Tips to collaborate in chats & spaces

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Collaborate when messaging

• Create a Calendar event in Chat
• Start a video meeting from Chat
• Share files & rich content in messages
• Add people to a group conversation or space

Work together better in spaces

• Turn a group chat into an ongoing space
• Assign & manage tasks in a space
• Share team files in a space
• Collaborate on Google Docs & Sheets in a space
• Create discoverable spaces

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Collaborate when messaging

Create a Calendar event in Chat

You can schedule and share a Google Calendar meeting from one-on-one chats; group chats, and spaces. When you schedule a meeting, an event card appears in the chat with the meeting title, date, and time. If you remove someone from an event invitation, but they’re still in the chat, they can view the event card.

Learn how

Schedule and share a calendar event

1. On your computer, open Google Chat or Gmail.
   • In Gmail: On the left, click Chat.
2. In Chat, open a message.
3. In the reply area, click Google Workspace tools Calendar invite.
4. On the right, in the side panel, enter your meeting details.
5. Click Save & share  Send.

Learn more at the Google Chat Help Center

 

 

Start a video meeting from Chat

When you’re collaborating with your team, sometimes it’s better to meet face-to-face. Start an impromptu video meeting in Chat or Gmail with your team members.

How to start a Google Meet video from Chat

Learn how

Start a video meeting from Chat or Gmail

1. On your computer, open Google Chator Gmail.
   • In Gmail: On the left, click Chat.
2. Open a conversation.
3. In the reply area, click Add video meeting Send .
4. To join a video meeting, click Join video meeting Join now.

Call someone directly from Chat or Gmail

Important: You can call someone directly from Chat or Gmail in Chrome. If you make a call to a non-Chrome user, they can receive and join the call but they won't hear a ring.

You can start a voice or video meeting from Chat or Gmail. When the other person receives the call, they’ll hear a ring.

1. In Chat, open a direct message.
2. At the top, click Start video call . The call opens in a small window.
3. To end the call, click End call .

Tip: If you want to adjust the call window:

• To move the call to a new tab, click Move to a tab .
• To move, click and hold the window.

Learn more at the Google Chat Help Center

 

 

Share files & rich content in a chat message

You can do much more than just exchange text messages in Google Chat. You can share files, links to videos, animated GIFs, and more.

Learn how

1. On your computer, open Google Chat or Gmail.
   • In Gmail: On the left, click Chat.
2. Open a conversation.
3. Enter your message and choose an option:
   • To add an emoji, click Emoji .
   • To send a GIF, click GIF .
     • If you use Google Chat on a work or school account, you may not have the option to send a GIF.
   • To attach a file from your computer, click Upload file .
     • The file is not added to Drive. Other users get the file directly in the message.
   •  To add a link to a video meeting, click Add video meeting .
   • To attach a Drive file, click Integration menu Drive ;.
     • When you send the file, you’re notified if someone needs access.
     • With edit access, you have an option to grant access.
     • If you grant access to a space, people who join the space later also have access.
     • If people leave the space, they lose access to the file unless they’re given access individually or through a group.
   • To create a Google Calendar invite, click Integration menu Calendar invite .
4. Click Send .

Learn more at the Google Chat Help Center

 

 

Add people to a group conversation

If you're chatting with a group conversation or space in Google Chat and need input from someone new, it's easy to loop them into the discussion. Just add them to the member list of your group conversation or space. You can also add them to a group conversation or space with an @mention.

Learn how

Add people to a group conversation

1. On your computer, open Google Chat or Gmail.
   • In Gmail: On the left, click Chat.
2. Open a DM.
3. At the top, click the conversation name.
4. Click Add people.
5. Enter a name or email address.
6. Click Done.

Tips:

• To convert a DM with one person into a group DM, at the top, click the conversation name Start a new chat.
• To quickly add a new person to a DM with two or more people, in the reply area, enter @ followed by the person’s name.

Add people to a space

1. On your computer, open Google Chat or Gmail.
   • In Gmail: On the left, click Chat.
2. On the left, select the space.
3. At the top, click the name of the space Manage members.
4. Click Manage members. The current members of that space are displayed.
5. At the top right, click + Add.
6. Enter the name or email address of the person or group.
7. Click Add.

Tips:

• To quickly add a new person to a space, in the reply area, enter @ followed by the person’s name.
• To view people that you’ve invited to the space, click Manage members Invited.

Add people with an @mention

You can also add someone to a group conversation or space with an @mention. Simply type @username in the message. When you send the message, add the person to the space so they can see your @mention. 

Learn more at the Google Chat Help Center

Work together better in spaces

Turn a group chat into an ongoing space

If your same group in Google Chat keeps getting back in touch with each other about different topics, consider turning the group conversation into a space. From a space, you can name the space, share files, and assign tasks to people in the space.

Learn how

1. On your computer,  open Google Chat or Gmail.
2. From the Chat panel, find and click the group chat you want to change to a space.
3. At the top, next to the group chat name, click the Down arrow   Turn this chat into a space .
4. Add a space name. To add an optional space icon, click Add .
5. Click Done. A notification confirms your chat is now a space, and notifies members in the group of the change.

After you make the change, you can find chat, files, and tasks tabs in your space.

 

 

Assign & manage tasks in a space

As a member of a space in Google Chat, you can create and manage group tasks and assign tasks to other space members. You can view tasks in the space where they're created. If a task is assigned to you, it appears in your personal task list in Google Tasks. When someone creates or updates a task, a notification appears in the space.

Tip: If you don't have the “Tasks” tab in a space, contact your Google Workspace administrator to turn on this feature.

Learn how

Create and assign a task

1. On your computer, open Google Chat or Gmail.
   • In Gmail: On the left, click Chat.
2. Select the space where you want to create a task.
3. On the top, click the Tasks tab Add space task.
   Tip: In Gmail, you might have to expand the space to view the Tasks tab.
4. Enter the task title.
5. Optional: To add a description or more details, click Add details and enter the information.
6. Optional: To add a date and time, click Add date/time Make selections click OK.
   Tip: If you add a date and time to your task, you get notifications at the scheduled dates and times.
7. Optional: To assign the task to a member of the space, click Assign click the name of the person. To assign the task to someone who isn't a member of the space, invite them to the space first.
   Tip: If the assignee leaves the space, the task remains in the space and in their personal task list in Google Tasks.
8. Click Add.

Mark a task as complete

1. In Chat, select the space.
2. On the top, click the Tasks tab.
   Tip: In Gmail, you might have to expand the space to view the Tasks tab.
3. Next to the task, point to Incomplete and click Complete .

Learn more at the Google Chat Help Center

 

 

Share team files in a space 

You can share team files in a space and easily keep track of them from the Files tab.

On the Files tab in a space, you can:

• Add Drive files, PDFs, videos, and files from your computer
• Open a file in a side window
• Move where the file is stored in Google Drive
• Jump to the thread where the file is attached

Learn how

Find and open files in a space

1. In Chat, select the space.
2. At the top, click the Shared tab.
   • Tip: In Gmail, you might have to expand the space to view the Shared tab.
3. In the "Shared" tab, sort files by Category or Date shared.
   • Sort by category: Organizes the Shared tab into separate sections for files, links, and media.
   • Sort by date shared: Shows files, links, and media in a list organized by date.
4. To open the file, click the name of the file.
   • Google files: File opens in the chat window, next to the conversation, or opens in a new browser tab.
   • Other types of files: File opens as a preview in full screen. Files not in Drive will download, except PDF and video files, which open in a new browser tab.

Optional: To view or save a file, next to the file, click:

• : Adds a shortcut to Drive
• : Opens the chat message that shared the file

Remove a file from a space

Important: You must use a Google Workspace account to remove a file from a space.

1. In the bottom navigation menu, tap Spaces select the space.
2. At the top, click the Shared tab. Next to the file, click View in chat .
3. Hover over the message with the file.
4. Click More actions Delete Delete.

Tips:

• If you delete a file in Drive, the file link remains in the space until you delete it from the chat message where it was shared.
  • If you don't delete it from the chat, the file link will show a "File in Trash" message when you select it.
  • If you don't delete it from the chat and Drive trash is emptied, you won't be able to open the file from the file link.
• When you delete the file from the chat message, the file link is removed from chat and the Shared tab of the space.

Learn more at the Google Chat Help Center

 

 

Collaborate on Google Docs & Sheets in a space

You can collaborate on shared Google Docs and Sheets with people directly in a space. The document or spreadsheet opens in the chat window, next to the conversation, where you can chat while you collaborate on the file together. You can edit, format, share, and rename the document or spreadsheet without leaving Gmail or Google Chat.

Important:

• To work with comments or use other features from Docs or Sheets, open the file in a new tab.
• If your chat window is not in full screen, click Open chat in full screen .

Learn how

1. In Chat, select the space.
   • To open an already shared document, point to it in the chat, then click Open in chat . The document opens to the right where you can make edits directly without changing tabs.
   • To create a shared document within a space, in the reply area of the "Chat" tab, click Action menu Google Docs .
2. At the top right, click Close .
3. Optional: To open the document in a new browser tab, at the top right of the conversation preview, click Open in a new tab .

Learn more at the Google Chat Help Center

 

 

Create discoverable spaces

Help form communities or volunteer projects in your organization by creating discoverable spaces. Use discoverable spaces for topics of common interest that don’t need to be limited to specific individuals or teams. Instead, people can browse and join these spaces based on their own interests. With discoverable spaces, information is more transparent, making it easier for topic-based discussions and collaboration.

Examples of discoverable spaces

• Company culture group
• Volunteer project planning space
• Company sports team
• Company news
• "Watercooler" space for informal chats
• New hires space
• IT help
• Company feedback

Learn how at the Google Chat Help Center

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