How to Quote and Reply to a Specific Message in Google Chat
Learn to effectively quote and reply to specific messages in Google Chat with manual code block formatting or a Chrome extension, improving communication and conversation organization.
Google Chat is a great way to stay in touch with friends, family, and coworkers. But what if you need to reply to a specific message in a long chat thread? By default, Google Chat doesn't support this functionality, but there are a few workarounds.
Use Backticks to Quote a Specific Message
While Google Chat doesnât yet have a way to quote and reply to a specific message for regular (@gmail.com) accounts, you can manually use the code block format to quote a message. Itâs not convenient by any means, but this is the only way unless thereâs a working Chrome Extension or in-built support in Google Chat.
To manually quote and reply to a specific message, weâll place three backticks ``` before and after the message.
To start, double-click on the message you want to quote, then right-click on it and copy.
Now, in the message typing area, type three backticks ``` at the beginning of the message, then paste the message you copied above (the one to quote), and then put three backticks ``` again at the end of the pasted message.
Once you have formatted the message you wish to quote, press Shift + Enter on your keyboard to add a new line and add your reply to the quoted message.
Finally, hit Enter to send the message. Google Chat will display the quoted message in a code block (which is not pretty, but serves the purpose).
Use a Chrome Extension to Quote a Specific Message in Google Chat
Initially, when you open The Google Chat window and point the cursor at a specific message, you will observe only two options. One will read âForward to inboxâ, and the other will add a reaction to the selected message. Apart from this, there is no option to quote a particular message.
In order to add the feature that will help you quoting a particular message, we will install a third-party Chrome extension from the Chrome Web Store. In the address bar type chrome.google.com/webstore and press âEnterâ.
You will see a search box in the left panel on the Chrome Web Store. Type the extension name "Google Chat thread links & quote reply" in the search box and press 'Enter'.
From the search results, click on the one that reads âGoogle Chat thread links & quote replyâ. You can also directly access it from the link below:
On the next page, you will see a âAdd to Chromeâ button to add the extension to your browser. Click on that button.
A dialogue box will appear on the screen once you click the âAdd to Chromeâ button. This dialogue box will ask your permission to add the extension to your browser. To allow it, click on the âAdd extensionâ button and it will add the extension to your Chrome browser.
You can check if the extension is added or not by clicking on the âExtensionsâ icon just after the address bar. A dialogue box will appear, listing all the extensions installed in your browser.
Using the Chrome Extension to Quote a Message in Chat
Once the extension is added, launch the Google Chat app window and open a conversation in which you want to quote a message. Then, hover the cursor over a message, and youâll see the option to quote and reply to it.
You can also quote more than one message in a single reply using the extension.
Being able to quote and reply to specific messages in group chats or even in DM threads gives you and everyone else you're communicating with a better way to keep track of the conversation.