# Sending a Chat Message in Teams

## Overview

Teams Chat allows you to send quick messages to individuals or small groups without needing a formal meeting or email.

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## Starting a New Chat

1. Open **Microsoft Teams**
2. Click the **Chat** icon in the left sidebar (speech bubble icon)
3. Click the **New chat** icon (pencil icon) at the top
4. In the **To** field, type the name of the person you want to message
5. Type your message in the box at the bottom and press **Enter** to send

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## Group Chat

To chat with multiple people at once:

1. Follow steps 1–3 above
2. In the **To** field, add multiple names (up to 20 people)
3. Type a group name in the **Group name** field (optional but recommended)
4. Type your message and press Enter

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## Useful Chat Features

- **Formatting:** Click the **A** icon below the message box to add bold, bullet points, headings, and more
- **Attach a file:** Click the paperclip icon to attach a file from your computer or OneDrive
- **React to a message:** Hover over a message and click the emoji icon to react
- **Reply to a specific message:** Hover over the message and click the curved arrow (reply) icon

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## Chat vs Email — When to Use Which

<table id="bkmrk-use-teams-chat-forus"><tr><th>Use Teams Chat for</th><th>Use Email for</th></tr><tr><td>Quick questions, informal conversation</td><td>Formal communication, external parties</td></tr><tr><td>Real-time collaboration</td><td>Long records that need to be archived</td></tr><tr><td>Small group coordination</td><td>Distribution to large groups</td></tr></table>