- Open Google Chat
- Send a direct message
- Create a space for a team or topic
- Find and join a space
- What you can do inside a message
- Use threads to keep spaces tidy
- Message one person from a space
- Schedule a message
- If you can't start a chat or add people
- Chat habits that make it work
- My verdict
- Frequently asked questions
To use Google Chat, open it from Gmail or on its own and click New chat to message a person or start a group chat. Choose Create a space for a team topic or project. Type in the box at the bottom, press Send, and use threads to keep busy spaces tidy.
Google Chat is the messaging tool that sits inside Gmail and Google Workspace, and plenty of people have it and have never opened it. If your team already lives in Gmail, Docs and Meet, it's worth five minutes, because messages, files and video calls all sit in one place. Here's how to message someone, set up a space for a team or project, and keep conversations from turning into noise.
Open Google Chat
You can use Chat on its own, or from inside Gmail. In Gmail, look for Chat on the left-hand side and click it. Either way you get the same list of conversations and spaces. If the Chat option isn't there, your Workspace administrator may have switched it off.
Send a direct message
- Open Google Chat or Gmail, and in Gmail click Chat on the left.
- Click New chat at the top left.
- Enter the name of the person you want to message.
- For a group direct message, enter several names.
- Click Start chat, type in the message field and send.
Create a space for a team or topic
A direct message suits a quick question. A space suits a topic that needs a standing home, such as a project, a client or a team. Google describes a space as the place to talk with a group of people about a topic, project or shared interest.
- Click New chat, then Create a space.
- Enter a space name.
- Optional: click Choose an emoji to give the space an avatar.
- Click Create.
Once the space exists, you can add people, add apps, share files, assign tasks and manage the space settings. Give the space a clear name from the start, because renaming it later confuses everyone who has already muted the old one.
Find and join a space
Next to Spaces, click Section actions, then Browse spaces, and enter the name. If the space is open, click Join; you can preview the messages first. If it's private or discoverable and the space allows it, you can submit a request to join.
What you can do inside a message
| Action | Why it helps |
|---|---|
| Share a Google Drive file | Everyone opens the same file instead of an attachment copy |
| Set up a Calendar invite | Move from chat to a meeting without switching apps |
| Start a Google Meet video call | Talk it through when typing gets slow |
| Edit or delete a sent message | Fix a typo or remove a mistake |
| Format, react, quote | Make long replies readable and answer one point at a time |
| Start a thread in a space | Keep a side discussion out of the main flow |
Use threads to keep spaces tidy
Google's advice for busy spaces is to use separate threads for different or off-topic conversations. Hover over a message, click Reply in thread, and the reply goes in a panel on the right. If a thread already has replies you can click the message to open it. Without threads, a space with five conversations becomes one long scroll that nobody can follow.
Message one person from a space
Sometimes a comment doesn't belong in front of the whole group. In a space, click the space name at the top, choose Manage members, point to the person's name, click More and choose Message. That opens a separate chat with just them.
Schedule a message
If you're writing late and don't want to ping someone at midnight, type your message, click the down arrow to the right of the Send arrow and choose one of the suggested send times. Google's pop-up includes the recipient's time as well as your own, which is a real help with colleagues in other time zones.
If you can't start a chat or add people
Google says contact your Workspace administrator if you can't create a new conversation, can't add members to a space, or see a permission error such as 'You don't have permission to start a new conversation'. Those settings are controlled by whoever runs your organisation's account, not by you.
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Chat habits that make it work
- Put the decision or ask at the start of a message, not the end.
- Use a space per project or client, not one big space for everything.
- Share a link to a file, not a copy, so there is only one version.
- Move to a video call when a thread passes about ten messages.
If part of your team uses Slack instead, my guides to pinning a message in Slack and adding someone to a Slack channel cover the same ground there, so the habits above carry over.
My verdict
Use direct messages for quick questions, a space for each project or team and threads from day one. Share Drive links instead of attachments, and schedule messages when you're working outside your colleagues' hours.
Frequently asked questions
How do I start a chat in Google Chat?
Open Google Chat or click Chat in Gmail, click New chat, enter the person's name and click Start chat.
What is a space in Google Chat?
A space is a shared place for a group to talk about a topic, project or interest. You can add people and apps, share files, assign tasks and manage settings.
How do I create a space in Google Chat?
Click New chat, then Create a space, enter a name, optionally pick an emoji avatar and click Create.
Can I schedule a message in Google Chat?
Yes. Type your message, click the down arrow beside Send and choose one of the suggested send times.
Why can't I add people to a space?
Google says to contact your Workspace administrator if you can't create conversations, can't add members or get a permission error.
