Switch from Slack to Google Chat

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Learn the differences between Slack and Google Chat and get best practices for collaboration at work or school.

Comparison at a glance

In Slack...	In Chat...*
Open Slack in a browser, mobile app, Mac^®, or Windows^®	Open Chat in a browser, mobile app, Mac, or Windows To open Chat in a browser, go to Chat. To open Chat on Mac, Windows, Android or iOS, go to Chat and download the corresponding app. For more details, see Get started with Google Chat.
Send a DM to someone	Send a DM to someone or a group Send a direct message to a person Go to Google Chat or your Gmail account. If the name isn’t already under "Chat," click Start a chat . Enter a name or email address. Suggestions appear as you enter text. To send a 1:1 message to someone outside of your organization, enter their email address. Click the person you want to message. Enter a message, then click Send . Send a direct message to a group Go to Google Chat or your Gmail account. Under "Chat," click on an existing group conversation, enter a message click Send . If the group conversation isn’t under "Chat,” click Start a chat Start group conversation. Enter a name or email address. Suggestions appear as you enter text. Click Done . Enter a message, then click Send .
Join a channel	Preview and join a space Open Google Chat. At the top left, click Start a chat . Click Browse spaces. The spaces that you're directly invited to appear at the top of the list. To find a space, enter its name. To preview a space, point to the space name and click Preview. When you preview a space, you can read messages, but you can't participate in the conversation or get notifications. To join the space, in the preview, click Add or Join. To open the space, click Open. For more details, see Get started with Google Chat.
Create a channel	Create a space You can chat with both people within your organization and with external guests. Create a new space with in-line threading Go to Google Chat or Gmail. Under Spaces , click New space. Click Create space . Enter a space name. Optional: You can also add a description and a space avatar. To add a space avatar, click Choose an emoji + select an emoji. If you don't select an emoji, a default letter avatar is used instead. You can also: Enter the name or email of the people you want to add. Enter apps or Google Groups you want to invite. Pick from the list of suggested contacts. Choose an access level for your organization: Restricted: Only directly added and invited users have access to the space. This is the default option.* To make your space discoverable, select “All of your organization.” All of your organization: All members in your organization have access to the space and can join if they have the space’s link. Learn more about creating a discoverable space. Important: If you have a work or school account with Google, you may have additional target audience options created by your administrator. If you have questions about the audience options available, reach out to your administrator. To invite external people into the space, check Allow people outside of your organization to join. Important: If you select “All of your organization” in step 6, you won’t be able to allow people outside of your organization to join the space. Click Create. *Tip: If you use Chat on a work or school account, the default setting may be changed by your administrator.
Edit a message	Edit text in a conversation In a chat message, click one of the following: Edit : Make your changes, then click Update . Delete : To confirm, click Delete.
Add styles and emoji to your message	Add styles and emoji to your text To add markdown formatting to your Google Chat messages, you can include special characters in the text. To bold text, add asterisks * before and after the text you want bolded. For example, if you type Tuesday, the chat will display Tuesday. To italicize text, add underscores _ before and after the text you want italicized. For example, if you type _every week_ , the chat will display every week. To strike through text, add tildes ~ before and after the text you want struck through. To create an inline code block, add backticks ` before and after the text you want in a code block. To create a multiline code block, add three backticks ``` before and after the text you want in a code block. You can also click Emoji and select the emoji you want to add.
Leave a channel	Leave a space Go to Google Chat or your Gmail account. Next to a space name, click More options Leave. Click Leave space.
Delete messages	Delete an entire DM Go to Google Chat or your Gmail account. On the left, next to the person's name, click More Delete conversation. Click Delete to confirm.
Upload and share files	Upload and share files Go to Google Chator your Gmail account. Optional: Enter a message. 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 . Click Send .
Search your messages	Search your messages Go to Google Chat or your Gmail account. At the top, click in the search box that says “Search all conversations” or “Search in chat and spaces.” Enter search text and press Enter. Gmail: Under the search box, click Messages. To open a result, click on it. To search your chat messages from Gmail, see Get started with Google Chat.
Manage your notifications	Manage your notifications Open Chat. At the top, click your statusNotification settings. Under Desktop, click the Down arrow and choose an option: All Messages—Get a notification for all direct messages and all messages in spaces. New threads, threads I’m following and direct messages—Get a notification for all direct messages, the first message of every new thread, and all threads you’re following. Threads I’m following and direct messages—Get a notification for all direct messages and threads you’re following. Only @mentions and direct messages—Get a notification for direct messages and @mentions in Spaces. Off—Turn off all notifications. (Optional) To hear a sound for incoming notifications, check the Play notification sounds box. (Optional) To set mobile notifications, under Mobile, click the Down arrow and choose an option. (Optional) To turn email notifications for unread messages on or off, under Email, select Only @mentions & direct messages or Off. Email reminders apply to messages that you haven't read after 12 hours. They are not sent for @mentions. For more details, see Get started with Google Chat.