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Did you know you can chat with contacts right from your Gmail homepage? Google Chat comes with all Google accounts; you'll just need to enable it first. Here's how to chat in Gmail using a computer.
Enabling Chat in Gmail
Open Gmail in your web browser. Click the cog icon in the top-right corner and select Customize . Check the box for Google Chat . Click Done , and then Reload . To start a chat, click a contact in the left panel.
Steps
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Open Gmail. Go to https://www.gmail.com/ in your computer's web browser. This will open your Gmail inbox if you're logged in.
- If you aren't logged into Gmail, enter your email address and password when prompted.
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2Enable Google Chat. If you don't see a Chat menu on your Gmail home page, you'll need to enable it in your settings. Do the following:
- Click the cog icon in the top-right corner.
- Click Customize under Chat and Meet .
- Check the box for Google Chat .
- Click Done .
- Click Reload .
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Find your chat name. You'll find your name and email address listed toward the lower-left side of the page; this is the chat section, which is where you'll be able to select people with whom to chat.
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Click ＋ . It's to the right of your chat name. Doing so opens a pop-up menu.
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Select a contact. Click a contact's name in the resulting pop-out menu, or type in a contact's email address or phone number and then click their name in the resulting drop-down menu.
- If the person's name doesn't show up after searching for them, they probably aren't in your contacts. You'll need to add them to your contacts before you can chat with them.
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Enter an invitation message. In the text box near the top of the chat window, type in a message (e.g., "Hi! Please add me to your chat contacts.") that you'd like to use to invite your contact to chat with you.
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Click Send Invite . It's a blue button at the bottom of the chat window.
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Wait for the contact to accept your request. Once the person accepts your chat request, you'll be able to proceed.
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Chat with your friend. Once your friend accept's your request, you can click ＋ and then click their name to begin chatting with them. Their chat window will open in the far-right side of the page.
- If you close the chat window, you can always re-open it by clicking the person's name in the chat section on the left side of the page.
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Initiate a group chat. Click the ＋ icon, then enter a contact's name, click their name when it appears, repeat until you've added the people you want for your group, and click in the top-right corner of the pop-out menu. This will allow you to chat with multiple people at once.
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Use Gmail to make a voice call. If you want to call a local number (e.g., not an international line) without using your phone, you can use Gmail's chat feature to make the call:
- Click the phone-shaped icon below the chats section.
- Type in the phone number you want to call.
- Click Call [number] in the resulting drop-down menu.
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Community Q&A
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QuestionSomeone is sending invitations to me but I am not able to see them. Where will those invitations be stored?Community AnswerThey are not stored anywhere. You have to enable the chat settings to be able to see the invitations.
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QuestionWhere are the chats stored?Community AnswerSelect "Other" on the side of your inbox and then select "Chats." This is where your previous chats are stored.
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QuestionHow do I enable chat on settings?Community AnswerPress the Settings icon in Gmail, select Settings from the menu that drops down, select Chat on the ribbon and click Enable chat.
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Tips
- Chatting through Gmail is similar to using Google's Hangouts feature.Thanks
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Warnings
- You cannot chat with people who aren't in your contacts.Thanks
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About This Article
Article Summary
X
1. Go to Gmail.com.
2. Click +
next to your chat name.
3. Select a contact.
4. Enter an invitation message.
5. Click Send Invite
.
6. Click your friend's name to start chatting.
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Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 276,015 times.
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