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Chat in Outlook Web App

  • Article

Applies to: Office 365 for professionals and small businesses, Office 365 for enterprises, Microsoft Exchange, Live@edu

This topic, which includes video, shows you how to chat using Outlook Web App. You can use the Contact List in Outlook Web App to chat with friends and colleagues, just as you would use MSN Messenger, Office Communicator, or any instant messaging service.

Note

This feature may not be available for your account.

Note

This information applies to the standard version of Outlook Web App. The feature that's described isn't available in the Outlook Web App Light.

How do I use the Contact List?

Chat with a Contact

Add a Person to Your Chat Contact List

Remove a Person from Your Chat Contact List

Create a Chat Group

Delete a Chat Group

Add a Person to a Chat Group

Video: Using Chat in Outlook Web App

This video shows you how to use your Contact List to manage contacts and chat with friends and colleagues.

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Note

To view this video, you must have Silverlight installed. For information about how to install Silverlight, see Get Silverlight.

What else do I need to know?

  • The colored dot next to your name at the top of the Outlook Web App window indicates your availability. Click the down arrow next to the dot to change your availability status or to sign out of IM.
  • The first time you use your Contact List, you'll be prompted to enter your account password and click Sign In. Select Remember my password if you don't want to enter your password for chat each time you use it.
  • The Contact List that you use for chatting isn't the same as the Contacts folder, which you use to store information about people and groups.
  • If you sign in to your mailbox through a Web address like http://mail.office365.com or http://outlook.com, you’re using the cloud-based service and can chat with anyone who uses chat in Hotmail, MSN, Windows Live, AOL, or Yahoo!. For information about how to determine if you’re using a cloud-based service, see How to Sign In to Outlook Web App.
  • If you're using the cloud-based service, you can also manage your chat contacts by using Windows Live Messenger.
  • If you’re not using a cloud-based mailbox, you may be limited to chatting with users in your organization. If so, you can use Office Lync 2010, in addition to Outlook Web App, to manage your chat contacts.