# Getting Help with Your Technical Support Questions ## Need Help with an Adafruit Product or Project? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnTXXu9Bve0 Adafruit Industries offers [support](https://www.adafruit.com/support) for customers in a variety of ways. In order to meet customers' needs efficiently and respond quickly, we have separated **technical** support from **customer** support. With two places to go for "support", it can be potentially confusing. It's always OK to make your initial support request via either route. But please be patient and understanding if you get re-routed to the better venue. This guide focuses on the process for requesting **technical support** via the [forums](http://forums.adafruit.com/).  100% of Adafruit technical support is provided by our dedicated team of engineers and staff in the public [Adafruit customer forums](http://forums.adafruit.com/). We monitor each Forum to answer your questions immediately, and our community of experts may also chime in to offer additional tips, tricks and how-tos. **Are you ready? Let's go!** [Click here to visit the Adafruit customer support forums](http://forums.adafruit.com/). # STEP 1: Create or Log In to your Adafruit Account ![](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/018/168/medium800/community_support_Create_an_Adafruit_Account.jpg?1405955537) - An Adafruit Account is required to post in the Forums. - It is easy to create one if you don't have one yet by clicking the "[SIGN IN](https://accounts.adafruit.com/users/sign_in)" link on the top right corner of the site. - Or click here for the direct link to the [SIGN UP](https://accounts.adafruit.com/users/sign_up) page. # STEP 2: Select Appropriate Forum ![](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/018/169/medium800/community_support_MainCategorySubCategory_Forums.jpg?1405955682) - We have created Forums (Categories) and Subforums (Subcategories) for our major topics and products. Please take a moment to scan through the list to make sure you are posting your question in the best place. - One helpful tip: search for the question you'd like to ask in the search box next to "ADAFRUIT CUSTOMER SUPPORT FORUMS", to see which Forum or Subforum pops up the most frequently. (Adafruit staff and engineers will review your post wherever you place it.) - **For best response time, please do not piggyback on an existing topic!** Please create a new post in the forums instead of attaching it to a similar issue. This notifies our technical support engineers to respond to your specific tech issue. If you do see other threads with similar questions or issues, referring to them can help and is greatly appreciated! ### No problem! Post your question in the [GENERAL PROJECT HELP](http://forums.adafruit.com/viewforum.php?f=8 "Link: http://forums.adafruit.com/viewforum.php?f=8"), and make your question as specific as you can. # STEP 3: Create a New Topic ![](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/134/461/medium800/community_support_new_topic.png?1736877983) - Once you've navigated to the forum category and subcategory, click the **POST A TOPIC** button.  - In your message, tell us what product you need assistance with. ( **A link to the catalog page or Learn System guide is super helpful**.) - **If it is a problem with a kit, describe precisely the problem you are having** -- specific the parts, stage of assembly, and/or how you tested the completed project. - **Post clear photographs of the front and back of the parts/boards** , as well as any connections that we can help you troubleshoot. Sometimes a photo is worth 1000 words and will help our experienced engineers spot any issues instantly! _Check out the next page of the guide for further suggestions for posting your question:_ _"_[_Tips to Help You Place your Support Post_](https://learn.adafruit.com/getting-help-with-your-technical-support-questions/tips-to-help-you-place-your-support-post)_"_ # Getting Help with Your Technical Support Questions ## Tips to Help You Place your Support Post Our technical support engineers will read your post and get back to you shortly. Our tech support team works with customers to get their products up and running. They also authorize replacements and refunds if needed. ## Here are some tips to help you place your support post! # TIP 1: Specify Exact Parts ![](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/134/459/medium800/community_support_product_page.png?1736877300) - Tell us what product you are asking about. - Can grab the entire product page URL and add that to forum post. - ex: "I'm using one of these: https://www.adafruit.com/product/3333" - Can also just mention the product ID (PID), which should be part of the product page URL. - ex: "I'm using PID 3333" # TIP 2: Post Clear Photos ![](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/134/462/medium800/community_support_attachments.png?1736878181) - You can add photos by using the **Attachments** tab near the bottom of the page. ![](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/018/172/medium800/community_support_BothSides.jpg?1405955892) - Please post in-focus, detailed pictures of the front and back of the parts/boards, as well as any connections to the board so that we can help troubleshoot. - There's a limit of 3 photos per post and a size limit of 1MB per image file. - If your photos are too big, resize them to about 800px x 600px, using Photoshop, gimp, etc. - There are also online tools that can also be used for resizing: [Squoosh online photo resizer](https://squoosh.app/) # TIP 3: Use the [code] Tags When Posting Code or Error Messages ![](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/134/464/medium800/community_support_code.png?1736878427) - Can click the toolbar icon or type in the **[code][/code]** tags manually. - Use this to share code listings as well as error messages. - For very long code listings, either: - add code as a file attachment - add link to externally hosted code listing (Github gist, pastebin, etc.) # TIP 4: For Learn System Projects, Make Sure to Specify Exact Page and Step Where You Need Help! ![](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/134/465/medium800/community_support_learn_page.png?1736879174) - If you are following an [Adafruit Learning System](https://learn.adafruit.com/) guide, please post a link to the page you're having difficulty with, as well as listing the specific Step on the page that has you stumped. # Getting Help with Your Technical Support Questions ## FAQ ### Do you have an Arduino-related question? If you have Arduino questions please take a moment to [review our guide on how to get the best answers to your questions](http://forums.adafruit.com/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=12170&sid=544c3d40873d676f6fc7aa95f8401517 "Link: http://forums.adafruit.com/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=12170&sid=544c3d40873d676f6fc7aa95f8401517")! ### Do you have a basic Beaglebone Black / Raspberry Pi / Linux OS installation/maintenance/setup question? Adafruit offers a broad range of accessories for [Raspberry Pi](https://www.adafruit.com/categories/105) and [BeagleBone Black](https://www.adafruit.com/category/75) single board computers (among others). Our engineers help you with any questions you have about Adafruit products, but do not provide general Linux OS installation/use support. For help with setting up and using Linux OS options on your Pi and BeagleBone Black, please visit the forums for those specific platforms here: - [Raspberry Pi Foundation](http://www.raspberrypi.org/phpBB3/) - [BeagleBone](https://forum.beagleboard.org/) ## Related Guides - [What Can I Do If My Adafruit Order Has Not Arrived?](https://learn.adafruit.com/what-can-i-do-if-my-order-has-not-arrived.md) - [Creating and Maintaining Your AdaBox Subscription](https://learn.adafruit.com/creating-and-maintaining-your-adabox-subscription.md) - [How To Place an Essential, COVID-19 Related Order at Adafruit ](https://learn.adafruit.com/how-to-place-an-essential-covid-19-related-order-at-adafruit.md) - [How to make an educational purchase order in the US](https://learn.adafruit.com/how-to-make-an-educational-purchase-order-in-the-us.md) - [How to create an Adafruit account](https://learn.adafruit.com/how-to-create-an-adafruit-account.md) - [Checking order status on Adafruit.com](https://learn.adafruit.com/checking-order-status-on-adafruit-dot-com.md) - [Sales Tax Exempt Accounts on Adafruit](https://learn.adafruit.com/sales-tax-exempt-accounts.md) - [How To Get A Copy Of Your Invoice](https://learn.adafruit.com/how-to-get-a-copy-of-your-invoice.md) - [Share your work with Adafruit Playground!](https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-playground-notes.md) - [Adding Nitro Boost to your Discord Account](https://learn.adafruit.com/adding-nitro-boost-to-your-discord-account.md) - [How do I return my order?](https://learn.adafruit.com/how-do-i-return-my-order.md) - [ Understanding microSD and SD cards: speeds, markings and more](https://learn.adafruit.com/understanding-microsd-and-sd-cards-speeds-markings-and-more.md) - [Secure your Account and Unlock 20% Off](https://learn.adafruit.com/secure-your-account-and-unlock-20-off.md) - [Choosing a Shipping & Payment Method on Adafruit.com](https://learn.adafruit.com/choosing-shipping-and-payment-options-on-adafruit-com.md) - [No-Sew Cotton Face Mask with a Window](https://learn.adafruit.com/no-sew-cotton-face-mask-with-a-window.md)