How to Enable Hangouts

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: September 24, 2018

This wikiHow teaches you how to sign your account into Hangouts across all Google platforms, and enable message notifications, using a desktop internet browser.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:
Signing in to Hangouts in Gmail

1
Open Gmail in your internet browser. Type mail.google.com into the address bar, and press ↵ Enter or ⏎ Return on your keyboard.
- If you're not automatically logged in to your mailbox, click SIGN IN on the top-right, and sign in to your account.
2
Check if you have a blue Sign in button on the left menu. You can find this button below the mailbox menu on the left-hand side of your screen.
- If you see your name and profile picture here instead of this button, it means you're already logged in to Hangouts.
3
Click the blue Sign in button. This will automatically sign you into Hangouts across all Google platforms. You can now use Hangouts to chat with your contacts.

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:
Enabling Notifications in Hangouts

1
Open Hangouts in your internet browser. Type hangouts.google.com into the address bar, and press ↵ Enter or ⏎ Return.
2
Click the three-dots icon on the left sidebar. You can it below the
icon near the top-left corner. It will open a navigation menu on the left-hand side.
3
Click Settings on the menu. This will open your Hangouts settings and preferences.
4
Click and check the box next to "Sounds for incoming messages." When this option is checked, you'll receive a sound notification every time a contact sends you a new message.
5
Click and check the box next to "Ring on incoming phone calls." When this option is checked, you'll hear a ringtone notification on your computer whenever a contact is calling you for voice or video chat.