Chatting with Slack users through federated chat

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If your organization uses federated chat, you can chat one-on-one with Slack users right from your Microsoft Teams chat list. Each Slack contact gets their own Teams chat, so you message them the same way you message anyone else in Teams.

Before you begin

Finding the Connect2Teams Chat

Once Chat is enabled for you, a chat named Connect2Teams Chat appears in your Teams chat list. This is where you send commands, such as inviting a Slack contact.

Note: The External label and the banner at the top of the chat are expected. Connect2Teams Chat is an account from an external organization that relays your messages to Slack.

Inviting a Slack contact

  1. Open the Connect2Teams Chat chat.

  2. Send the following command, replacing the placeholder with your contact's TeamsLink ID: invite <TeamsLink ID>

Result: A new group chat appears in your chat list immediately, named <Your name> - <TeamsLink ID>. Use this chat to message your Slack contact. Your messages are delivered to them in Slack, and their replies appear here. You can send rich text in your messages.

The group chat includes the following participants:

  • You

  • Connect2Teams Chat, which represents your Slack contact

  • Connect2Teams Chat App, listed under Agents, which relays messages between Teams and Slack

Important: Do not remove Connect2Teams Chat from the chat. If it is deleted by accident, ask your Enterprise Admin to select Disable Chat and then Enable Chat for you on the Users page to restore it.

Sharing files

You can share a file with your Slack contact by copying and pasting it directly into the message. Inline (copy-paste) file sharing is supported; the attach-file (paperclip) icon is not available in federated chat.

Receiving an invitation from a Slack contact

Slack users can also start a conversation with you. They send /teamslink invite <your Teams email address> from the TeamsLink app in Slack. The group chat is created for you automatically.

Important: You can only reply in the group chat if Chat is enabled for you. If you cannot send messages, ask your Enterprise Admin to select Enable Chat for you on the Users page.