Create a new chat in Microsoft Teams Free

Important:  Skype Self Chat is going away soon. You can export your data through the Teams export page.

In Microsoft Teams Free, it’s easy to start a one-on-one or group chat. You can also send a message to someone you haven't chatted with before—they'll be prompted to accept the invitation before joining the chat.

Start a new chat

Tap New Chat .
Type the name, email address, or phone number of the person with whom you want to chat in the To: field.
Select the person in the list of suggestions or contacts to start a chat.
You can add more people to the chat by typing more names, email addresses, or phone numbers into the To: field.
Add your message in the Type a new message window and tap Send to send in the chat.

Tip: Once you’re in a chat, you can use @mentions to get someone’s attention in the chat. Learn more about using @mentions.

Add people to the chat

Tap Info .
Tap Add . For a one-on-one chat, select More > Create a group chat .
Under Add members, you can select members listed under Suggested or Enter name, phone number, or email .
Tap Create or send an invitation to the chat.

Start a new group chat

Tap New Chat near the bottom of the screen.
In the search field, enter the name, phone number, or email of those you want to include in the group. You can also choose from the list of Suggestions, then tap Next.
Type a message and Send it to finish creating your new group.

Note: When a file is shared, chat participants can access files with permission settings set to Anyone with this link. Even when you leave a chat, other participants can still have access ⁠to shared and uploaded files. You will need to go to OneDrive to ⁠stop or change share permissions.  

Invite a new member to join a group chat

For new contacts invited to group chats:

If someone isn’t already on Microsoft Teams Free, they'll either receive an invite to join Teams.
If you are starting a group with a new contact, they'll need to accept your group invitation. Learn more about joining a chat in Microsoft Teams Free.

Get the most out of your chat and group chats

For the best experience, learn more about the different features for chats and group chats. To start, tap the chat header at the top of the screen.

If you tap on		What'll happen
Edit group picture View picture Take picture Choose a picture		Edit the group chat's picture. You'll be able to use a picture or select an emoji. You can choose View picture to view the chat's current photo, Take a picture with your phone's camera, or Choose a picture from you.
Name group chat		Name your group chat to help clarify the topic of the conversation. Note: Chat names cannot contain links, profanities, or restricted terms to protect users from scams, phishing, and malware.
Mute		For a chat or group chat, you can switch the chat notifications on or off in a chat or group chat.
Find		For a chat or group chat, you can find a specific message in the chat.
Themes		For a chat or group chat, you can change the color of your messages in chat.
Pin Allow join via link Share join link Show QR Code Pin Create group chat View profile Block contact		When you tap More under a group chat , you can: Pin chat by using the toggle Switch Allow join via link on or off. Share join link Show QR code to invite other people to join the chat. When you tap More under a one-on-one chat , you can: Pin chat by using the toggle Create group chat by adding contacts by name, email address, or phone number View profile of your contact Block contact
People Add See All		For group chats, you can tap People to Add or view a list of participants by tapping See All.
Photos		View photos posted in your chat or group chat. Under See all, you Add photos from your Camera or Open photo library. Or you can tap to select the photos you want to share or download.
Leave the chat		Leave the chat.

Start a new chat

Select the New Chat button.
Type the name, email address, or phone number of the person with whom you want to chat in the To: field.
Select the person in the list of suggestions or contacts to start a chat.
You can add more people to the chat by typing more names, email addresses, or phone numbers into the To: field.
Add your message in the Type a new message window and select Send to send in the chat.

Once you’re in a chat, you can use @mentions to get someone’s attention in the chat. Learn more about using mentions to get someone’s attention in a chat.

Add people to the chat

Select the top of your one-on-one chat.
Select Create a group chat .
Enter name, phone number, or email. You can add one or multiple contacts.

Note: If you are starting a group with a new contact, they'll need to accept your group invitation. Learn more about joining a chat in Microsoft Teams Free.
When you're ready, select Create. This will create a new group chat and keep your one-on-one chat.

Start and name a new group chat

Select the New Chat button.
In the To: line, type the names, phone numbers, or email addresses of those you want to include in this group.
To name your group chat, select Add group name. To edit, you can choose Name group chat.
Notes:
- If you are starting a group with a new contact, they'll need to accept your group invitation. Learn more about joining a chat in Microsoft Teams Free.
- When a file is shared, chat participants can access files with permission settings set to Anyone with this link. Even when you delete or leave a chat, other participants can still have access ⁠to shared and uploaded files. You will need to go to OneDrive to ⁠stop or change share permissions.  
Type a message and select Send to create your new group conversation.

Everyone who has access to the group chat can send messages.

Invite a new member to join a group chat

For new contacts invited to group chats:

If someone isn’t already on Microsoft Teams Free, they'll either receive an invite to join Teams.
If you are starting a group with a new contact, they'll need to accept your group invitation. Learn more about joining a chat in Microsoft Teams Free.

Get the most out of your chat

For the best chat experience, learn more about the different features. To start, select the top your chats and group chats.

If you select		What'll happen
Remove picture Upload picture		Select the group chat's picture to update the picture. You can scroll through the available emojis, Remove picture, or Upload picture
Name the group chat		Name your group chat to help clarify the topic of the conversation. Note: Chat names cannot contain links, profanities, or restricted terms to protect users from scams, phishing, and malware.
Video call		Switch the video on or off for a video call. In groups chats, you can access under Meet now .
Audio call		Switch the video on or off for a video call. In groups chats, you can access under Meet now .
View and add participants		View the participant list and add people to the group. You can also remove people from the group using this feature, hovering over the name of the person you want to remove, and selecting the X next to the name.
Search		You can search your chats.
Open in a new window		You can open a chat window outside for easy access to a specific chat.
Schedule a meeting		You can schedule a meeting with your chat participants in a chat or group chat..
Screen sharing		Share your screen with the participants in a chat or group chat.
Mark as unread		To leave a chat or group chat unread, select More options , then select Mark as unread.
Pin		To pin a chat or group chat, select More options , then select Pin.
Mute		To mute a chat or group chat, select More options , then select Mute.
Leave		To leave a group chat, select More options , then select Leave.
Delete		To delete a chat or group chat, hover over the chat in the chat list and select More options , then select Delete.