Learn how to use Google Chat

In Google Chat, you can ask quick questions, send direct messages (DMs), collaborate in group chats, create virtual spaces for team projects, and more.

Navigate around Chat

In the main menu, you can:

Start a new chat	To open a direct message (DM) or a space to collaborate on projects, click New chat .
Catch up on your conversations	Find all your spaces and messages in Home . At the top right of Home, you can customize settings. To find threads on your home screen, click Thread . To find all unread messages on your home screen, turn on Unread . To open selected DMs or spaces in a new panel on your home screen, at the top right, toggle Split pane mode .
Find all messages in which you’re tagged	Under “Shortcuts,” click Mentions .
Find messages that you starred	Under “Shortcuts,” click Starred .

Below the shortcuts, you can find all your direct messages (DMs) and spaces. In the left-hand menu, you can choose from:

Shortcuts

Get quick access to:

Home:
- Find all of your conversations:
  - Toggle between all or unread conversations.
  - Select to display all conversations or threads.
- To open selected DMs or spaces in a new panel without leaving "Home," toggle Split pane mode.
Mentions: Find all messages where someone directly mentions you.
Starred: Track important messages that you've starred.

Direct messages

Find all DMs between you and others. You can send a DM to one or more people.

Sections

Find all of your:

Spaces and apps organized by section.
DMs that you moved into a custom section.

Create a DM or space

When you click New chat, you can add one or more people to start a DM, or select another option in the menu:

Create a space	Create a focused conversation around a topic, project, or shared interest. You can give your space a unique name and avatar.
Browse spaces	Find spaces that your organization has created. If you use Chat for work, school, or another organization, you can find spaces that others in your organization create.
Find apps	Look for Chat apps that can help automate your work.
Message requests	Find pending message requests from people outside your organization. If you use Chat for work, school, or another organization, these may also be people outside your organization.

Send & reply to messages

When you send or reply to a message, use the reply area in Chat. There are multiple ways to reply to messages in Chat.

When you reply, you can:

Send a message	Send the message you wrote.
Share files and more	Share Google Drive files, set up a Calendar invite, or add apps to a message.
Start a meeting	Start a video call instantly with another person with Google Meet.
Add a video meeting	Add a Google Meet link to a video meeting.
Edit messages	Edit a sent message.
Delete messages	Delete a sent message.
Format messages	Bold or italicize text, use bullet points, or add color.
React to messages	Add an emoji.
Upload a file	Share a file from your computer.
Share a GIF	React with an animated GIF.
Quote a message	To directly respond, quote a previous message in Chat.
Start a thread	In a space with inline threading, create a new thread based on a message.

Create & organize sections

Create new sections

On your computer, open Google Chat or Gmail.
- In Gmail: On the left, click Chat.
Next to any section header (including “Direct messages” or any custom section you’ve previously created), click More Create new section.

Move a DM or space to a section

move dm or space to a section

On your computer, open Google Chat or Gmail.
- In Gmail: On the left, click Chat.
Next to a space or DM, click More Move conversation .
Click the section name or move to a new section.

Tip: You can also drag and drop spaces or DMs into sections.

Change section display preferences

In “Sections,” you can customize your display to:

Show all or unread messages only.
Customize the height & placement of each section.

Show all or unread messages only

For each custom section, you can toggle Show all messages or Show unread messages .

Adjust section heights & placement

On your computer, open Google Chat or Gmail.
- In Gmail: On the left, click Chat.
To adjust section height, click and drag a section.
To adjust section placement, click a section name then drag it to its new location.
1. Optional: Next to a space or DM, click More then select:
  - Move section up .
  - Move section down .

Search for messages

To locate messages, use the search bar at the top of Chat. When you search, you can filter by messages:

Sent from specific people
Sent in a specific conversation or space
That include documents, spreadsheets, slides, and more
Sent during a specific date range
That include links
That mention you
From conversations that you’re a member of

You can also sort your messages by: most recent or relevance to your search criteria.