What this article covers
Chat is at the center of whatever you do in Teams. From individual chats with just one other person to group chats and conversations in channels—chat has you covered.
In this article, the following top six things to know about chat will be covered:
- Chats can be one-on-one or in a group
- Press Shift + Enter to start a new line
- Select Format to see all your formatting options
- Chat happens in channels too
- There are a few ways to search for and find messages
- Hide or mute chats to keep them out of your way
1. Chats can be one-on-one or in a group
Sometimes you’ll want to talk one-on-one with someone. Other times, you’ll want to have a small group chat. In Chat, you can do either.
You start one-on-one and group chats the same way: by selecting New chat 
at the top of your chat list. Once in a chat, you’ll be able to send messages that include files, links, emojis, stickers, and GIFs—whatever you need to get your point across!
Here are some more details about each kind of chat.
One-on-one chat
Once you’ve selected New chat 
and entered the person’s name, compose your message in the box and select Send 
. This starts the chat.
Group chat
Use a group chat when you need to talk to a small group of people. Start one the same way you start a one-on-one chat: select New chat 
at the top of your chat list. Select the down arrow to the far right of the To field and type a name for the chat in the Group name field. Next, type the names of the people you’d like to add in the To field.
Once the chat has begun (whether group or one-on-one), just click it in the chat list to dip back into it and send more messages.
2. Press Shift + Enter to start a new line
If you keep hitting Enter to start a new line, which goes ahead and sends the message before you’re ready, try this tip:
When you want to start a new paragraph, press Shift+Enter to insert the line break, and you’re done. FYI—If you’ve opened-up all your formatting options (see step 3 for details), you can press Enter to start a new line of text.
3. Select Format to see all your formatting options
There are lots of formatting options for messages.
To open your formatting options, select Format 
beneath the box where you type your message. In this expanded view, select the text you want to format, then choose an option like B, I, or U to bold, italicize, or underline the text.
There are also options for highlighting, font size, lists, and more. Check out More options 
for additional formatting options, and the buttons below the box for attaching a file or inserting fun stuff like emoji.
4. Chats happens in channels too
When you go to any channel in Teams the very first tab is Posts. Think of this as one big group chat. Everyone who has access to the channel can see the messages on the Posts tab.
You’ll have to judge based on your organization and culture what messages are suitable for the Posts tab in a particular channel.
The other important thing to know about messages in a channel is that replies to a channel message stay attached to the original message. This way, the whole thread of the conversation can be easily followed by anyone reading it. This is the beauty of threaded conversations!
To reply to a channel message, be sure to use the little Reply link underneath the message.
5. There are a few ways to search for and find messages
Depending on what you remember about the sender of the message or the characteristics of the message, a different way of looking for it might make the most sense.
Find a chat based on a person’s name
Type the person’s name in the command box at the top of the app. You’ll see their name and any group chats they're a part of with you listed. Select their name to go to your one-on-one chat with them, or a group chat to resume that one.
Find a message that has a keyword that you remember
Start typing a keyword into the command box at the top of the app and press Enter. You’ll see a list of results that include the keyword.
Filter to show certain types of messages
From the Activity feed, select Filter 
to show certain types of messages such as unread messages, @mentions, replies, and likes. For a more specific search, go to the Feed menu and select My Activity.
Find your saved messages
To save a message, select Save message 
just to the right of the text.
To see a list of your saved messages, select your profile picture at the top of the app, then choose Saved. Or just type /saved in the command box at the top of the app.
6. Hide or mute chats to keep them out of your way
While you can't delete an entire chat conversation in Teams, you can hide the chat from the chat list, or mute it so you stop getting notifications. For details, see Hide, mute, or pin a chat in Teams.
(You are able to delete individual messages that you've sent.)
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