If you start Pidgin for the first time, a message appears, prompting you to configure an account. Proceed with Add to add a new account.

If you have already configured an account and want to add a new one or modify existing ones, open this dialog via Accounts › Manage Accounts. Either Add a new account, or Modify or Delete existing ones.

The Add/Modify Account dialog opens. Use the Basic tab to select a protocol and enter or modify your login credentials.

The availability of other tabs and the data you are required to enter depends on the protocol you have chosen. In most cases, server details such as address and port number need to be entered on the Advanced tab.

On the Proxy tab you can enter a custom proxy configuration for the chosen protocol. By default the system settings (Use Global Proxy Settings) are preselected. This default should be sufficient for most users.

Continue with Add or Save. Make sure all accounts you want to use are set to Enabled in the resulting Accounts window. If you want to temporarily disable an account, deselect it in the Enabled column.

To add a contact, click Buddies › Add Buddy.

Select the Account for which you want to add a contact.

Enter the contact's user name under Buddy' username. Ask your contact for this name prior to adding the contact—this data is required and usually depends on the protocol.

By default, the contact is shown under the name they have provided with their account. Use (Optional): Alias to display the contact with a custom name. With some protocols you can also send the contact an invite message with (Optional): Invite Message.

If you have sorted your contacts by group, choose an existing group from the drop-down text box or enter a new group name.

Proceed with Add.