Starting a Hangout

You can send and receive messages with one person or multiple people.

Starting a conversation

1. On your computer, go to hangouts.google.com or open Hangouts in Gmail. If you have the Hangouts Chrome extension, Hangouts will open in a new window.
2. At the top, click New conversation.
3. Enter and select a name or email address.
4. Type your message. You can also add emojis, photos, or your location.
5. On your keyboard, press Enter.

Get messages

You can control who can send you messages. Learn how to change your invite settings.

When you select your Hangout window:

• The message will be marked as read. This means that the message will no longer appear as bold and your profile image shows up under the last message sent in the conversation.
• If you close or minimise your Hangout window, your profile photo will not appear.  
• People can also see the type of device you use and if you’re online. Learn how to change these settings.