. Click the Sounds, Speech, and Audio Devices icon. If you are using Classic View, skip this step.
    3. Double-click the Sounds and Audio Devices icon.
    4. Click the Sounds tab.
    5. In the Program events: section, scroll down to the AOL_US (Default Sounds) section.
    6. Click the sound that you wish to mute once to highlight it, click the Sounds: drop-down menu to open it, and then select None. Click Yes.
    7. Click OK.

  Where are my Favorite Places?

  You can view all your Favorite Places by opening the Browser favorites side panel. On the Browser window, click Favorites.

  

  To import your AOL Favorites from a prior version of AOL, click the Favorites menu, and then click Import AOL Favorites.

  

  To open sites you saved in a prior version of AOL, sign on to the AOL Desktop software, and then on the Browser window, click Favorites. Under screen name's Favorites Place, your favorites will be listed.

  

  Note: AOL Desktop now supports local favorites as well as AOL portable favorites, which are stored on a server and only accessible when you provide your screen name and password. (Local favorites are the favorites stored on your computer in other browsers like Microsoft® Internet Explorer®. This means that, when you're using a broadband connection, you can access all your browser favorites without having to log on. If you've ever saved a favorite on your computer in another browser like Internet Explorer, you can get to that favorite in AOL Desktop as well and vice versa.)

  After signing on, you can get to your AOL favorites, including the ones that you may have imported from a prior version of AOL.

  Back to Top

  How do I turn Parental Controls on or off?

  In a few easy steps, you can set up and customize AOL® Parental Controls for an age-appropriate experience for your child. From where they go on the Internet to whom they communicate with, AOL Parental Controls helps the online environment to provide a safe and rewarding experience for your child. You need to download and install AOL Parental Controls (formerly called Internet Access Controls) to keep your child safe when using an external browser like Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla® Firefox®.

  To set Parental Controls, do the following:
  1. Log in to the AOL® software with a master screen name.
  2. Go to AOL Keyword: Parental Controls or go directly to http://parentalcontrols.aol.com.
  3. Click the desired screen name for which you wish to set Parental Controls.
  4. In the Settings window, you can choose and set the desired controls for Web Browsing, E-mails, IMs, Chat, Time Limits, Activity Reports, and Downloads & Premium Services.

  

  You may also edit the age category for a particular screen name from Parental Controls.
  
  To edit the age group, do the following:
  1. Go to AOL Keyword: Parental Controls or go directly to http://parentalcontrols.aol.com.
  2. Click the screen name that you want to change the age category for.
  3. In the Settings window, choose the appropriate age category.

  

  4. Click Save either at the top or at the bottom of the page.

  Notes:

  • For our new free accounts, we will restrict access to creating additional screen names, using Parental Controls, and accessing some child-only content until the user confirms that he/she is 18 years of age or older through our age verification process. 
  • To set up Parental Controls and download AOL Parental Controls (formerly called Internet Access Controls) using Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox, go to http://parentalcontrols.aol.com and click Download now.

  Back to Top

  How do I return to a previous version of AOL?

  You can return to a previous version of AOL at any time. Installing AOL Desktop does not overwrite previous versions of the AOL software already installed on your computer; it only replaces the desktop shortcut.

  To launch AOL® 9.0 or AOL® 9.1 software, click the Start button, select Program Files or All Programs, select AOL, and then click the AOL 9.0 or AOL 9.1 icon to launch your previous version of AOL.

  You can right-click the AOL 9.0 or AOL 9.1 option, select Send To, and then click Desktop. This will create a shortcut access to AOL 9.0 or AOL 9.1 on your desktop.

  How can I optimize the performance of AOL Desktop?

  Attempting to load many Web sites simultaneously, or running AOL Desktop on a lower-end PC, may affect the speed of your software. Here are some tips to keep AOL Desktop running as smoothly as possible:
  • If you have more than 50 names in your Buddy List: On the Buddy List window, click the Edit menu, and then click Settings. Click the Expressions tab and turn off animated Expressions (such as SuperBuddies or animated wallpapers).
  • If you have multiple home pages: On the Browser window, click the Settings menu, and then click General. Ensure that Open first home page only when AOL starts is checked.
  • Minimize the number of other software programs running on your PC.
  • Turn on auto sign-in: On the Sign on screen, click the Auto Sign In box to place a check mark in it. This will stop welcome.aol.com from refreshing when you sign in.
  • Reboot regularly (every few hours) to release cached memory.
  • Run Windows Disk Defragmenter and Disk Cleanup (under System Tools in your Accessories folder) at least every few weeks. Click here to learn more about it.  
  • If you opened an Adobe® Acrobat PDF file within AOL Desktop, this will cause Adobe Acrobat to run in the background even if you don't need to look at the PDF file anymore. Make sure that you shut down the Adobe Acrobat process from the Task Manager (Hold down the Ctrl and Alt keys on your keyboard, and then tap the Del key to launch Task Manager).

  Back to Top

  How do I change my background image?

  When you launch the AOL software, you are presented with a blue background; however, you can choose a different background for each screen name on your AOL® account.

  To change your AOL software background, do the following:
  1. Sign in to the AOL Desktop software.

  

  2. Right-click the background, select Background, and then click Change.

  

  3. Navigate to the image that you wish to have as background, and then click the Open button.

  

  Notes:

  • If you wish to have no background, right-click the background, and then click Reset to Defaults.
  • There are three settings that facilitate the positioning of the selected image and how it displays on the background.

    

  • Tile: Creates a repeating pattern of the image until the entire background surface is covered. Images that are geometric or have a regular repeating pattern work best when tiled, eliminating the severe breaks that will be evident where the images abut each other.
  • Stretch: Expands the selected image both horizontally and vertically until the background surface is covered. The size and the orientation of the original image play a large role in how the finished background appears. Try and select an image that is sized with the width and the height proportional to the background desktop for best results.

Select a buddy icon, change your Emoticons, or create a custom buddy sound so that your friends know immediately that it's you IMing! AOL Desktop provides an endless array of ways to personalize your experience.

On the AIM® window, click the Edit menu, and then click Expressions. Click Change beneath any of the four personality options to choose a different expression. For more information, check out the online help article How do I express myself in AOL Desktop?.

Click the Apply button to save your new expression changes.

Choose an accessorized WeeMee or a dancing, animated Meez from the options on the left side of the page. Click here to know more about it.

Back to Top

AOL Desktop software lets you sign in with your AIM® and AOL® MyeAddress screen names in addition to your AOL® screen names. You can sign on to AOL Desktop with screen names from different accounts too.

Note: You will not be able to delete the last screen name that you used to sign on to the AOL Desktop software.

To delete a screen name from the AOL Desktop Sign On screen, do the following:
1. On the sign on screen, choose the screen name that you wish to delete by clicking it.

2. Click the Remember Me box to clear it.

3. Click the Yes button.

4. Click the OK button.

Back to Top

To sign on to AOL Desktop as a guest (so your screen name and password won't be stored in the drop-down menu), click the Remember Me box to clear it.

Click here to check out the online help article for more information.

You can work on email while offline only under the following circumstances:

• You have launched the AOL Desktop software but have not connected to the Internet
• If you get disconnected from the Internet

To work offline on mail, do the following:
1. Launch the AOL Desktop software.
2. Click the Connection drop-down menu, and then choose Work Offline.

Note: You will not see the Work Offline option if you have an active Internet connection.

Click here to check out the online help article for more information.

Back to Top

E-mail

How do I insert and resize pictures in e-mail?
Where are my Groups?
How do I use Mail Drafts?
How do I get separate New and Old Mail folders?
How can I easily insert addresses into e-mails?
How do I delete multiple e-mails?
How do I choose a default mail font?

How do I insert and resize pictures in e-mail?

To insert a picture when writing an e-mail, click the Attach drop-down menu, and then click Pictures. Choose a picture file saved on your hard drive, and then click the Open button to insert the picture into your e-mail.

You can also copy an image from a Web page and paste it into an e-mail. Right-click on the image in the browser and choose Copy. Then, in the e-mail, right-click again and choose Paste to place it in the message.

You can resize an image in your e-mail using your mouse. First, click once on the image. A small square will appear at each corner and edge of the picture, indicating that the picture is ready to be resized. Next, click and hold one of the resize boxes and move your mouse to resize the picture.

Note: Dragging the resize square on the bottom-right corner of the image will keep its aspect ratio, or the proportions, equal as you resize the image. If the inserted picture is large, scroll down and over with the mail scroll bars until you get to the bottom-right corner of the image.

Where are my Groups?

Groups in AOL Desktop are called Mailing Lists, which are accessible from Mailing Lists  in your Address Book. When you click on Mailing Lists, a new window will open with all your existing groups appearing as tabs on the left side.

To edit the contacts in your Mailing Lists, click on the contact that you wish to edit in order to highlight it. Then, use the buttons at the bottom to edit or remove contacts or to add new contacts to that mailing list.

Note: You can also use the Type a screen name or e-mail box to add new contacts from your Address Book. Just type their screen name or e-mail address, and then click Add Contact.

Clicking  New Contact  in the Mailing List area will let you add a brand-new contact to an existing or new mailing list. Choose which Mailing List you want to add your new contact to in the Categories section. Click the Mailing Lists drop-down menu and choose the Mailing List that you wish to add the contact to. You can also assign a single contact to multiple Mailing Lists by clicking the + symbol and repeating the process described above.

Back to Top

How do I use Mail Drafts?

Mail Waiting To Be Sent is now called Drafts. When you save a mail, it will be stored in your folders on the left side of your mailbox under On My PC. To save a mail to the Drafts folder, on the Mail - Compose window, click the Save Draft button (next to the Send button).

Note: You'll notice that as you’re writing e-mails, they’ll automatically be saved to your Drafts folder every few minutes to ensure that you don’t accidentally lose what you’ve written.

When you're ready to send the Draft mails that you previously saved, just click on your Drafts folder, double-click on the mail, and confirm that you're ready to send it by clicking Send.

How do I get separate New and Old Mail folders?

AOL Desktop supports two types of folder views in mail. You can see all your new and old e-mails in one Inbox (known as inbox style view), or you can have separate folders for New and Old mail (commonly referred to as new/old/sent view).

• If you're in the "inbox style" view and you want to switch back to separate "new and old" mail folders, click here.
• To switch from New/Old to Inbox, click here.

How can I easily insert addresses into e-mails?

You can easily add recipients to an e-mail by clicking the To button. The Select a Contact panel will appear; click on the addresses that you want to add. The Select a Contact panel allows you to skip through your contacts alphabetically.

To copy or blind-copy recipients, click on the Cc and Bcc links at the far-right of the e-mail window -- these will expand into extra boxes beneath the To box. Then, click the Cc and Bcc buttons to expand the Select a Contact address panel and copy or blind-copy other recipients.

Note: Click X at the top right of the Select a Contact to close the window when you're finished.

Back to Top

How do I delete multiple e-mails?

You can delete multiple e-mails at once by using the following default Windows keystroke and mouse combination:

Shift + Left Mouse Click

To select a group of sequential e-mails (those that are next to one another), hold down the Shift key while left-clicking your mouse.

First, make a mental note of which e-mails you want to delete, remembering the first and the last e-mails in the group. Then, click on the first e-mail to select it. Next, while holding down the Shift key, click on the last e-mail of the group. You will see both e-mails and all others in between selected. Finally, click the Delete button on the mailbox or press the Delete key on your keyboard.

Note: To clear the selection without deleting anything, release Shift and click on any mail to highlight it individually.

To phrase this concept in another way: imagine selecting 5 volumes of encyclopedias from A to E. You want to select volumes A, B, C, D, and E. Volume A is the starting point of your selection, and volume E is your ending point. By doing a group select and clicking on volumes A and E, volumes B, C, and D will also be included.

Control + Left Mouse Click

To select a random, non-sequential group of e-mails to delete simultaneously, hold down the Ctrl (control) key while left-clicking with your mouse. Click and highlight the first e-mail that you wish to delete, and then press and hold down the control key on your keyboard. While holding down Ctrl, click any e-mail that you wish to delete in order to add it to the highlighted selection. When you’re finished, click Delete on the mailbox or press the Delete key on your keyboard.

How do I choose a default mail font?

To choose a default mail font and color, on the mailbox, click the Settings menu, and then click Writing and Sending.

At the bottom of this window, you will see the Default Font area, which looks like a toolbar with drop-down menus next to the choices. Click on each of these areas to choose how you want the text to appear in the e-mails that you write. You can choose from a number of fonts, sizes, and formats (bold, italics, or underline), and even specify the color and the background of your e-mail text. When you've made your selections, choose Apply, and then click Save to close the form

Back to Top