To use Gmail's chat options, you need to be logged into your Gmail account. If you aren't logged in already, visit gmail.com or mail.google.com and log in.


During a chat, you'll need to stay logged into your account to send and receive messages. If you want to do something else while you're chatting, a good idea is to open a new tab in your web browser and leave Gmail running in the first tab.;
, In the bottom left corner of the inbox, you should see a short list of your most frequently-talked-to Gmail contacts. The icon next to each person's name represents their status. Specifically:


A green dot means the person is online.
A yellow dot that looks like a clock means the person is online, but idle (in other words, they may not be at their computer).
A red dot with a line through it means the person is online but too busy to chat.
A grey dot that is crossed out means the person is either offline or doesn't want to be bothered.
 This will open a chat window if the person is online. Look for the small box that pops up in the bottom right.If the person is not online and you click his or her name, Gmail will automatically open a blank email to that person.
 In the chat box, click the blue square at the bottom and start typing whatever you want to say. When you're finished with your message, click enter to send it. Now, just wait for your contact to respond — you should receive a notification when they see your message and start typing.You can add emoticons (small smiley faces) to your message by clicking the smiley face icon in the bottom right of the text box and selecting the emoticon you want from the list that pops up. You can also make emoticons by typing them in manually. Click here for a list., When the person you're chatting with finishes her message and presses enter, it will display in the chat box underneath yours. Type your response the same way as before and hit enter to send it. Congratulations — you've just mastered the basics of Gmail chatting!

, Text-chatting on Gmail is fun, but if you don't want to be bothered, sometimes it's not best to get messages from friends. To change your status so that your contacts can see that you can't talk right now, click the small downward arrow next to the silhouette icon at the top of the contacts box. Then, select the status you want from the options. Your choices are:



Available: People can chat with you as normal.

Busy: People will see the red "busy" icon next to your name. Others can still message you, but they'll see a message that says "(your name) is busy. You may be interrupting."

Sign out: Logs you out. Other people will see you as offline.

Invisible: Keeps you logged-in, but other people will see you as offline.
 Don't see anyone in the contacts box that you want to chat with? You can invite people to chat with you at any time by following these steps:Type your friend's Google username in the text area at the top of the contacts box. If they're already in your contacts, you'll see their information automatically pop up. Click "send chat" to start chatting (it will say "send offline chat" if the person is offline). You can also click "Show in chat list" to add the person's name to the list below.
If a person isn't in your contacts, type his or her complete username and click "invite to chat." The person will receive an invitation the next time they log into Gmail.
Alternatively, you can also invite new contacts to chat by clicking the downward arrow at the top of the chat box you use to change your status. Select "Add contact" from the options and follow the instructions in the pop-up window to invite new people.
Log in to your Gmail account.
Check the contacts tab for people you want to talk to.
Click the name you want to chat with.
Type in your message.
Continue reading and responding to messages.
Change your online status if you don't want messages.
Try inviting new people to chat.
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