Manage chats & spaces

On this page

• Turn chat history on or off
• Set your availability status
• Search in chats or spaces
• Use huddles in chats or spaces

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Turn chat history on or off

When you message a person or group in Google Chat, you can choose to save your conversation or have it automatically deleted after 24 hours.

When anyone in the chat turns history on or off:

• A note appears in the message stream that says history was turned on or off.
• A prompt appears in the compose box that says “History is on” or “History is off.”

Turn history on or off

If you don't see this option with your work or school account, your organization may have turned it off.

1. On your computer, open Google Chat or Gmail.
   • In Gmail: On the left, click Chat.
2. Open a conversation.
3. At the top, click the conversation name  Turn on history or Turn off history.

Learn more at the Google Chat Help Center

Set your availability status

To let others know when you're available, you can change your status in chats or spaces.

Status icon	Status text	Status meaning
	Active	Gmail or Google Chat is open.
	Do not disturb	Google Chat notifications are muted. *For workspace accounts this is visible at the domain level only
	Away	You aren't connected to the internet. You’ve been idle for more than 10 minutes. You're in "Set as away" status.
	Idle	You've been inactive in Gmail or Google Chat for the last 5 minutes.

Change your status

1. On your computer, open Gmail.
2. At the top right, next to your status indicator, click the Down arrow .
3. Choose: Automatic, Do not disturb, or Set as away.

Set a custom status

1. On your computer, open Google Chat or Gmail.
2. From your status indicator at the top, click the Down arrow .
3. Click Add a status.
4. Follow the prompt to choose an emoji, write a status message, or end or clear a status.
5. Click Done.

Delete a custom status

1. On your computer, open Google Chat or Gmail.
2. From your status indicator at the top, click the Down arrow .
3. Click the status to delete.
4. Click X.
5. Click Done.

Learn more at the Chat Help Center

Search in chats and spaces

1. On your computer, go to Google Chat or Gmail.

2. At the top, click the search box.

3. Enter search text.
   • For Gmail: You can also use the search operator in:chats.
4. Click Enter.
   • For Gmail: Under the search box, click Conversations or Spaces.
5. To open a result, click it.

Learn more at the Google Chat Help Center

Use huddles in chats or spaces

• You can start a huddle instantly as a voice chat from a 1:1 conversation, group conversation, or space in Google Chat without ringing.
• You can share your screen or turn on your camera in a huddle.
• You can also choose to start a video meeting or call someone directly from Chat or Gmail. Learn more about how to start a video meeting or call someone.

Start a huddle in Chat

1. On your computer, open Google Chat or Gmail.
   • In Gmail: On the left, click Chat.
2. Open a direct message or space.
3. At the top right, click the dropdown click Huddles .
4. To end the call, click End call .

Tips:

• If participants are in a huddle, it remains active.
• Someone can join a huddle anytime through a huddle invitation chip as long as the person who started the huddle is in it.

Join a huddle

1. On your computer, open Google Chat or Gmail.
   • In Gmail: On the left, click Chat.
2. You can join a huddle from your list of conversations or from a direct message or space:
   • To join from your list of conversations: click the huddle icon next to the name or space name.
   • To join from within a conversation:
     1. Open a conversation.
     2. At the top right, click Huddles .

Turn cameras on or share your screen in a huddle

By default, the huddle opens as a voice chat.

• To change the voice chat to a video chat, click Turn on camera .
  • Tip: If someone in the huddle turns on their camera, a video badge displays next to their profile picture.
• To share your screen, click Present now .

Resize your huddle window

To resize a huddle, at the bottom left, drag the handle .

Tip: The huddle window automatically resizes if someone turns on their camera or you click the presentation tile .

Switch from a Chat huddle to Google Meet

To switch from a Chat huddle to Google Meet, at the top right, click Open Meet in tab .

Change background effects

To use a background effect in a huddle, hover over your video, then click Apply visual effects .

Send an emoji reaction

To send an emoji reaction in a huddle, click More Send a reaction .

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