---
title: "Using Chat"
description: "In the Talkspirit chat you exchange instant messages in one-to-one conversations, chat rooms with several participants, and rooms linked to a group. Start conversations, search messages, edit sent messages, and mark favourites."
category: communication
section: chat-essentials
type: Reference
lastUpdated: 2026-09-08
locale: en
canonical: https://support.talkspirit.com/en/communication/chatting-with-users
---

# Using Chat


In the Talkspirit chat, you exchange instant messages with one or more people in real time. The chat is made for quick exchanges and is distinct from the news feed. A discussion is either a one-to-one conversation, a chat room with several participants, or a chat room linked to a group. You open it from **Chat** in the navigation.

## How do I start a conversation?

1. In the **Chat** app, click **New** at the top of the Chats panel.
2. Select your recipients in the **+ Add one or more recipients** field. Type the first letters of a name to filter the list.
3. Write your message and send it.

![The new conversation screen in the Chats panel: the "+ Add one or more recipients" field with "Elena" typed and a matching suggestion open below it.](/images/communication/chatting-with-users/01-new-conversation-typeahead.png)

With a single recipient, you open your one-to-one conversation with that person. With several recipients, you create a chat room, where every participant can rename the room or add and remove others: see [Managing a chat room](/en/communication/managing-a-chat-room).

Guests only find people who share at least one group with them when they select recipients. Once a guest participates in a conversation, they read and send messages like any other participant.

## How do I search within the chat?

Open a conversation and click **Search** in its header. Type your keywords, then refine the search with two switches:

- **Search all conversations** extends the search from the current conversation to all of them.
- **Search files only** restricts the results to shared files.

Click **See the context** next to a result to read it within the surrounding conversation.

![A conversation in search mode: the search field with the keyword "roadmap" typed, the Search all conversations and Search files only switches, and one matching result with its See the context link.](/images/communication/chatting-with-users/02-search-conversation.png)

## How do I find the files shared in a conversation?

Click the **Files** icon in the icon bar on the right of the conversation. The panel lists every document and media item shared in the conversation. From a file's menu, you can rename it or attach it to a post.

## How do I edit a sent message?

Click one of your own messages to edit it in place. Change the text, then press `Enter` to save or `Escape` to cancel. In an empty message field, the up arrow key opens your last message for editing.

![A sent message clicked into edit mode, showing the inline text area with the message text ready to change, in the surrounding conversation.](/images/communication/chatting-with-users/03-edit-message.png)

Editing can be limited in time or unavailable, depending on your organisation's settings: administrators configure the editing window, as explained in [Setting up chat message editing](/en/administration-security/set-up-chat-message-editing). Once the window has passed, the message can no longer be edited.

## How do I mark a conversation as a favourite?

Add the conversation to the **Favorites** category: hover it in the Chats panel, click the **More** button (the three vertical dots) and select **Change category**. Conversations in this category appear together under the **Favorites** heading in your chat list.

![The Chats panel with the Favorites heading and one conversation under it, above the Conversations category.](/images/communication/chatting-with-users/04-favorites-heading.png)

You can also create categories of your own: see [Categorising and sorting chat rooms](/en/communication/categorize-and-sort-chat-rooms).

## How do I format and react to messages?

You format the text of a message with a Markdown-style syntax: bold, italic, quotes, lists and links. The full syntax is in [Formatting chat messages](/en/communication/formatting-messages).

To react, hover over a message and click the smiley button (**Reaction**), then choose an emoji. [Reacting to a chat message](/en/communication/react-to-a-chat-message) covers reactions in detail, including seeing who reacted.

## What's Next?

- [Managing a chat room](/en/communication/managing-a-chat-room)
- [Formatting chat messages](/en/communication/formatting-messages)
- [Categorising and sorting chat rooms](/en/communication/categorize-and-sort-chat-rooms)
- [Hiding a chat conversation or leaving a room](/en/communication/hide-a-chat-conversation-or-leave-a-room)