With Google Chat replacing Hangouts, a new user interface came with many features that were not available before. ‘Search’ in Google Chat is also one of them which was not available in Hangouts. Though there was a workaround that people used, but that is not needed anymore as the search feature has been officially introduced.
Now that the search feature is available in Google Chat, it comes as no surprise that it comes with its bell and whistles. The tech giant has done everything it could with the search option and it does not fall short at all. If you are here to know how to conduct a search in Google Chat or want to know exactly how feature-rich the option is.
It could be one of the reasons for both of them, and we are glad that the feature is now available and more than happy to tell you all about it!
Searching in Google Chat on Desktop
Well, this ain’t rocket science, so don’t worry. Just read along and you will know what to do.
Go to chat.google.com, and log in to your account. Now, click on the search box situated on the top section of your screen. Then, type the keyword you want to search for and press Enter.
Once, the search results have been populated and you can locate the message you are searching for, tap on the ‘Go to thread’ option from the bottom left corner of the chat result pane.
Searching in Google Chat App on Mobile
Performing a search in Google Chat on Mobile is as plain sailing as it is on desktop.
Open the Google Chat application on your phone and then tap on the search icon on the top left corner of the screen.
Now, type in the keyword you want to search for and tap on the ‘Search for’ option situated right below the search box on the screen.
After that, once you have located the message you were searching for, tap on the message itself to open the complete thread.
Searching in Google Chat from Gmail on Desktop
Well, you do not have to worry about navigating too much on a website when Google is the one behind designing it.
Go to, mail.google.com and sign in to your account. After that, click on the search bar present at the top of the page. Next, enter the keyword you want to search for and press Enter. Now, to only see search results from chats and room, click on the ‘Chat & Rooms’ tab.
Once, the search results have been populated and you are able to locate the message you are searching for, tap on the ‘Go to thread’ from the bottom left corner of the chat result pane.
Searching in Google Chat from Gmail App on Mobile
Gmail on Mobile offered a pretty good package already, and now with the amazing integration of Google Chat, it offers more value than ever.
Open the Gmail application on your mobile device and tap on the ‘Chat’ tab from the bottom bar.
Next, tap on the search box present on the top of the screen.
Now, type in the keyword you want to search for and tap on the ‘Search for’ option situated right below the search box on the screen.
Now, either tap on the message itself (if you are on an Android device) or tap on the ‘Go to message’ option (if you are on an iOS device).
How to Use Google Chat Search Features Efficiently
Well, lets jump straight away to know what new has arrived.
Find a Message
Well, this one is a very basic and very much needed feature. As it’s pretty much self-explanatory about what it does. Let’s dive into how it does that.
Find a Message from a Specific Contact
Type the keyword in the search bar you want to search for and press Enter. After that, select a certain contact to search in their chat for the entered keyword.
Once, you have located the message you had been finding. Tap on the ‘Go to thread’ option from the search results to see the complete thread containing that message.
Find a Message Sent by You
There are situations where you want to find a particular message sent by you as it may contain a piece of crucial information, or else you want to send another person the same message. Be it any of the two from above, Google Chat has your back.
Type the keyword in the search bar you want to search for and press Enter. After that, you will find your account icon on the extreme left corner of the contact list. Click on the icon to select and search results containing the specified keyword would appear.
Once, you have located the message you had been finding. Tap on the ‘Go to thread’ option from the search results to see the complete thread containing that message.
Find a File
Since the pandemic has hit the Earth, almost everybody is working from home. This means, files that were not digitized before, are digitized now. This sudden and massive digitization of things and processes might create a state of affairs, where two files have the same name and the only differentiating factor is the type.
Well, Google has thought of that too. You can explicitly look for a specific type of file you have shared, albeit you remember the file name or at least a part of it.
Type the name or a part of the file name in the search bar you want to search for. Next, click on the type of file you are searching for, from the available options to narrow down the search results.
Once, you have located the file you had been finding. Tap on the ‘Go to thread’ option from the search results to see the complete thread containing that file.
Find Your Mentions
This feature has a very unique use case and can make your life a whole lot easier. Imagine you have a chat group where hundreds of messages are pouring in just because of the sheer number of participants and the nature of these messages is critical.
Someone asked you to perform a task before the end of the day by mentioning you in the message and you made a mental note of it as you were a bit occupied at the moment. Now, at the end of the day, you don’t remember what that task was. Well, Google Chat is not pulling back any punches when it comes to knocking your problems out.
Type the keyword in the search bar you want to search for and press Enter. After that, on the extreme left corner of the type file row, you will find the ‘Me’ option having the ‘@’ icon. Click on the icon to select, and search results containing the specified keyword would appear.
Once, you have located the mention you had been finding. Tap on the ‘Go to thread’ option from the search results to see the complete thread containing that mention.
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