How to Use the Google Hangouts Chrome Extension

Last Updated: March 29, 2019 Tested

Hangouts can normally be used as one of the features of Google+. But if you don’t want to have to open your Google+ account to access Hangouts, there’s a dedicated browser extension that you can use with Chrome, and like most extensions, you must first install it before you can use it.

Part 1

Part 1 of 6:

Installing the Google+ Hangouts Chrome Extension

1
Go to the Chrome Web Store. Open Google Chrome on your computer and visit the Google Chrome Webstore at https://chrome.google.com/webstore.
2
Search for the Hangouts extension. Type in “Hangouts” on the search text field on the upper lefthand corner of the Web Store page and hit the “Enter” key on your keyboard to start searching. A list of search results will be displayed on the page.

Advertisement
3
Download the Hangouts extension. Scroll down to the “Extensions” part of the search results and click the “Free” button beside the Hangouts name. Confirm downloading by clicking the “Yes, I trust it” button on the Confirm New Extension popup.
- A small pop-up will appear on the bottom right-hand corner of your screen notifying you that the extension has been installed. A small Hangouts window will also appear on this same section of your screen. This is the Hangouts Chrome extension.
4
Open the extension.
5
Sign in. Click the “Sign In” button on the Hangouts extension and the Google Accounts login page will open on a new browser tab. Enter your account’s username and password on the fields provided, and click the “Sign In” button to log into your account.
- The Hangouts extension will display all your current conversation threads, just it does like in Google +.
- If you don’t have an account yet, you can get one by clicking the “Create Account” link and filling out the sign-up form with your personal details.

Part 2

Part 2 of 6:

Using the Google+ Hangouts Chrome Extension

1
Search for a contact. Type in the name of the contact you want to start a chat with on the search text field at the very top of the extension.
2
Select the contact. Select the name of the contact from the search result to open a new chat window right beside the Hangouts extension at the bottom of your screen.
3
Start chatting. Type the message you want to send on the text field and press the Enter key on your keyboard to send it.
- The message will appear on the chat window.
4
Close the Hangout/Chat window. To end Hangout session, just click close (x) button on the top right-hand corner of the Hangout/Chat window and it will close out.
5
Resume the chat window. To restart the conference again, select the thread you want to reopen from the list displayed on the extension and its Hangout chat window will appear again.

Part 3

Part 3 of 6:

Sending Pictures to Chats

1
Click the camera icon. This is on the righthand side of the message field; clicking it will open an explorer window.
2
Select a picture. Navigate to where the photo you want to share is located and select the photo you want to send
3
Send the picture. Click the “Select” button to send the picture to the chat window.

Part 4

Part 4 of 6:

Sending Stickers and Emoticons to Chats

1
Open the sticker tray. Click the smiley icon on the left-hand side of the message field to open the sticker tray.
2
Select a sticker. Click on the sticker you want to add to the message text field,
3
Send the sticker. Press the Enter key on your keyboard to send it.

Part 5

Part 5 of 6:

Adding People to Your Hangout

1
Open your contact list. Click the add contacts icon (profile of a person with a plus sign beside it) on the upper left-hand corner of the chat window to open your contact list.
2
Select contacts to add. Select from the list of contacts the people you want to add to the chat window.
3
Add your contacts. Click the “Add people” button to confirm adding selected contacts.

Part 6

Part 6 of 6:

Starting a Video Conference

1
Open the Video Conference window. Click the video camera icon on the upper lefthand corner of the chat window (right beside the add contacts icon) and the video conference window will appear.
2
Start the video call. Wait for the other members to answer to begin the video call.
- To exit the video call window, just click the close (x) button on the top righthand corner of the window and the conference will terminate.

Community Q&A

Question

How should I delete a message I just sent?

Community Answer

Although the other person will still be able to see it, click the three dots at the top of your conversation. Go to the bottom and click "Delete." This will wipe your conversation clean (on your end).
Question

How do I access the other person and set up the camera on my laptop when using Google Hangouts?

Community Answer

Your laptop should have a webcam option, it can be found in the computer's settings, you can buy a webcam at any electronics store.