# Contacts and Private Calls

Zed allows you to have private calls / collaboration sessions with those in your contacts.
These calls can be one-on-ones or contain any number of users from your contacts.

## Adding a Contact

1. In the collaboration panel, click the `+` button next to the `Contacts` section
1. Search for the contact using their GitHub handle.\
   _Note: Your contact must be an existing Zed user who has completed the GitHub authentication sign-in flow._
1. Your contact will receive a notification.
   Once they accept, you'll both appear in each other's contact list.

## Private Calls

To start up a private call...

1. Click the `...` menu next to an online contact's name in the collaboration panel.
1. Click `Call <username>`

Once you've begun a private call, you can add other online contacts by clicking on their name in the collaboration panel.

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_Aside from a few additional features (channel notes, etc.), collaboration in private calls is largely the same as it is in [channels](./channels.md)._