- Creating a group chat in Teams on your computer
- Creating a group chat in Teams on your phone
- How many people a Teams group chat can hold
- Adding people to an existing Teams group chat
- Including clients or freelancers outside your organisation
- Renaming a Teams group chat later
- What happens when someone leaves your Teams group chat
- Keeping a Teams group chat useful
- Frequently asked questions
To create a group chat in Teams, select New message, click the down arrow beside the To field to add a group name, type the names of the people you want, and send your first message. On the mobile app you name it afterwards, by tapping the participants' names and then Group chat name.
A group chat in Teams is the digital version of pulling three people into the kitchen for a quick word. It's perfect for a project with a freelancer and a client, a launch squad, or the two colleagues who always need to know when a big order comes in. No channel, no formal team, just the people who need to be there.
The trick most people miss is naming the chat at the start, so it doesn't end up as a string of first names you can't tell apart a month later. I'll walk through the desktop and mobile steps as Microsoft's help describes them, then cover adding people, bringing in outside contacts and what to do if a name won't save.
Creating a group chat in Teams on your computer
Microsoft's steps for the desktop app and Teams on the web:
- Select New message at the top of your chats list.
- Select the down arrow to the right of the To field. This reveals the Group name box.
- Type a name for the group chat.
- In the To field, type the names of the people you want to add and pick each one from the list.
- Write your first message and send it.
The chat appears in your chats list straight away under the name you chose, and everyone you added can see it.
Creating a group chat in Teams on your phone
On the mobile app the order is slightly different, because you name the chat after it exists. According to Microsoft:
- Tap Chat, then New message.
- Type the names of the people to add in the To field.
- Type a message and tap Send.
- At the top of the chat, tap the participants' names.
- Tap Group chat name, enter a name and tap Save.
How many people a Teams group chat can hold
Microsoft says you can include up to 250 people in a group chat, and that everyone with access to it can send messages. That's plenty for most small businesses, but if your chat is heading towards dozens of people with different topics flying around, a team with channels is usually easier to follow.
| Use a group chat when | Consider a team and channels when |
|---|---|
| A handful of people need quick back-and-forth | Lots of people need the same updates |
| The topic is short-lived, like one launch | The work runs for months with several topics |
| You want it to feel informal | You want files and threads organised by subject |
Adding people to an existing Teams group chat
Forgot someone? You don't need to start again. Microsoft's desktop steps are to select View and add participants in the top corner of the chat, then Add people, type their names, choose how much chat history to share and select Add. On mobile, tap the participant names, tap Add people, enter names, choose the history and tap Done.
The chat history choice matters. Microsoft says you can include history only when adding someone to an existing group chat, not a one-on-one, and that Teams keeps the entire history back to the first message. Before you share the lot, scroll up and make sure there's nothing in there the new person shouldn't see.
Including clients or freelancers outside your organisation
This is where Teams group chats get useful for small businesses. Microsoft's help says you can start a new group chat and enter the email addresses of people outside your organisation. A few conditions apply:
- Outside people need to use Teams or Teams Free.
- Someone using Teams Free has to accept the chat invite before they can join in.
- You can only add an outside person to an existing group chat if it already includes someone external. Otherwise Teams creates a new group chat.
- An external label appears at the top of the chat, so everyone knows outsiders are in it.
- Microsoft says external participants can't share or attach files or use tabs or apps.
That file limit trips people up. If you need to swap documents with a client, share a link to a file you've stored somewhere they can open, rather than expecting to drop it into the chat.
If customers are messaging your team through several places at once, it helps to have a plan for who replies. I've written about how an AI customer service tool supports a small business team, which covers that juggling act.
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Renaming a Teams group chat later
Project changed direction? You can rename the chat any time. Microsoft's help says to select the edit button next to the current group name and type the new one. On mobile, tap the participants' names at the top and tap Group chat name.
Microsoft also says chat names can't contain links, profanities or restricted terms, which is there to protect people from scams and phishing. If your name won't save, that's usually why.
What happens when someone leaves your Teams group chat
People come and go on projects. According to Microsoft, when someone leaves a group chat, the messages they sent stay in the chat history. So the conversation keeps its context, which is helpful, but it also means anything they posted is still there for everyone else to read.
Keeping a Teams group chat useful
A few habits make the difference between a chat that helps and one that everyone mutes:
- Name it after the project or client, not the people.
- Pin the key decisions or links in your first message.
- Move long discussions into a quick call rather than fifty replies.
- Rename the chat when the project ends so it stays easy to tell apart from live work.
And if repetitive updates are eating the chat, my round-up of automation examples for marketing teams has ideas for taking those off your plate.
Frequently asked questions
How do I create a group chat in Teams?
Select New message at the top of your chats list, select the down arrow next to the To field, type a group name, add people in the To field and send your first message.
How do I name a group chat on the Teams mobile app?
Start the chat and send a message, then tap the participants' names at the top, tap Group chat name, enter a name and tap Save.
How many people can be in a Teams group chat?
Microsoft says you can include up to 250 people in a group chat.
Can I add people from outside my company to a Teams group chat?
Yes, by entering their email addresses when you start a new group chat. They need Teams or Teams Free, and external participants can't share or attach files.
Can new members see old messages in a Teams group chat?
Only if you choose to share history when you add them. Teams keeps the entire history, so check what's in there before you share it.
