Issue/Question

How can I better use the Chat function in Teams?

The chat feature in Teams has many useful features. Here are some features you will probably utilize most often and find most helpful.

Note: This article should be used in conjunction with Teams: How to use Chat in MS Teams

Some best practices to get the most out of Teams chat:

Turn on your notifications

Make sure you have your notifications turned on. Please see Teams: Changing notifications in Teams .

This will notify you if there are any new interactions with team members via chat.

Conversations are all linear.

Conversations are all of a single piece, not to be broken up into smaller conversations.

Don’t start a new conversation if you mean to “reply” to an existing thread.

Always reply to an existing thread.

If you are engaging another team member be sure to click the reply link for the existing conversation rather than (inadvertently) starting a new one.

Do this! - If you click reply you will be responding directly to the conversation.

Don't do this! - If you click Start a new conversation, you will be, basically, leaving the conversation.

You can add more team members to your conversation

You can add another person to the chat and share (or not) your conversation history.

• Click . The number next to the icon indicates the current number of people in the chat (in this case there are 15 people involved).

You will see a list of the people in the chat and the options to add or leave the chat.

• Click

You will see the option to add more people.

• Enter the name of person you wish to add.

 

• Choose how much chat history you wish to share with the new person.
• Click .

The person will be added to the chat.

Save a message.

If you wish to save a clip of the chat (a message):

• Move your mouse pointer into the message area you wish to save.
• Click  (more options).
• You will see the More Options list.

• Choose Save this message.

 

Using Formatting

You can use the formatting feature to dress up and customize your chat text. 

• Click  to see the text formatting options.

The buttons are similar to the features in Word. (Bold, Italic, Underline, etc.).

Using the Linking option

•  Click  to insert links directly into your chat text.

• Enter the entire web link in the Address box
• Enter  a display name in the Text to Display box.
• Click .

The link will be inserted into the chat text to be received to others in the conversation.

Check your notifications settings for your chat text

You can set specific notifications level for a message in your chat.

• Click  to set up a specific notification of the text. The text can be marked as:

Set up a meetings within a chat

You can schedule a meeting with team members directly from the chat text.

• While in a chat, click .

You will see Meeting form.

 

• Enter all the details for the meeting, including what channels you wish to include.
• When completed, click .

Everyone listed will receive an invitation and the meeting will be posted to the Teams calendar. 

Adding application tabs to the formatting options

You can customize your chat exchange by adding Application Tabs to the chat text.

• Click (more options).

You will see a list of application options you can add to your chat or team.

• Click on the App you want.
• Choose to add it to a team or chat. If you choose Teams it will be included in all your chats with team members.

• Click 

The tab will be added to your formatting options.