Send a message in Google Chat

You can send messages to other people or groups on Google Chat. When one or more people read your message, their avatar displays next to their last read message.

Important: You cannot check how many people have read your message if:

• You're in a space.
• You're in a group conversation on an iPhone or iPad.

Learn how messages work in Google Workspace

If you use Google Chat on a Google Workspace account, you can send messages to people in and out of your organization.

• When you chat with someone outside of your organization, an “External” badge displays next to their name.
• You can chat with someone outside of your organization if:
  • They use their personal Google Account.
  • Both of your organizations allow it.
• You can't add people outside of your organization to group conversations.
• You can get suggestions for your current meeting on Google Calendar.

Start a conversation with a person or a group

1. On your computer, go to Google Chat.
2. On the left, under “Chat,” click the name of the person or group you want to message.
   • If you can’t find their name, click New chat or Start a chat .
3. Enter a name or email address. Suggestions appear as you enter text.
   • Tip: To send a direct message from a work or school account to someone outside your organization, enter their email address.
4. Click the person you want to message.
   • To create a group conversation, continue to enter people’s names.
5. When you select everyone you want to include in the conversation, click Start chat.
   • Tip: If you want to send a direct message to a specific person, next to their name, click Start chat , or use the keyboard shortcut ⌘ + Enter / Ctrl + Enter.
6. Enter a message.
7. Click Send .

Tips:

• If you use a work or school account, suggestions include everyone in your organization, even those who don't have Google Chat.
• To message you back, the message recipient may need to accept your request.

Remove people from a group conversation

You can remove members from a group conversation. When you remove someone from a group conversation, they can’t:

• Do any actions in that group conversation
• View that group conversation’s message history

1. Go to Google Chat or your Gmail account.
2. ​On the left, select the group conversation you want to view.
3. At the top, click the name of the group conversation.
4. Click View members.
5. To remove a person, click More options   Remove from space.

Other options

• To add a person to the conversation or mention them: Type , then enter a name.
• To add emojis to your message: Click Emoji .
• To share files from your device: Click Upload file .
  • Everyone in a space can find shared files.
• To share files from Google Drive: Click Add Google Drive file .
  • Everyone in a space can find shared Drive files.
• To start a video call: Click Add video meeting .
• To schedule a calendar meeting: Click Calendar .
• To send a GIF: Click GIF .
• To add formatting to text: Click Format .