Get started with Google Chat

2. Create direct messages and rooms

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Chat

In Chat, you can send a direct message (DM) to individuals or groups. Direct messages are private conversations between you and other people. Once you create a direct message, you can't add people, so the conversation remains private.
 

In this section:

2.1 Send a direct message
2.2 Edit conversations
2.3 Create a room
2.4 Add or remove people in a room
2.5 Join or leave a room
2.6 Start multiple conversations in a room

2.1 Send a direct message

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Send a direct message to one person or to a group:

You can't change the people in an existing chat, but you can quickly start a new group message with a modified roster. 

You can send a direct message to someone outside your organization, but you can't create a group direct message with them. (To chat with external guests in a group, create a room).

  1. Open Chat.
  2. At the top left, click Find people, rooms, bots.
  3. Enter someone's name or email address, or select them from the suggestions. Suggestions include everyone in your organization, even if they don't have Google Chat turned on. To send a direct message to someone outside your organization, enter the full email address. 
    To send a direct message to 2 or more people within your organization, click Group Message.
  4. Click Message.
  5. Enter your message and press Enter. Your message can include any text, including a link (URL).

Note: To hide a group DM, on the left, point to the direct message and click More ""and thenHide conversation Remove.

Message someone directly

 

2.2 Edit conversations

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You can edit text in your conversation or add an emoji.

Update conversation text

Feature Description
Edit text
Point to your chat message, then click one of the following:
  • Edit ""—Make your changes, then click Update.
  • Delete Trash—To confirm, click Delete.
Delete a conversation Point to your conversation and click Delete Deleteand thenDelete.
Add an emoji Click Emoji  and select the emoji you want to add.
Forward to inbox Click Forward to inbox . Your message will be sent to your inbox.
Bold text Add an asterisk (*) before and after the text you want to bold.
Italicize text Add an underscore (_) before and after the text you want to italicize.

 2.3 Create a room

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With Chat, you can meet and brainstorm ideas with your team in rooms. Chat with your co-workers, share files and other online resources, and work together on team projects.

You can chat in a room with people outside your organization if they have a G Suite or personal Google (Gmail) account. Guests from outside your organization are labelled as external, and the room must be designated as external when you create it. If you created a room for people within your organization only, you won't be able to add external guests later. 

Conversations are organized into different conversation threads in rooms, so you and your team can discuss multiple subjects at the same time.

  1. Sign in to Chat or Gmail.
  2. Next to Rooms, click Create.
  3. (Optional) To add a room avatar, click Choose an emojiand thenselect an emoji. If you don't select an emoji, a default avatar is used instead.
  4. Enter a room name.
  5. Enter the names or email addresses of the people and groups that you want to add or select from the suggestions. Suggestions include everyone in your organization, even if they don't have Chat.
  6. (Optional) To allow people from outside your organization to join the room, check the Allow people outside your organization to join box.

    Important: You won't be able to change this setting later.

  7. (Optional) To notify invitees, check the Notify people via email box.
  8. Click Create.
  9. (Optional) To add more people and bots to the room, click Add people & bots, enter the name, and then click Send.
     
 

Select the create room option on the left

2.4 Add or remove people in a room

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You can add people to a room in 2 ways:

  • Invite people to a room—Invite people to join a room by email.
  • Mention someone in a conversation—Enter @johns to automatically add them to the room.

If you @mention someone in a conversation, for example, @cassy, they're immediately added to the room. They can join the discussion, view the room in their room list, and receive notifications for that room.

Invite people to a room:

  1. Open Chat.
  2. On the left, select a room.
  3. At the top, click the room nameand thenAdd people & bots.
  4. Enter names of people, names of bots, group or individual email addresses, or select from the suggestions.

    If you have Directory turned on, suggestions include everyone in your organization, even if they don't have Chat turned on.
    If the room allows external participants, you must enter the full email address for each external person. You can't add Google Groups created by external organizations. 

  5. (Optional) If you don't want to send notifications to the people that you add, uncheck the Notify people via email box.
  6. Click Send or Add.

Note: Anyone added to the room can see the entire conversation history.

See members of a room:

  1. On the left, select the room.
  2. At the top, click the room nameand thenView members.
  3. (Optional) To add more members to the room, click Add .

Add and see members, or remove someone from a room

2.5 Join or leave a room

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Individuals are added to rooms automatically, whereas groups have the option to join a room. You can add up to 8,000 people to a room. Both individuals and group members can leave a room.

Note: You can't delete a room, but you can leave it. You won't receive any more notifications from that room.

1

Browse your rooms:

All your rooms are listed on the left of the page. You can find a room you’re invited to join.

  1. Click Find people, rooms, bots.
  2. Click Browse rooms Rooms.

2

Join a room:

You can preview the room before you join it.

  1. Open Chat.
  2. At the top left, click Find people, rooms, bots.
  3. Click Browse rooms. The rooms you're invited to appear at the top of the list.
  4. Choose to join or preview a room:
    • To join a room, click Add .
    • To preview a room, point to the room name and click Preview. When you preview a room, you can read messages, but you can't participate in the discussion and won't receive notifications. To join the room, click Join in the preview.
  5. If you join a room, click Open to start a new conversation.

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Remove yourself from a room:

  1. Open Chat.
  2. Next to a room name, click More""and then Leave.
  3. Click Leave room.

Browse, join, exit rooms

2.6 Start multiple conversations in a room

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If you’re collaborating on a large project with your team, you might need to chat about different topics. Having multiple ongoing conversations helps everyone share information and ideas faster.

Start a different conversation in a room:

  1. Open Chat.
  2. Select the room.
  3. At the bottom, click New thread in room name.
  4. Enter the message and then press Enter.

Send a direct message to someone in a room:

  1. At the top, next to the room name, click Down arrow ""and thenView members.
  2. Next to the person's name, click More""and thenMessage.
  3. Enter your message and then click Send "".

Discuss different topics and converse with different people

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