You can chat in Teams in several ways: one-on-one, in a group, in a channel or with someone outside your organization. Which one do you choose when? Here are the four scenarios side by side.
1. One-on-one with a colleague
Select New chat (or press Ctrl + N), type the name and start the conversation. Handy for quick questions. You can call or share your screen straight from there.
2. A group chat
Add several names in the To field. Give the group a name with the pencil icon so it's easy to find. A group chat works well for a small, temporary discussion. Read @everyone in a group chat.
3. A conversation in a channel
If it's about a project or team, post it in a channel. Everyone in the team can follow along, new colleagues can find it later and files are in one place.
4. With someone outside your organization
Type the full email address in a new chat and choose Search externally. This works when external access is on, including with people who use Teams with a personal Microsoft account (if your admin allows it). The chat gets an External label.
Which one to choose?
| Situation | Choose |
|---|---|
| Quick question for one person | One-on-one chat |
| Short discussion with a few people | Group chat |
| Work that belongs to a team or project | Channel |
| Customer, partner or supplier | External chat, or a shared channel |
Also see five ways to work with external users and chat with yourself.
Read also
Five ways to work with external users in Teams
Start a group chat with internal and external contacts in Teams
How to chat with yourself in Microsoft Teams
Nederlandstalige versie: Chatten in Microsoft Teams: vier scenario's en wanneer je welke kiest