Important: Google Chat is getting a new look and additional enhancements. In the coming weeks, you may see a different experience in Google Chat on all your devices. Learn more about the changes coming to 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.
In this article
- Learn about enhancements to Google Chat
- Navigate around Chat
- Create a DM or space
- Send & reply to messages
- Search for messages
Learn about enhancements to Google Chat
A new experience is rolling out that changes how you navigate around Chat. The new Chat experience may not be available to you yet.
Current Chat experience |
New Chat experience |
In Gmail, DMs and spaces are split into the “Chat” and “Spaces” tabs. | In Gmail, DMs and spaces are included in the “Chat” tab. The “Space” tab is no longer available in Gmail. |
There are no shortcuts to find recent conversations, messages that mention you, or starred messages in one place. | Use these new shortcuts in Chat to find what you need faster: Home, Mentions, and Starred. |
On mobile, you can navigate between “Chat” and “Spaces.” | On mobile, a navigation bar appears at the bottom when you go to the “Chat” tab. You can switch between home, DMs, spaces, and mentions, or start a new chat. |
There are different ways to start a new chat in Chat and Chat in Gmail. | Start a conversation or space with the New chat button. |
Navigate around Chat
In the main menu, you can:
- Start a new chat, which can be a DM to one or more people or a space to collaborate on projects.
- Catch up on your conversations using various shortcuts.
- Find all your DMs and spaces.
In the left-hand menu, you can choose from:
Shortcuts |
Get quick access to:
|
Direct messages |
Find all DMs between you and others. You can send a DM to one or more people. |
Spaces | Find all spaces that you’ve created or joined. |
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. |
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.