TABLE OF CONTENTS


Zoom's Team Chat is a communication platform like Microsoft Teams, Slack, and Google Chat.


Team Chat can be used in the Zoom desktop app or mobile app (but not in the Zoom website).

It is different from the "Meeting Chat" tool that is only available during Zoom sessions.


Below is basic info on Team Chat, and further below is detailed info and troubleshooting.

For Zoom's guide on Team Chat in the desktop app and mobile app, click here.


Basic info


There are 3 types of communication in Team Chat: channels, 1:1 chat, and group chat.

Channels are like a Group Chat, but they are better for organizing and managing.

If a new channel is created, you can add individual users, or you can add all members from another channel into it.


1:1 chat is a direct chat with another user.

In a 1:1 chat, if you add a third user then a new group chat is created, so the original 1:1 chat remains unchanged.


Group chat will show all users in the title, by default. You can re-name this by writing in the "Topic" area.

In desktop app, click pencil button to the right of group chat name. In mobile app, write in the "Chat Topic" area of the "About Chat" section.

Convert this group chat into a channel by clicking "more options" in the "About Chat" section.

You can add a channel as a member, so all users in a channel will be added into the group chat.

However, you likely should not do this, since channels are better and should be used instead of group chats in most cases.



Detailed info


Write messages:

There are several extra options to add: files, screenshots, emojis, voice or video messages, start a meeting and invite all users in chat/channel.

Note the following:

Files get uploaded and attached. Instead, we recommend to share links of files stored online, such as in Google Drive, Microsoft Office 365, or Zoom Notes.

For screenshots, extra options appear to edit it and add basic shapes. In the Zoom mobile app, screenshots aren't possible, and the "Screenshare" option starts a Zoom Meeting.


Respond to messages:

There are 4 ways to respond to messages: reply, quote, share, or add a reaction emoji.

A reply is shown directly below the original message.

A quote will create a new message, with the original message shown at the top in gray italics with quotes.

A share will send the message to a different chat/channel than the original location. 

After sharing, you won't see any signs or history that the message was shared. Only the recipients will see this.


Organize your Team Chat:

For messages, there are 3 ways to organize: reminders, bookmarks, and pin.

Reminders are for you. They get added to messages from others, set for a future date/time.

Bookmarks are for you. Messages from others will appear in your "Bookmarks" section.

Pin is for an entire channel. It will put a message at the top of a channel for all users to see.

Users will also see it in the "Pin History" area of the "About channel" section.


For chats/channels, there are 3 ways to organize: star, shared spaces, and folders.

Star is for you. Chats or channels can be grouped in the "Starred" section.

Shared spaces are for you and others, but they are private (invite-only).

Zoom article on shared spaces: click here

Folders are for you. You can create several of them (by clicking the + button in upper-left of desktop app), and re-arrange the order.

A chat or channel can only be in a single folder or "Starred". If added into a new folder, they will move out of the previous location.



Notifications:

In the desktop app settings, the "Team Chat" section has options for managing notifications and unread messages.

You can set exceptions to your preferences, and set custom notifications by keywords or user contacts.

In Zoom mobile app, there are 2 options for 'vibrate' and 'alert sound'.

For group chats and channels, click "About chat/channel" and select "Notifications" to adjust 4 options:

All messages will send you a notification.

Only @mentions or replies to your message will send a notification.

Off - no notifications will be received.

Mute - same as "Off", but the channel/chat name will show a 'mute' icon (a bell with a line crossed through).



Searching:

In Zoom desktop app, click the search bar in the upper-left, and use keywords and filters to find users, channels, messages, or files.

Or click "Search in channel/chat", in the "About channel/chat" section.

In Zoom Mobile app, the upper search bar has no filters, and all types of results will appear together.



Extra info


Message info:

The # is used in a message create a link into a different channel.

The @ is used for mentions in channels or group chats. There are 3 types: @all, @user, and the @"mention groups" is only in channels.

@all will send a notification along with the message to all users.

Channel admins can limit or disable the @all in the channel "Advanced Permissions"

@mention groups will send a notification to multiple users at once.

Channel admins can create them in the "About Channel" section.

@user will send a notification just to the user, along with the message that's visible to the entire channel/chat.


Channel info:

There are 2 types of channels: private and public.

Public channels are convenient to find by any OUM user who clicks "Join a Channel".

Private channels can only be joined if added by a member (or owner, if required in "Advanced Permissions").

Each channel has one 'owner'.

The 'owner' can transfer this to a different user by clicking "Assign new owner".

A channel can have multiple 'admin'.

This can be added in the channel members list, by clicking the "more" ellipsis to the right of a user, and clicking "Assign as admin".



Issues and Troubleshooting


Admins cannot 'mute' other users, but they can remove them from a channel.

To restrict the users who can send messages, go to "Edit channel", and under "Advanced permissions" change the "Who can send messages" setting. To add specific people, only individuals can be added, and unfortunately it's not possible to add entire other channels there.


If you 'block' a user, they can still send messages in a channel. They just can't send a 1:1 chat message to you, and they'll see a Zoom notification that they're blocked when trying to send it.


If a message appears as "[This is an encrypted message]", then that is due to the sender being offline currently. Zoom should display a notification like this:

"To decrypt the messages, at least one group member must be online and a decryption key must be available".


Your Zoom app is invisible to others when you 'share screen' in a Zoom meeting, by default.

Enable this in: Settings > Share Screen > enable 'Show my Zoom windows to other participants when I am screen sharing'.


Text size can be enlarged in Zoom desktop app settings, under "Accessibility" change the "Chat Display Size".


Editing a message after it's sent is not possible.