Create a new chat in Microsoft Teams Free

Start a new chat

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

Start a chat with yourself

1. Select the New Chat button.
2. Type your name, phone number, or email into the To: field.
3. Select your name to start a chat.
4. Add your message in the Type a new message window and tap Send to send in the chat.

You can use your chat space for drafts, send messages and files to yourself, or practice using different chat features. For easy reference, add your chat to the Favorites section.

Add people to the chat

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

Start a new group chat

1. Tap New Chat near the bottom of the screen.
2. 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.
3. Type a message and Send it to finish creating your new group.

Invite a new member to join a group chat

For new contacts invited to group chats:

1. If someone isn’t already on Microsoft Teams Free, they'll either receive an invite to join Teams.
2. 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	Icon	What'll happen
Edit group picture	-	Edit the group chat picture.
View picture	-	View the chat's current photo.
Take picture	-	Take a new picture with your phone camera.
Choose a picture	-	Choose a picture from your device.
Name group chat		Name your group chat to help clarify the topic of the conversation. Chat names cannot contain links, profanities, or restricted terms to protect users from scams, phishing, and malware.
Mute		For a chat or group chat, switch notifications on or off.
Find		Find a specific message in the chat.
Themes	-	Change the color of your messages in chat.
Favorite (group chat)		Under More in a group chat, favorite a chat by using the toggle.
Allow join via link (group chat)		Under More in a group chat, switch Allow join via link on or off.
Share join link (group chat)		Under More in a group chat, share the join link.
Show QR code (group chat)		Under More in a group chat, show a QR code to invite others to join the chat.
Pin chat (one-on-one chat)		Under More in a one-on-one chat, pin the chat by using the toggle.
Create group chat (one-on-one chat)		Under More in a one-on-one chat, create a group chat by adding contacts by name, email address, or phone number.
View profile (one-on-one chat)		Under More in a one-on-one chat, view your contact profile.
Block contact (one-on-one chat)		Under More in a one-on-one chat, block the contact.
People	-	For group chats, tap People to see participants.
Add		In People, tap Add to add participants.
See All	-	In People, tap See All to view the full participant list.
Photos	-	View photos posted in your chat or group chat. Under See all, you can add photos from your Camera or Open photo library. You can also tap to select photos to share or download.
Leave the chat		Leave the chat.

Start a new chat

1. Select the New Chat button.
2. Type the name, email address, or phone number of the person with whom you want to chat in the To: field.
3. Select the person in the list of suggestions or contacts to start a chat.
4. You can add more people to the chat by typing more names, email addresses, or phone numbers into the To: field.
5. 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.

Start a chat with yourself

1. Select the New Chat button.
2. Type your name, phone number, or email into the To: field.
3. Select your name to start a chat.
4. Add your message in the Type a new message window and select Send to send in the chat.

You can use your chat space for drafts, to send messages and files to yourself, or practice using different chat features. For easy reference, add your chat to the Favorites section.

Add people to the chat

1. Select the top of your one-on-one chat.

2. Select Create a group chat .

3. Enter name, phone number, or email. You can add one or multiple contacts.

4. When you're ready, select Create. This will create a new group chat and keep your one-on-one chat.

   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.

Start and name a new group chat

1. Select the New Chat button.
2. In the To: line, type the names, phone numbers, or email addresses of those you want to include in this group.
3. To name your group chat, you can choose Name group chat .
4. 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:

1. If someone isn’t already on Microsoft Teams Free, they'll either receive an invite to join Teams.
2. 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 of your chats and group chats.

If you select	Icon	What'll happen
Remove picture	-	Select the group chat's picture to update the picture. You can scroll through available emojis and select Remove picture.
Upload picture	-	Select the group chat's picture to update the picture. You can scroll through available emojis and select Upload picture.
Name the group chat		Name your group chat to help clarify the topic of the conversation. 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.
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.
Favorite		To favorite a chat or group chat, select More options , then select Favorite and the message will move into your chat Favorites.
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.