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Chat widget

Pin one chat conversation to a desk to read the latest messages and reply without leaving the desk you are working on.

All plansUpdated

The Chat widget puts one conversation from Chat on a desk. You see the latest messages with who sent them and when, and you reply in the message box at the bottom, all without leaving the desk you are working on.

Use it to keep the conversation about a piece of work next to the work itself: the channel for a project, a direct message with the colleague you are doing it with, or the desk's own conversation.

More about this widget Coming soon

Before you start

  • Sign in. Chat needs you to be signed in. Signed out, the widget reads Sign in to use chat on this desk. See Sign in to PlexiDesk Coming soon.
  • Plans. The Chat widget is part of every plan.
  • Conversations come from Chat. The widget shows conversations you have in Chat, which you find in Office under Communicate. See Chat overview Coming soon.

Add a Chat widget

There are three ways, depending on where you start.

Open the desk's own conversation

Every desk can have a conversation of its own, for talking about that work.

  1. Open the desk.
  2. In the header, click Chat (the two speech bubbles) in the desk's quick actions.

PlexiDesk opens this desk's conversation, setting it up the first time, and adds it to the desk as a Chat widget. If the desk already has a Chat widget for its conversation, PlexiDesk uses that one instead of adding a second. See Desk quick actions and Chat about a desk or document Coming soon.

Pick a conversation from Add widget

  1. Open the desk.
  2. Click Add widget in the header, then click Chat.
  3. The widget shows Pin a conversation with a list of your conversations. Channels are marked with a hash sign and direct messages with a person.
  4. Click the conversation you want. The widget switches to show it.

In the Add widget menu, Chat is the last item in the People & messages column. You can also type "chat" into the search box at the top of the menu and press Enter.

You can also press ⌘ K on a Mac or Ctrl K on Windows, type Add Chat and press Enter.

If the list reads No conversations yet, start a conversation in Chat first, then come back to the widget. See Conversations and channels Coming soon.

Pin a conversation while you are in Chat

  1. Open the desk you want the conversation on, so it is your current desk.
  2. Go to Office and click Chat under Communicate.
  3. Open the conversation.
  4. Click the pin button in the conversation's header. Its tooltip reads Pin this conversation to your current desk.

PlexiDesk adds the conversation to your current desk as a Chat widget and takes you to the desk. If no desk is open, Chat asks you to open one first.

Read and reply

  • The top of the widget shows the conversation's name and Open.
  • The messages show who sent each one and when. The newest is at the bottom, and the widget keeps the latest message in view as new ones arrive. A new conversation reads No messages yet. Say something below.
  • The message box at the bottom is marked Write a message…. Type your reply and press Enter to send it. Press Shift Enter to start a new line.

The buttons beside the message box let you attach a file or image, record a voice note, add an emoji or a GIF, and start a meeting from the conversation. To mention someone, type @ and the start of their name, then pick them from the list with the arrow keys and press Enter or Tab. See Write messages Coming soon and Meet overview Coming soon.

To see the whole conversation, click Open at the top of the widget.

When you share a live view of the desk

When you share a live web view of the desk, the Chat widget appears to viewers as a placeholder, so the conversation is not shown. See Share a live web view of a desk.

Good ways to use it

  • A project desk. Pin the project's channel, so questions and answers about the work sit beside the work.
  • Working with one colleague. Pin your direct messages with them on the desk you share.
  • A desk with its own conversation. Click Chat in the desk's quick actions, so anything said about the desk stays with the desk.

For a full walkthrough with Contacts, Inbox, Email and Chat together, see Keep a client's people, mail and chat on their desk.

Common questions

The widget says Sign in to use chat on this desk. Sign in to PlexiDesk, and the conversation appears. See Sign in to PlexiDesk Coming soon.

The conversation I want is not in the list. The list shows the conversations you have in Chat. Start or join it in Chat first, then come back to the widget.

I clicked Chat in the header and no new widget appeared. The desk already has a Chat widget for its own conversation, so PlexiDesk used that one.

Pinning from Chat asked me to open a desk first. Pinning adds the conversation to your current desk. Open the desk you want, go back to Chat and click the pin button again.

Still need help? Contact support at [email protected].