Personalize your Google Chat display settings

Change the appearance of Chat

Important: These appearance settings apply for chat.google.com and the Chat standalone app. These settings don’t apply to Chat in Gmail. Learn more about Chat in Gmail.

1. On your computer, open Google Chat.

2. At the top right, click Settings .

3. In the side panel, click Appearance .
4. Select an option:
   • Under “Color,” select the color palette you want.
   • Under “Mode,” select: System, Light, or Dark.
     • Tip: The “System” option is based on your OS or browser setting.
   • Under “Density,” select Comfortable or Compact. Learn more about density settings for Chat in Gmail.
     • Tip: Use Compact mode to find more information at a glance in Chat.

Comfortable (Default)	Compact
Sender and recipient message bubbles are on opposite sides. Narrower message bubbles. More space in the left bar, conversation list, and Home.	Sender and recipient message bubbles are on the same side. Wider message bubbles. Less space in the left bar, conversation list, and Home.

5. Click Close .

Tip: Appearance settings in Chat comply with accessibility guidelines. Learn more about Accessibility in Google Chat.

Adjust density settings for Chat in Gmail

When you adjust the density settings in Gmail, your changes apply to both Gmail and Chat in Gmail.

Important: These changes don’t apply to Chat when you access it through:

• chat.google.com
• Chat standalone app

To change the density settings:

1. On your computer, open Gmail.
2. At the top right, click Settings .
3. In the settings side panel, under “Density,” select:
   • Default
   • Comfortable
   • Compact

Tip: In Chat in Gmail, the “Default” and “Comfortable” options use the same Chat density layout.

Related resources

• Sign in & access Google Chat
• Install the Google Chat standalone app
• Create & organize sections in Google Chat