New to Hipchat? 3 first steps to get started

If you’re a Hipchat newbie, welcome! We’re super content to have you aboard. Hipchat is easy to use and set up, so don’t worry about reading tons of boring instructions. Just do these three steps, and you’ll be smooth sailing.

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If you’re a Hipchat newbie, welcome! We’re super excited to have you aboard. Hipchat is easy to use and set up, so don’t worry about reading tons of boring instructions. Just follow these three how-to steps, and you’ll be smooth sailing.

Step 1: Create rooms

Rooms are the essence of group chat. They’re where teamwork happens and also how company culture is supported via affinity rooms.

We suggest you create rooms for teams, projects, and interests, so conversations stay focused on the topic. You can create an unlimited number of rooms with an unlimited number of teammates, for free.

To create a room:

• Click Create a room in your chat list.
• Pick a room name and topic and choose whether the room is open to everyone or private to only those invited.
• A box will pop up to invite your teammates. To find them, just type their names.

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At anytime, you can invite teammates to rooms in two ways:

1. Click the ellipses in the top right corner, then Invite users.
2. Just @mention people in the room and they’ll be swooped right in!

Now that you’re hanging with your crew, there are lots of room features to enjoy.

Some sweet things to do:

• File-Sharing: Easily drag-and-drop files into rooms, or use the + or paperclip button in your text box. There is no limit on file-sharing, and your files will be stored securely in Hipchat forever.
• Emoticons: Send fun emoticons like (awesome) by typing parenthesis then any letter, and you’ll see options populate. Or create your own emoticons!
• Shortcuts: Take advantage of time-saving features like keyboard shortcuts and slash commands.

More room features:

• Enable Guest Access: Room admins can enable guest access to allow people who are not a part of your Hipchat group into the room (think clients, contractors, and partners). Once enabled, you’ll get a specific invite URL to share with anyone. Guests will only be able to access that specific room.
• Archive or Delete Rooms: Room admins can archive or delete rooms anytime. Archived rooms can be unarchived whereas deleted rooms will be gone forever.
• Set Room Notifications: Set notification settings for each room you’re a part of. Just click the bell icon in the top right corner to change these settings.

Step 2: Integrate services and install bots

Now it’s time to take things up a notch. Hipchat offers integrations with other services. This means that you can connect Hipchat with other tools you use, like Jira, Zendesk, and Asana, so that alerts and notifications will be piped into your team chat rooms.

To install an integration:

• Click the ellipses in the top right corner, then Integrations.
• From the integrations page, you can install any integration you’d like!
• Or just visit the Atlassian Marketplace to check out all our integrations.

Note: you must be the owner of a room to add integrations into that room.

All work and no play is no fun. Go ahead, add some flair to your rooms.

Have some fun with these integrations:

• Hipchat Bots: Bots like Sassy and Standup Bot make chat more useful and fun. Trust us, you’ll love their skills.
• Rock-Paper-Scissors: The age-old way to settle a debate.
• HipSnake: A great new twist on a fabulous old, game.

Step 3: Download apps on all your devices

Make sure to download free Hipchat apps on all your devices. This way, no matter where you are, you’ll have access to your team. Respond to an urgent message from lunch or catch up on team projects from the airport.

With notification settings, you can decide exactly how active you want to be. Turn off all notifications to keep the peace and quiet, or turn them on for specific rooms to get all the details. Learn about your Hipchat settings.

Get your free Hipchat apps:

Now that you’ve done steps 1 through 3, you’re ready to get going on your own! No helmet necessary. Hipchat Basic is free for unlimited users forever so no matter who joins your team, they’re welcome aboard!

Need help?

Remember, we’re always here to help. Get technical support by emailing support@hipchat.com. Or look for the answer to your question in our Help Center.

Give us feedback!

To provide feedback in the desktop or web apps, click ? in the top right corner, then Provide feedback. Or tweet us on Twitter!

Did you find this post useful? Share it on your social network of choice so your fellow Hipchatters can get chatting, too!