> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.deandesk.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Chat

> Message your whole class in real time with your course's built-in group chat.

> [!NOTE]
>
> **School-level feature** — managed within your school portal at `yourschool.deandesk.com`.## Video walkthrough

\<video controls playsInline preload="metadata" poster="/images/tutorials/teaching-chat.jpg" width="100%" aria-label="Course Chat tab walkthrough"><source src="https://deandesk-static-img.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/docs/tutorials/teaching-chat.5da291eb2789f02c0137793b19827642e3a0da999e659b362df744921fa44a87.mp4" type="video/mp4" />
        \<track kind="captions" srcLang="en" label="English" default />
Your browser does not support embedded video. [Open the video](https://deandesk-static-img.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/docs/tutorials/teaching-chat.5da291eb2789f02c0137793b19827642e3a0da999e659b362df744921fa44a87.mp4).</video>
      

\[Download the video](/videos/tutorials/teaching-chat.mp4) · Download English captions

> [!NOTE]
>
> This walkthrough uses the real DeanDesk interface with the fictional Northstar Academy demo school and a calm, AI-generated English voice. Payments and outside services are not connected in the demo.The **Chat** tab is your course's real-time group conversation. Use it for quick questions, reminders, and back-and-forth with the class. Messages appear instantly for everyone who has the chat open.Open your course and choose **Chat** in the course menu.> [!NOTE]
>
> **Chat** and **Discussions** are different tabs. Chat is one running conversation for the class. [Discussions](/teaching/discussions.md) are separate threaded prompts that can be graded.## Who's in the chatEvery course has one built-in chat, named after the course (for example, **Northstar Science Lab General Chat**). It is private to the course:- **Course teachers and assistants** are added automatically.
- **Students** are added automatically when they enroll.You don't need to create or manage the chat yourself. The same conversation also appears under **Chat** in the main school sidebar, alongside any other chats you belong to.## Read and send messagesThe header shows the chat's name and a **Live** label when you're connected. If it shows **Offline**, new messages won't appear until the connection returns; refresh the page if it doesn't reconnect.Messages from others appear on the left with their name and the time. Your own messages appear on the right, labeled **You**.**1. Write a message**Type in the message box at the bottom. Press **Shift + Enter** for a new line.**2. Attach files (optional)**Click the paper clip (**Attach files**) to add up to five files: images (JPEG, PNG, WebP), videos (MP4, MOV, WebM), PDFs, or Word documents.**3. Send it**Press **Enter** or click the send button.Links in messages are clickable.### NotificationsWhen you send a message, the other chat members get an in-app notification, and a push notification on a signed-in mobile device with notifications turned on. Chat messages are **not** emailed. For something every student must see, post an [announcement](/teaching/announcements.md) instead, which also sends email.## Students' viewStudents see the same chat and can send messages and attach files in the same way. There are no teacher-only controls inside the course chat window.## Managing chatsMessages can't be edited or deleted from the course chat window. School admins manage chat topics and members under **Admin Dashboard → Website & Comms → Chat Manager**. See [Chat & discussions](/communication/discussions.md#chat).To hide the tab, click **Edit Course** and turn off **Chat** under **Course sidebar**.## Related- [Discussions](/teaching/discussions.md)
- [Announcements](/teaching/announcements.md)
- [Push notifications](/mobile/push-notifications.md)


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