Getting Started
To use Kopete you need to set up one or more accounts for the instant messaging services you wish to use.
You've probably already chosen a messaging service, either because you already use IM, or you need to use the same service as your friends. If you don't fit into either of these categories, please consider using a messaging service based on open standards, because these are designed for use by Free Software. Other messaging services are prone to changing the underlying technology without making the details freely available, making them harder for Free Software developers to support.
The messaging services that Kopete supports that are based on open standards are Jabber and IRC.
The following section assumes you are registered with an IM service already. If not, you can register with Gadu-Gadu, Jabber, and MSN from inside Kopete; for other services, you'll have to register using their respective web site before creating an account in Kopete.

Creating Accounts
To create an account, use Settings Configure... to display the Configure window.
The Configure window is the main way to set up and customize Kopete. On the left a column of icons control which aspect of Kopete is being configured. Click the Accounts icon. The main pane will change to display the account management pane. This is currently empty, but will soon list your IM accounts. Click New to display the Account Wizard.
The Account Wizard helps you create an IM account. After the Introduction page, you are asked to select the messaging service that you'd like to use. Click one of the services shown and then click Next. On the following page, you should enter your registration details for that instant messaging service.
Most services just require you to enter a username or unique identifying number (UIN) and password. The special purpose services Winpopup and SMS work slightly differently, so please see their specific sections. There are a couple of other options that apply to most services that you should look at:
Remember password	When this is checked, Kopete will store the password for you, so you don't have to enter it every time you connect to the IM service. If you are security-conscious or want to limit access to the IM account you can leave this unchecked.
Connect at startup	When this is checked, Kopete will try to connect to the IM service as when it starts. If you use a LAN, DSL or other always-on connection, this is appropriate; dial-up modem users should turn this off and connect manually when you have dialed up.
Once you've entered your IM details, you can proceed to the Finished! page and then dismiss the wizard and the Configure window.

Go Online and Start Chatting!
Now you'll notice that an icon representing the account has appeared in the status bar at the bottom of the Kopete Contact List window. This represents your current presence for this account. Right click on it and you can go online from the menu that appears. The status bar icon will animate while Kopete connects to the IM service.
Once you're online, if you've used this IM service before, your contacts will be fetched from the server and displayed in the Contact List. To start a chat with a contact, just click their name and a Chat window will appear. The upper part of the window is where the conversation appears - to say something, type into the bottom part of the window and click Send.
If you've just created a new account you won't have any contacts. See Adding Contacts for details on how to add contacts.
The shortcut for Send is set to by default; you can change it in the Chat window using Settings Configure Shortcuts....