8 steps to use google chat simply and effectively

What is Google Chat?

Google Chat is a messaging application similar to Zalo, Viber, Slack, etc., and was introduced as a replacement for Google Hangouts. It is designed for group communication and collaboration, and is available on desktop platforms, iPhone, iPad, and Android.

Previously, in 2013, Google Hangouts was launched and warmly welcomed by users at the time. However, over time, weaknesses in user experience and strong competition from other services made Hangouts fall out of favor—even to the point that many Google users were unaware of its existence.

As a result, Google introduced two separate services as replacements: Google Chat and Google Meet. Google Chat focuses on text-based interaction, while Google Meet specializes in video conferencing. With this specialization, Google aims to deliver a more optimized user experience.

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Comparing Google Chat and Google Hangouts

Google Chat is more geared towards team collaboration and workplace communication, whereas Hangouts was more user-oriented. Therefore, if you’re a business looking for a team interaction tool, Google Chat is definitely a solution you shouldn’t miss.

Outstanding Features of Google Chat

• You can easily invite someone to a conversation by simply entering their email address instead of a phone number.

• Google Chat offers extensive integration and is fully compatible with other Google services. Just click into the message reply box and you’ll see icons for Google Drive, Docs, Calendar, and Meet. The sidebar also includes shortcuts to Google Calendar, Google Keep, and Google Tasks for one-click access.

• Suppose you want to share a document from Google Docs with a chat room in Google Chat. When you paste the Docs link, Chat will automatically grant viewing and commenting permissions to everyone in the room—it’s smart and convenient.

• As a Google product, search is a major strength. A search bar is always present at the top, allowing you to find virtually anything you might need from the server—including contacts, conversations, shared files, links, and more.

Google Chat User Guide from A to Z for Beginners

Open Google Chat in a browser:

Log in to Gmail. Open the app launcher and select the Google Chat icon.

Create a chat room in Google Chat:

• Step 1: Log in to your Google Chat account.

• Step 2: Click the “+” icon to create a chat room.

• Step 3: Enter the name of the chat room.

• Step 4: Enter the names or email addresses of the people and groups you want to add. You can also choose from the suggested list.

• Step 5: Click “Create.”

How to Send Messages to a Person or Group in Google Chat

Send a Direct Message to Someone

• Step 1: Go to Google Chat or your Gmail account.

• Step 2: On the left, in the “Chat” section, click on the name of the person you want to message. If you don’t see their name, click the Start a chat icon, then enter their name or email address.

• Step 3: Select the person you want to message. Type your message, then click the Send icon to send it.

Send a Message to a Group

• Step 1: Go to Google Chat or your Gmail account.

• Step 2: On the left, in the “Chat” section, click on the group’s name.

• Step 3: Type your message and click the Send icon.

How to View and Browse Chat Rooms

• Step 1: Go to Google Chat or your Gmail account.

• Step 2: Next to “Rooms,” click the Start a Chat icon → Browse rooms.

• Step 3: Rooms you’ve been invited to will appear at the top of the list.

• Step 4: To search for a room, enter the room name.

• Step 5: To preview a room, hover over the room name and click Preview.

• Step 6: While previewing a room, you can read messages but cannot send messages or receive notifications.

How to Upload Data and Share Documents in a Group Chat

• Step 1: Go to Google Chat or your Gmail account.

• Step 2: Type your message. In Gmail: Click the Add ‘+’ icon and choose an option to upload your data.

To attach a file from your computer, click the Upload icon (for files not yet uploaded to Google Drive).
To attach a file from Drive, click the Google Drive icon.
If someone in the room doesn’t have access to the file, you’ll get a notification when you send it. If you have edit access to the file, you can grant access.

Note: If you grant file access to members in the room, the same access will also apply to new participants joining the room later. If someone leaves the room, they will lose access to the file unless you grant access to them individually.

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Search for Messages in Google Chat

• Step 1: Go to Google Chat or your Gmail account.

• Step 2: At the top right, click the Search icon (magnifying glass). On the left, select a room or click All rooms and direct messages.

• Step 3: In the search box, enter your search term. To narrow the results, exclude certain content types, such as images or videos. To open a result, click Go to conversation thread.

Text Formatting in Google Chat

• Bold text: Add asterisks * before and after the text you want to bold.
  Example: Typing *Tuesday* will display as Tuesday.

• Italic text: Add underscores _ before and after the text you want to italicize.
  Example: Typing _weekly_ will display as weekly.

• Strikethrough text: Add tildes ~ before and after the text you want to strikethrough.
  Example: Typing ~done~ will display as done.

• Inline code block: Add backticks ` before and after the code snippet you want to format.

• Multi-line code block: Add three backticks ``` before and after the block of code.