How to use Google Talk?

Google Talk is easy to use. You can start using Google Talk right away.

To start chatting immediately, use the Google Talk Gadget on your Google Personalized Homepage. It's web-based, so you don't need to download anything.

To make high quality PC-to-PC voice calls and unlimited file transfers, download the Google Talk Client.

Log in your Gmail account ...

When Google Talk is installed, it automatically starts when you turn on your computer (you can turn this off in Settings).

Google Talk clientOnce you sign in, Google Talk automatically displays the people you communicate with most often, sorted by availability status and then alphabetically.

Ball icons in different colors and with different symbols indicate the availability of your friends.

Available to talk or chat
Idle
Busy
Offline

If you're signing into Google Talk with a Gmail account, friends without a ball by their names are your Gmail contacts who have not yet installed Google Talk.

How do I set my availability status?

You can set your availability status or customize a message that appears when others mouse over your name in their Google Talk window. If you are listening to music with one of the supported players, you can even display the song by selecting Show current music track in the status message menu-the message will change when the song does!

 

How do I send an IM or email?

Click on a name to open a chat window. You may have as many chat windows open as you like at one time.

Type directly into the box to send an IM.

If you're signing into Google Talk with a Gmail account, you can send an email using your Gmail account by clicking on the Email button, or by clicking on the mail icon next to a name directly from your Friends list.

How do I make a call?

To call a friend, click on the Call button from an open chat window. You can also make a call by clicking on the green phone icon next to a name directly from your Friends list.



You can have multiple calls underway at once-but only one can be active at a time. The other calls must be on hold.

To talk with your friends, you must have a computer microphone and speakers. Many PC laptops today have these built-in. Google Talk also works with USB phones and wired and wireless headsets.

How do I transfer a file?

To transfer a file, simply click on the Send Files button in your chat window. If this button does not appear at the top, try resizing the window, or find this feature in the drop-down menu on the right, marked with the arrow. Once you click the button you will be able to select any file from your computer to send. Once the person you are chatting with agrees to accept the transfer, the file will be sent with Google Talk's fast peer-to-peer sharing.

How do I send a voicemail?

If your friends aren't around to answer your call, you can leave them a voicemail message instead. Through the profile card, you can select Send Voicemail from the dropdown menu. You will hear a voice prompt. Record your voice after the "Meep" and your friends will get an email to their Talk contact address with the voicemail attached as an audio file. They can play your message when they check their email and save it for as long as they want.

How do I go off the record?

When you go off the record while chatting, nothing that's said from that point forward gets saved in either person's Gmail account.

To go off the record, click the Options button and select "Go off the record" from the dropdown menu. You can stop chatting off the record by clicking the "Cancel" link in the chat window, or by selecting that choice from the Options dropdown.

Both people in a chat can go off the record or stop chatting off the record at any time. Whenever a change is made, we will always notify both people.