# Webphone overview

> Make and answer calls, send SMS, manage contacts and see your call history in the Webphone on your computer.

- URL: https://kb.voipcloud.online/us/phones-and-apps/webphone/webphone-overview/
- Section: Phones and apps › Webphone
- Type: overview
- Applies to: All countries
- Last reviewed: 2026-11-10

The **Webphone** is your provider's own phone app. It works in a web browser, as a desktop app for Windows, Mac and Linux, and as a mobile app for iOS and Android. It's linked to your PBX, so it shows your phonebooks, call history, SMS chats and queues, not just a dial pad.

This page covers the browser and desktop versions. For phones and tablets, see [Webphone mobile app](https://kb.voipcloud.online/us/phones-and-apps/webphone/webphone-mobile-app/).

## Before you start

Your PBX administrator sets you up first: they add your email and a Webphone device to your user. See [Set up the Webphone](https://kb.voipcloud.online/us/phones-and-apps/webphone/set-up-the-webphone/). You then get an email to set your password: see [Sign in to the Webphone for the first time](https://kb.voipcloud.online/us/phones-and-apps/webphone/webphone-first-sign-in/).

## Main parts

The dial pad is always on the left, next to the tab you're on. The tabs at the top take you to each part. In a narrow window, the dial pad becomes its own **Dialpad** tab, and the tabs move to the bottom.

| Tab | What you do there |
| --- | --- |
| **Contacts** | Search your phonebooks, call or text a contact, and add, edit or delete contacts. |
| **SMS** | Send and reply to text messages in **Chats**. |
| **History** | See every call you made, received or missed, on any of your devices, and play call recordings and their transcripts. |
| **Services** | **Call controls** (queues, ring groups and call flow controls), **Call parking** and **Voicemail**. |
| **Settings** | Your profile, password, language, defaults, notifications, ringtones, audio, devices and integrations. |

Above the dial pad, **Your caller ID displays as:** shows the number people see when you call, and **Your internal number:** shows your extension, which colleagues can call or transfer calls to.

![Webphone desktop app on the Contacts tab: the dial pad with the caller ID and internal number on the left, the phonebook list on the right, and the tabs and status at the top](https://kb.voipcloud.online/us/images/phones-and-apps/webphone/webphone-overview-contacts.webp)

## Make a call

1. Type the number with your keyboard, click the keys, or paste it into **Phone number**. You can also click a contact's number in **Contacts**, or a call's type (for example **Missed**) in **History**, to call it straight away. To clear the number, hold the delete key in the field (**Hold to clear**).
2. To use a different caller ID, click **Change** under **Your caller ID displays as:** and choose a number. The list shows every caller ID your administrator allows you to use, plus:
    - **Anonymous**: hide your number;
    - **Confirm for each call**: choose the caller ID each time you call.

    Use the search box at the top of the list to find a number.
3. Click the green call button.

If you see **No access to the microphone**, the Webphone can't use your microphone. See [Webphone troubleshooting](https://kb.voipcloud.online/us/phones-and-apps/webphone/webphone-troubleshooting/).

## Answer a call

Click **Accept** to answer or **Decline** to reject the call. The desktop app and browser can also show a pop-up notification for incoming calls.

![Incoming call screen with Decline and Accept buttons](https://kb.voipcloud.online/us/images/phones-and-apps/webphone/webphone-overview-incoming-call.webp)

The Webphone needs permission to use your microphone and show notifications. If it doesn't ring, see [Webphone notifications and ringtone](https://kb.voipcloud.online/us/phones-and-apps/webphone/webphone-notifications-and-ringtone/).

## Contacts

**Contacts** shows your phonebooks. Choose one from the list at the top (**All phonebooks**, a phonebook your administrator shares with you, or your own **Personal** phonebook), and use **Search** to find a contact by name or number. Colleagues show a status dot, for example green when they're available.

- **Add a contact:** click **New contact**, choose the **Phonebook**, and enter the **Name** and **Phone number**. **Email**, a picture (**Upload new avatar**) and **Which caller ID to use when calling this contact** are optional. Click **Create**.
- **Hover over a contact** to copy its name or number, or use the icons at the end of the row: send an SMS, send an email, open it in your CRM (**Integrations**), edit it (pencil) or delete it (bin).

Edit and delete only appear in phonebooks you can change. A read-only phonebook, such as your colleagues' extensions, can only be changed by a PBX administrator. See [Phonebooks](https://kb.voipcloud.online/us/pbx/settings/phonebooks/). To choose the phonebook **Contacts** opens with, go to **Settings** › **Defaults** › **Default phonebook**.

More detail: [Contacts and call history in the Webphone](https://kb.voipcloud.online/us/phones-and-apps/webphone/webphone-contacts-and-call-history/).

## Call history

**History** lists calls to and from you, on all your devices, newest first. For each call it shows the contact or number, the **Type** (**Incoming**, **Outgoing** or **Missed**), the **Line used** (the number that was called, or the caller ID you used), the **Duration** and the **Time**.

- Use **Search** and **Filters** (**Date range**, **Type of calls**, **Show internal calls only**) to find a call, and the refresh button to load new calls.
- The icons at the end of a row add the number to your contacts, send an SMS, open it in your CRM, or play the call recording.
- **Call recordings and transcripts:** click the play icon to open **Call recording**. With [Speech-to-text](https://kb.voipcloud.online/us/services/speech-to-text/), the transcript plays along with the recording. See [Play a call recording and read its transcript](https://kb.voipcloud.online/us/phones-and-apps/webphone/webphone-contacts-and-call-history/#play-a-call-recording-and-read-its-transcript).

## SMS

1. Open **SMS** and click **+**.
2. Choose a **Contact** or type a **Phone number**.
3. In **Send from**, choose the number or sender ID to send from.
4. Type your **Message** and click **Send**.

To reply, click the chat, type your message and click **Send**.

![New chat window with Contact, Phone number, Send from and Message fields](https://kb.voipcloud.online/us/images/phones-and-apps/webphone/webphone-overview-new-sms.webp)

SMS needs an SMS plan and an SMS-enabled number routed to you. See [SMS to Webphone users](https://kb.voipcloud.online/us/services/phone-numbers/sms-to-webphone-users/).

## Queues and ring groups

In **Services** › **Call controls**, use the switches under **Queue membership** and **Ring group membership** to join or leave each queue or ring group you belong to, then click **Apply changes**. When a switch is off, you get no calls from that queue, but your other queues aren't affected. See [Join or leave queues and ring groups in the Webphone](https://kb.voipcloud.online/us/phones-and-apps/webphone/queues-and-ring-groups-in-the-webphone/).

Your administrator can turn these controls off for you.

## Do Not Disturb and the profile menu

Click the status next to your name in the top-right corner to switch between **Available** and **DND enabled**. With Do Not Disturb on, you get no incoming calls on any of your devices or external numbers, and no notifications.

Click your avatar to open the profile menu. It has the status as well (useful in a smaller window), zoom buttons to make the Webphone bigger or smaller, **Reload** and **Log out**.

## Settings

**Settings** has a page for each group of settings:

| Page | What it does |
| --- | --- |
| **General** | The **Language** of the Webphone and **Enable remote call pickup**. In the desktop app, also **Open Webphone when answering a call via notification or headset**, **Set as a default system app for calls and SMS**, **Launch the app when system starts**, and the headset options (see [Headsets and audio devices](https://kb.voipcloud.online/us/phones-and-apps/webphone/headsets-and-audio-devices/)). |
| **User** | Your avatar (**Upload new avatar**), your internal number, your name and email, and **Change password**. |
| **Defaults** | **Default tab**, **Default phonebook**, **Default 'Services' tab page**, **Default mode for 'Add call'** and **Default mode for 'Transfer'**. |
| **Notifications** | Which events show a browser or desktop notification. See [Webphone notifications and ringtone](https://kb.voipcloud.online/us/phones-and-apps/webphone/webphone-notifications-and-ringtone/). |
| **Ringtones** | Your **Default ringtone** (click play to hear it), and ringtones for calls tagged by your administrator (**Add**). |
| **Audio** | **Audio output for a ringtone**, **Audio output during a call** and **Microphone**, with a level meter to test your microphone. Not shown in every browser. |
| **Device management** | How your devices ring (see below). |
| **Integrations** | CRM and Zapier integrations, once they're activated for your account. |

The Webphone's version, for example **Version: 1.3.2**, is shown under the list of settings pages. Support may ask for it.

![Settings › General in the desktop app, with the settings pages on the left and the version underneath](https://kb.voipcloud.online/us/images/phones-and-apps/webphone/webphone-settings-general.webp)

### Device management

If you have more than one device, such as the Webphone and a desk phone, you can control how they ring:

- **Ring mode for incoming calls**: **Ring all**, **Linear** (one after another, in the order shown) or **Twinning** (the first device, then all the others together).
- Set each device's **Ring time** (10 to 60 seconds) with its slider, and turn off its **Incoming calls** switch so it stops ringing. Outgoing calls and SMS still work.
- Drag devices to change the order, and click **Add external number** to ring a mobile as well. **Need to accept a call after the answer on the external number** stops calls going to a mobile's voicemail.

Click **Save changes** when you're done.

![Settings › Device management with the ring mode, the option to accept calls on an external number, and a ring time slider and Incoming calls switch for each device](https://kb.voipcloud.online/us/images/phones-and-apps/webphone/webphone-device-management.webp)

## Where to go next

- [During a call in the Webphone](https://kb.voipcloud.online/us/phones-and-apps/webphone/during-a-call-in-the-webphone/)
- [Contacts and call history](https://kb.voipcloud.online/us/phones-and-apps/webphone/webphone-contacts-and-call-history/)
- [SMS in the Webphone](https://kb.voipcloud.online/us/phones-and-apps/webphone/webphone-sms/)
- [Voicemail in the Webphone](https://kb.voipcloud.online/us/phones-and-apps/webphone/webphone-voicemail/)
- [Queues and ring groups in the Webphone](https://kb.voipcloud.online/us/phones-and-apps/webphone/queues-and-ring-groups-in-the-webphone/)
- [Device management](https://kb.voipcloud.online/us/phones-and-apps/webphone/webphone-device-management/)
- [Headsets and audio devices](https://kb.voipcloud.online/us/phones-and-apps/webphone/headsets-and-audio-devices/)
- [Webphone mobile app](https://kb.voipcloud.online/us/phones-and-apps/webphone/webphone-mobile-app/)
- [Click-to-call on Windows](https://kb.voipcloud.online/us/phones-and-apps/webphone/click-to-call-on-windows/)
- [Webphone troubleshooting](https://kb.voipcloud.online/us/phones-and-apps/webphone/webphone-troubleshooting/)