Pidgin Tutorial

This short tutorial will show you how to configure Pidgin for use with $Provider. If you continue having difficulty after following this tutorial, please check our troubleshooting page for solutions to the most common problems. And if all else fails, please use our contact page to get in touch with the $Provider Support Team.

Please note that the following screenshots were taken in version 2.7.

Step one image.

Step One

To add your $Provider account to Pidgin, open the 'Accounts' menu and click 'Manage Accounts'. If you are running Pidgin for the first time, you can click 'Add' in the welcome screen to skip to Step Three.

Step two image.

Step Two

Next, click the 'Add' button.

Step three image.

Step Three

First, select the XMPP protocol.

Step four image.

Step Four

Your 'Username' is everything that precedes @$Provider.com in your email address. Be sure to use lowercase letters and enter it exactly as it appears in your e-mail address. Next enter '$Provider.com' into the 'Domain' field.

The 'Resource' is used to identify the computer your using and is only significant if you intend to access your account from different computers. We reccomend using a familiar label like 'desktop' or 'laptop.' You could also use the computer's location for the Resource; examples based on the location are 'home' or 'office'.

Enter the same password you use to access your email in the 'Password' field. You can choose to have Pidgin remember your password by checking the 'Remember password' box. If you leave it unchecked, Pidgin will ask you to enter your password every time it connects.

Finally, enter the name you want to have displayed in other instant messenger clients in the 'Local alias' field. You will most likely use your full name but you are free to enter anything you wish such as your company name or a short description of the account if it serves a special purpose. Click 'Add' to create the account.

Step five image.

Step Five

Your instant messaging account is ready to go. Click 'Close' to go to the main window.

Step six image.

Step Six

Add a buddy to your list by clicking 'Buddies' then 'Add Buddy'.

Step seven image.

Step Seven

Select your $Provider account then enter username of your buddy. The username can be any service that supports XMPP. For $Provider users, the username will be their email address. The alias will be the name that is shown in your buddy list. Choose a group to add your buddy to then click 'Add'. Once your 'Add' request is authorized you'll be able to see when your buddy is online and available to chat.

Step eight image.

Step Eight

For most users, this is the happy ending to the story. If you hit a snag, please check our troubleshooting page for solutions to the most common problems. Of course, if you’re still stuck, please use our contact page to get help from the $Provider Support Team.