Create a room

Create a room in Google Chat for conversations where people can come and go. Rooms are typically used for ongoing, long-term chats. This could be for team collaboration (such as Communications Team, IS Team) or perhaps Project-based collaboration (i.e. Southlands Team)


You can allow people outside your organization to join a room, but you must do so when you create the room. If you allow external people in a room, they must either have a Google Workplace Account with another organization or a personal Google Account (usually ending in @gmail.com). 


  1. Open Chat.
  2. At the top left, click Find people, rooms, bots.
  3. Click Create room.
  4. Enter a name for the room.
  5. (Optional) Check Allow people outside your organization to join.
    • Important: You can't change this setting after you click Create. If you want to allow external people in the room, you must check this box now. 
  6. Click Create.
  7. Click Add people & bots.
  8. Enter names or email addresses, or select from the suggestions. Suggestions include everyone in your organization, even if they don't have Google Chat. Repeat for each invitee.
  9. Click Send. 


Join a room

When you’re invited to join a room, Google Chat may send you an email notification. You get the notification if the person inviting you to the room requests it. You can preview the room and see its message history before you join.


You get notifications and can preview the room even if you're invited with your personal Google Account or the room is owned by another organization.


  1. At the top left, click Find people, rooms, bots.
  2. Click Browse rooms. The rooms you're invited to appear at the top of the list.
  3. Choose to join or preview a room:
    • To join a room, click Add.
    • To preview a room, point to the room name and click Preview. When you preview a room, you can read messages, but you can't participate in the discussion and won't receive notifications. To join the room, click Join in the preview.
  4. If you join a room, click Open to start a new conversation.

Note: When you preview a room, you can read messages, but you can't participate in the discussion and won't receive notifications. To join the room, click Join in the preview.