First things to know about group chats in Microsoft Teams
There are three ways to chat with people in Teams:
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In a channel on the Posts tab (with everyone on the team who follows that channel)
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In a group chat (with a few people at once, but outside of a channel)
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In a one-on-one chat (with one other person)
The following are the first things to know about group chats:
1. Name your group chat
Name your group chat so it's easy to track.
When you name your group chat, it makes it clear what the subject of the conversation is.
At the top of your list of chats and channels, select New message . Select the down arrow at the right side of the To then enter a name where it says Group name. You'll then see the name at the top of the group chat.
To rename a group chat, select Name group chat to the right of the current group name at any time.
2. Add frequently used group chats to Favorites
Add your group chats to Favorites for easy access.
Adding a chat to Favorites is a great way to keep track of it, even if you only need it temporarily.
To add a chat to Favorites, drag it into the order you want it to appear in the Favorites list. Do this for several chats and you'll have your most-used chats within easy reach.
To remove a chat from Favorites, drag it to the section where you want it.
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The combined list of chats and and channels and favorites list are available as part of the public preview program and might undergo further changes before being released publicly. To get access to this and other upcoming features, switch to Teams public preview.
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The ability to create favorites is currently only available in Public Preview. If you leave public preview, you'll go back to seeing a pinned section. To see your favorites again, you'll need to re-add them after switching back into Public Preview.
3. Share files and make calls from your group chat
Your chat's Files tab shows all the files you've shared with each other.
In a group chat, you can share files, collaborate on them, then instantly call the entire group. Select Audio call from the More call options dropdown to start a call from a group chat.
There are two ways to share files in chats:
Copy the link
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On the left side of Teams, select OneDrive .
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Go to the file you'd like to share, then select Show more actions for this item .
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Select Copy link , then paste the link directly into a message.
Attach the file
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Next to the message, select Actions and apps .
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Select Attach file ,then upload your message.
4. Choose how much chat history to include
When adding someone to an existing group chat (not a one-on-one), you can include the chat history.
Teams saves the entire chat history going back to the first message. If someone leaves the group, their chat responses remain in your chat history.
When you add someone to a group chat, you choose how much existing chat history they'll see.
To add someone to a group chat and choose this setting:
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Select View and add participants .
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Then, select Add people.
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Type in the names of the people you'd like to add to the chat. You're able to select how much chat history they'll see once they're added.
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Select Add.