Use Facebook Chat

This article teaches you how to use the website version of Facebook's "chat" feature. Facebook chat is closely related to, but not the same as, Use-Facebook-Messenger, which is a dedicated app.

Steps

  1. Go to the Facebook webpage. It's located at https://www.facebook.com/. If you're already logged into Facebook, doing so will open your News Feed.
    • If you aren't logged into Facebook, first enter your email address (or phone number) into the top-right corner of the screen and click Log In.
  2. Locate the chat column. It's on the right side of the Facebook page.
  3. Click a Facebook friend's name. Doing so will open a chat window for them in the bottom-right side of the Facebook page.
    • If chat is turned off, first click the "Turn on chat" link at the bottom of the chat column.
    • If you would prefer to open a recent conversation, click the speech bubble with a lightning icon in the top-right side of the page, then click a conversation in the drop-down menu.
  4. Send a chat message. To do so, you'll click the text field at the bottom of the chat window, type in a message, and press ↵ Enter or ⏎ Return.
  5. Send other types of media. Below the text field, you'll see a row of icons. From left to right, clicking these tabs will allow you to send the following items:
    • Photo - You can choose a picture or video from your computer.
    • Sticker - Allows you to select an animated "sticker", which is essentially a large emoji.
    • GIF - Lets you select an animated picture from Facebook's collection of GIFs.
    • Emoji - Clicking this button will pull up a menu full of emojis; click one to send it.
    • Money - This $ icon allows you to set up Facebook Pay, which will let you send money to or request money from the person in this conversation.
    • Files - The paperclip icon will allow you to select a file (e.g., a Word document) from your computer.
    • Picture - Clicking the camera icon will open your computer's webcam, allowing you to take a picture and send it to the person.
  6. Add a person to the chat. To do so, click the + icon at the top of the chat window, type in the name of a friend, and click Done.
  7. Click the video camera icon or the phone icon to make a call. These icons are at the top of the chat window. The video camera icon will initiate a video call, while the phone icon makes an audio call. If your friend is online, they will be able to answer your call.
  8. Click ⚙️. It's in the top-right corner of the chat window. Clicking it will open the chat settings menu, which contains the following options:
    • Open in Messenger - Opens your current conversation in Facebook's full-screen Messenger app.
    • Add Files - Allows you to send files (e.g., documents) to anyone in the conversation.
    • Add Friends to Chat - Prompts you to select friends to add to the conversation.
    • Turn Off Chat for [Name] - Makes you appear offline to the person with whom you're chatting. This option does not block the contact.
    • Change Color - Lets you change the color of the chat window.
    • Mute Conversation - Turns off notifications for the chat.
    • Delete Conversation - Erases the conversation's history.
    • Block Messages - Prevents your contact from being able to send messages to you.
    • Report - Use this option to report inappropriate correspondence or spam.
  9. Click the "X" in the top-right corner of the window. This will close your conversation.
    • If your friend messages you, the window will pop back up.
  10. Disable Facebook chat if you wish. To do so, click the gear icon in the bottom-right corner of the page, click Turn Off Chat in the pop-up window, check the "Turn off chat for all contacts" option, and click Okay. Doing so will cause you to appear offline to all of your Facebook friends.

Sample Emoticons

Doc:Facebook Emoticons

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