# Start a Chat Session with Colleagues

When something can wait, instant messaging lets you reach a coworker without interrupting them with a call. From the Cloud Voice App desktop app you can open a private conversation with a single person or spin up a group chat for a whole team. This page walks through both.

## Before you start

- Ask your system administrator to confirm that the phone system meets these requirements:
  - **Version**: 84.12.0.32 or later
  - **Plan**: Enterprise Plan or Ultimate Plan
- Confirm your desktop app is on a supported version:
  - **Windows**: 1.2.14 or later
  - **macOS**: 1.2.10 or later

:::caution
Internal chat is only available when both the phone system and the desktop app meet the versions and plan listed above. If the **Chat** option is missing or messages will not send, check these requirements with your administrator before troubleshooting anything else.
:::

## Start a one-on-one chat

1. Sign in to the Cloud Voice App desktop app.
2. In the left navigation bar, select **Chat**, then open the **Internal Chat** tab.
3. Use the search bar in the left panel to locate the coworker you want. You can search by name, extension number, email address, or a snippet from an earlier conversation.
4. Select the person from the results to open the conversation and begin typing.

:::note
The **Internal Chat** tab is for coworkers on your own phone system. Searching returns people who have an extension on the same account, so you do not need their full contact details to reach them.
:::

![Cloud Voice, Internal Chat tab with a coworker selected and a private conversation open](/images/pbx/chat-with-a-colleague.png)

## Start a group chat

1. Sign in to the Cloud Voice App desktop app.
2. In the left navigation bar, select **Chat**, then open the **Internal Chat** tab.
3. Select the add icon ![Add participants](/images/pbx/add-macbook.png) next to the search bar.

   ![Group chat creation window listing available coworkers to add](/images/pbx/start-group-chat-desktop.png)

4. In the pop-up window, choose the coworkers you want to include, then select **Create**.

:::note
A group chat can hold up to 200 members. If you try to add more than that, the extra people will not be included, so split a very large team into more than one chat.
:::