How to Start a call from a chat in Teams
Desktop
In order to communicate directly with any individual or team within your organization, whether it be one-on-one or in a group setting, you can use our online chat system without needing to reschedule a team meeting in order to do so. This type of conversation will not appear in any team discussions since it is private, so there is no need to worry about it appearing in them. Your chat, however, will display entries pertaining to the calls that you made, as well as the times that you made them.
- If you want to start a new chat conversation, you need to go to your chat list and click on New chat.
- To start a new chat, you need to type the name or names of the person or persons you wish to contact into the To field.
- To start a call, you can select either a Video call or an Audio call.
Video calls can be held with up to 20 participants at the same time.
Note:
It is possible to disable the calling buttons in a group chat if the number of participants exceeds 20.
It is possible to start a new call from a command if you aren’t currently in a chat with the person you wish to call. To start calling, click the command box at the top of your screen, then type /call in the box. Then press the Enter key once you have selected or typed the name of the person who you would like to contact and will be informed.
A one-to-one call can also be initiated from the profile card of someone you wish to talk to. From a channel or a search result, click the picture of the person to open it.
Note:
A number can be called directly if your organization has set it up to be able to do so — even if it’s not located within your organization.]
Mobile
If you are chatting with someone one-on-one or with a group, you can launch a call from there:
- The only thing you need to do is tap on Make a new chat in your chat list, enter the name(s) and hit OK.
- If you are in a chat, you can choose to make a video call or an audio call. Callers are able to respond to their calls from their desktops, mobile apps, and web browsers.
The profile card of a person also allows you to start a call from there. If you are in a channel or are searching for someone, you can open their profile picture by tapping it.
Notes:
- There will be no calling buttons available if there are more than 20 people in a group chat.
- It’s possible to call a phone number directly if it’s configured for it in your organization, even if it’s outside of your organization if it’s set up this way.