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Getting started with Zulip

Welcome to Zulip! This page guides you through getting started using Zulip. If you are setting up a new organization, you may also want to check out our guide for moving to Zulip.

You can learn where to find everything you need to get started with this 2-minute video tour. Mastering Zulip can take a bit of time, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll never want to use a different team chat app!

Zulip is designed around conversations that are labeled with topics, to make communication organized and efficient. It’s easy to get an overview of what conversations are happening, and to read one conversation at a time.

Here is what topics look like in Zulip.

Channels and topics

Topics are one of the most wonderful aspects of using Zulip:

  • Lots of conversations can happen in the same channel at the same time, each in its own topic. You never have to worry about interrupting — each conversation has its own space.
  • Conversations can last many hours or days, letting everyone respond in their own time. Don’t worry about replying long after a message is sent — everyone will see your reply in context.

Learn more about how Zulip’s topic model helps transform how your organization communicates.

In Zulip, a conversation is a direct message thread (one-on-one or with a group), or a topic in a channel.

It generally works best to read your messages organized by conversation.

Finding a conversation to read from the Inbox view

Section titled “Finding a conversation to read from the Inbox view”

Inbox provides an overview of your conversations with unread messages. Conversations are shown in the same order as in the left sidebar in the web app, and you can collapse any channels you are not currently interested in.

  1. Click on Inbox (or if the views section is collapsed) in the left sidebar, or use the Shift + I keyboard shortcut.
  2. Click on a conversation you’re interested in to view it. You can return to your inbox when done (e.g., by using the back button in your browser or desktop app) to select the next conversation.

Finding a conversation to read from Recent conversations

Section titled “Finding a conversation to read from Recent conversations”

Use the recent conversations view to get an overview of all the ongoing conversations. This view is particularly useful for catching up on messages sent while you were away.

  1. Click on Recent conversations (or if the views section is collapsed) in the left sidebar, or use the T keyboard shortcut.
  2. The filters at the top help you quickly find relevant conversations. For example, select Participated to filter to the conversations you have sent messages to.
  3. Click on a topic or DM conversation you’re interested in to view it. You can return to recent conversations when done (e.g., by using the back button in your browser or desktop app) to select the next conversation.

Finding a conversation to read from the left sidebar

Section titled “Finding a conversation to read from the left sidebar”

In the web app, the left sidebar provides quick access to your direct messages, and the channels you are subscribed to.

  1. Click on direct messages or the name of a channel in the left sidebar. You will see a list of the most recent unread conversations that you have not muted.
  2. Click on the conversation you are interested in.
  1. Find a conversation to read.
  2. Read the conversation, scrolling down with the mouse or by pressing PgDn.
  3. If the conversation is not of interest, you can mark all messages as read by jumping to the bottom with the Scroll to bottom () button or the End shortcut.

To get the full benefits of Zulip’s topic model, when starting a new conversation, you should start a new topic!

Starting a topic is like a lighter weight version of giving your email a subject. Topic names should be brief but specific, for example:

  • Good topic names: “question about topics”, “welcome Anna Smith!”, “issue #1234”
  • Not so good topic names: “question”, “hi”, “help”, “this topic is about a question I have about topics”

Don’t stress about making it perfect! The first 2-3 words that come to mind are probably fine, and you can always change it later.

With time, there will be lots of topics in your organization, which is just how it’s supposed to be. Zulip’s UI is designed to make it easy to see what’s new (in your inbox, recent conversations, and the left sidebar), while still helping you find prior discussions.

  1. Click the new topic ( ) button next to the name of the channel where you’d like to start a conversation.
  2. Enter a topic name. Think about finishing the sentence: “Hey, can we chat about… ?”
  3. Click on the compose box, or press Tab to compose your message. You can preview your message before sending.
  4. Click the Send ( ) button, or use a keyboard shortcut to send your message.
  1. Click the new direct message ( ) button next to the direct messages heading in the left sidebar, or the New direct message button at the bottom of the app.
  2. Start typing the name of the person or group you want to message, and select their name from the list of suggestions. You can continue adding as many message recipients as you like.
  3. Click on the compose box, or press Tab to compose your message. You can preview your message before sending.
  4. Click the Send ( ) button, or use a keyboard shortcut to send your message.
  1. Click the Message… button at the bottom of the app.
  2. Compose your message. You can preview your message before sending.
  3. Click the Send ( ) button, or use a keyboard shortcut to send your message.