Start a Chat

You can use Teams to chat with other members of your organization one-on-one, or in groups.

Start a New Chat

1. Click the New Chat button.

   Teams switches to Chat view, and a new blank chat is started.

2. Enter the name of the person you want to chat with in the To field, then select them from the search results.
   
3. Enter a message in the message box at the bottom of the Content pane.
4. Click Send.
   

The message is sent to the chat recipient.

View a Recent Chat

While you're in Chat view, the List pane displays all the recent chats you've had. This lets you easily manage multiple chats at once and return to a recent chat quickly.

1. Select a chat from the Recent list.
   

The chat displays in the Content pane.

Start a Chat with a Contact

You can also browse your Contacts list and start a new chat with a contact there.

1. Click the Chat heading at the top of the List pane
2. Now select Contacts.
   

If you’ve never chatted with that contact before, a new chat is started. Otherwise, you’re brought back to your last chat with them.

Reply to an Incoming Chat

Whenever someone sends you a message, a pop-up notification will appear on-screen. This will include who the message is from, a short preview of the message, and the option to quickly reply.

1. Click Reply in a notification pop-up.
   

   The Reply button changes to a text field, where you can enter a reply.

2. Enter a reply and click Send.
   

   The message is sent. If you want to continue the conversation, you can view the entire chat thread.

3. Click a notification to view the message in context of the full thread.
   

The full chat thread appears in the Content pane.