How to Start a Chat or Group Chat in Teams (and Give It a Name)
Chat is the quickest way to reach someone in Teams, and a named group chat is perfect for a small project that doesn't need a whole team. Here's how to set both up.
Start a one-to-one chat
1. Click Chat on the left of Teams.
2. Click the New chat icon (the pencil and paper) at the top of the chat list.
3. Type the person's name in the To field and pick them from the list.
4. Type your message at the bottom and press Enter.
2. Click the New chat icon (the pencil and paper) at the top of the chat list.
3. Type the person's name in the To field and pick them from the list.
4. Type your message at the bottom and press Enter.
Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl + N (Command + N on a Mac) starts a new chat from anywhere in Teams.
Even faster: hover over someone's profile picture anywhere in Teams and click the chat bubble on their card.
Start a group chat
1. Click New chat.
2. Type the first name, then keep adding people in the To field (up to 250).
3. Send your first message. That's it — a group chat exists.
2. Type the first name, then keep adding people in the To field (up to 250).
3. Send your first message. That's it — a group chat exists.
Name the group chat
A group chat called "Sarah, Tom, Priya and 2 others" is hard to find later. Give it a name:
1. Click the pencil icon next to the names at the top of the chat (or click the group name).
2. Type a name such as Office Move or Christmas Party.
3. Press Enter.
2. Type a name such as Office Move or Christmas Party.
3. Press Enter.
You can also set a group picture from the same place.
Add someone to a group chat
1. Click the People icon at the top right of the chat.
2. Click Add people.
3. Type their name, then choose how much history they can see: Don't include chat history, Include history from the past number of days, or Include all chat history.
4. Click Add.
2. Click Add people.
3. Type their name, then choose how much history they can see: Don't include chat history, Include history from the past number of days, or Include all chat history.
4. Click Add.
Remove someone
Click the People icon, hover over their name and click X. They keep the messages they already had but won't see new ones.
Tips
• Shift + Enter starts a new line without sending.
• Hover over a chat in the list and click ⋯ > Pin to keep it at the top.
• You can chat with people outside your organisation if your IT team allows it. Type their full email address in the To field.
• Hover over a chat in the list and click ⋯ > Pin to keep it at the top.
• You can chat with people outside your organisation if your IT team allows it. Type their full email address in the To field.
Troubleshooting
I can't find someone. They may be outside your organisation. Try their full email address. If Teams says "we didn't find any matches", external chat may be switched off by your admin.
A new person can't see the earlier messages. That's the history setting from when they were added. Remove and re-add them with Include all chat history.
The group has become a whole project. Turn it into a team instead: files, channels and meetings all live in one place.
Wrapping up
Ctrl + N starts a chat, add more names for a group, and click the pencil to give it a name you'll recognise. When you add someone later, decide whether they see the history before you click Add.
