Have a Skype chat while you work in Office Online

Teamwork and document collaboration are easier than ever with Skype in Office Online.

When someone is editing with you in Office Online (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or OneNote), click the Chat, button to open the chat pane.

Type in the box at the bottom of the pane to kick off the conversation. Everyone who has signed in as an Office 365 subscriber will see your message and be able to respond.

Office Online on OneDrive

If you use Skype on your mobile device or web browser, you'll be able to participate in the chat, even when you're away from the document. The name of the chat is the name of the file.

Note: You might be editing with people who don't have an Office 365 subscription. If they have a Skype account they can participate in the chat on their device or a separate browser window. But they won't have a chat pane next to the document when they're in Office Online.

Click the Call or Video call icon to add a phone call or video conference to your chat.

If you're prompted to install a plugin, that takes only a few moments. You'll be able to make the call right away.

Note: Adding a phone call or video conference to your chat isn't available in Office Online or OneDrive for Business.