Google Chatis a great communication tool, but it has had a major flaw in regard to sharing links. Without being able to hyperlink a word, users have had to type out the entire URL or copy-paste it. It can reallyclutter a chat, making an unprofessional atmosphere, especially if it’s a longer URL. Finally, Google has implemented a new feature that many chat systems — from Discord to Slack — have by default, the ability to hyperlink words in your messages.
Google hasannounceda new update to Chat that allows users to hyperlink text. You can do this in both the desktop and mobile apps, although there is a slight difference between the two. Users can now also choose to display a preview of the link or remove it before or after it appears live in the chat.
To hyperlink text inGoogle Chaton desktop,use Smart Composeor write what you want and have the link ready. Click and drag your mouse cursor to highlight any text you want to hyperlink, then you can either click on thelink icon(paperclip) in the rich text formatting toolbar, or you can use the keyboard shortcut (Ctrl+KorCmd+K). From there, paste your link into the provided field, and you’ll see a preview of how it will look. You can hide the link preview before or after sending.
Mobile users can simply highlight their text and selectFormatfrom the menu that appears. The option to hyperlink will appear next to bold, italic, and other style options. Click thelink icon(paperclip), enter your URL, and you can remove the preview before or after posting.
The update is currently in a gradual rollout, but it will ultimately be available to all Google Workspace customers and users with personal Google Accounts, depending on theirrelease preference. For those who have a Rapid Release domain, it will take up to 15 days starting from July 13. For those with Scheduled Release domains, it will take one to three days from August 1 to reach all users. If you do not know which you are, Scheduled Release is the default setting for domains.
