Microsoft Teams: Chat in Teams

You can chat with anyone via text or audio/video by using the Chats menu in the Apps bar. Chats are independent of your teams and not limited to a particular group or specific group members. You can chat privately or in groups.

Start a New Chat

1. Click the Chat icon on the Apps bar. 
2. At the top of the Chat panel, click the New Chat button.
3. In the To field, start typing the name or email address of a person you want to chat with.
   


4. From the list of names, select the one you want to contact.  
   


5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for each person you want to add to the chat. (Tip: If you start a new chat with the same people as a previous chat, the new messages will be added to the previous chat, rather than add a brand new one.)
6. To name your chat, click the down arrow to the right of the added names and type in what you want to call this chat group.
   


7. For more options, click the three dots next to the chat name. This will give several other options, such as to pin the chat or open it in a new window or to mute or hide the chat.
8. At the bottom of the chat window, enter your text where it says, "Type a new message,"  and hit Enter to send.
   


9. As others respond, their messages will show up in the chat window.
10. Use the buttons under the text box to change fonts, attach documents, and use emojis and GIFs, among other options.
11. If you navigate away from the Chat window, you can always come back to it by selecting the Chat icon in the Apps bar and selecting the conversation you want to check on.
12. To begin a voice or video chat, or to share your screen with those in your current chat window, use the buttons in the upper right of the chat window.
    

Once you've created a chat, it will continue to be available in Microsoft Teams. Here are some tips for managing your existing Chats.

Change Chat Participants

• Add New People to Your Chat by clicking the View and add participants button in the upper right of the window, then click Add people, type their name into the pop-up window, then hit Enter or click Add. 
  

• To remove other participants, click View and add participants, then hover over the person to remove, and click the X next to their name. To remove yourself from a chat, you must instead click Leave. (Please note: This only applies to chats with more than 2 participants.) 
  

Change Chat Name

To change the name of an existing chat, next to the name of the chat, click the Name group chat button, and type in your desired name, then click Save.