This article is written for Google Workspace for Education Administrators.

Introduction

In this article, we’ll walk you through how to block Google Chat in your school or organization. As a Google Workspace for Education administrator, maintaining a focused and distraction-free digital environment is essential especially to support student productivity and classroom management. The Google Chat panel embedded in Gmail often becomes a source of off-task behavior among students. To address this, you can disable Google Chat for specific organizational units, restrict access across devices or completely remove the Chat interface from Gmail. Read on to explore three effective and practical methods to manage and control Google Chat access within your domain.

Three Methods to Disable Google Chat for Students

Method 1: Disable Google Chat Service from Admin Console

The most direct approach is to disable the Google Chat service entirely for students. When the service is turned off via the Google Admin Console, students won’t be able to access Google Chat, whether in Gmail or through the standalone Chat app. Here’s how you can do it:

  1. Sign into Google Admin Console.
  2. Navigate to Apps > Google Workspace > Google Chat > Service Status.
  3. Select the Students’ Organizational Unit (OU) from the list.
  4. Choose OFF for everyone to disable Chat for this group.
Disable Google Chat Service using Safe Doc

Google Chat Setting

Once this is done, students will no longer see or use any Google Chat features in Gmail, but the change will not affect other groups, such as staff OUs.

Method 2: URL Blocking for Google Chat

For schools managing Chromebooks, URL blocking is another effective method. Google provides a way to block access to Google Chat on Chrome browsers by blacklisting specific URLs. Here’s a quick guide:

  1. Sign into Google Admin Console.
  2. Go to Devices > Chrome > Settings > Users & Browsers.
  3. Select your Students' OU.
  4. Under URL blocking, enter https://chat.google.com
  5. Under URL Blacklist Exceptions, add
    https://hangouts.google.com/hangouts/_/meet for allowing video calls via Google Meet.
  6. Click Save.

Note : This method works well on Chromebooks but has limitations. It only applies to school-managed Chromebooks and won’t block Google Chat on other devices.

Method 3: Remove Chat in Gmail with xFanatical Safe Doc Extension

If you prefer a more targeted approach, the xFanatical Safe Doc Chrome extension provides a way to hide Google Chat within Gmail. This method is useful if you still want students to access other Google services while eliminating the chat widget from their Gmail view.

xFanatical Safe Doc removes the Chat & Spaces sections from Gmail, leaving students with a clean interface, free from distractions. Here’s a brief overview of the changes:

xFanatical Safe Doc helps students stay focused by removing the Chat and Spaces sections from Gmail. With these distractions removed, students get a clean and simple Gmail interface. Here’s a quick look at what changes:

  • Chat and Spaces links are removed from Gmail.
  • The standalone Google Chat app remains accessible.

What is a xFanatical Safe Doc?

xFanatical Safe Doc is a comprehensive solution for maintaining a focused and secure online environment for Google Workspace admins and users. It provides robust tools to manage and restrict access to various online content, ensuring a safe and productive digital environment. xFanatical Safe Doc integrates seamlessly with Google Workspace, offering administrators the ability to customize content filtering policies according to their needs.

Video Demo

Block Google Chat in Gmail

Why block Google Chat in Gmail ?

Blocking Google Chat in Gmail helps maintain a focused learning environment. While Google Chat is a useful collaboration tool, it can be a source of distraction for students during school hours.

Let’s understand the scenario through a user story:

Problem

At a middle school, Gmail is used by teachers to assign work and stay in touch with students. During a study hall session, a teacher shares a critical research project via Gmail, expecting students to work quietly and independently.
However, the embedded Google Chat in Gmail becomes a major distraction. Instead of focusing on their assignments, students begin chatting with friends, exchanging memes and discussing weekend plans. The teacher struggles to keep students focused but the constant notifications from Chat continue to divert their attention.

Solution

To eliminate these distractions, the school’s IT administrator decides to disable Google Chat for students using the Google Admin console. Additionally, they deploy xFanatical Safe Doc, which removes the Chat and Spaces sections from Gmail entirely. This gives students a cleaner, distraction-free Gmail interface that’s focused solely on academic communication.

Result

After implementing these changes, students will not get distracted by non-academic conversations during class. The removing Google Chat from Gmail teachers regain control of the digital classroom and students are able to stay on track with their assignments. By blocking Google Chat in Gmail helps create a more structured and distraction-free digital environment for students.

Remove Google Chat option from Gmail with xFanatical Safe Doc

xFanatical Safe Doc extension allows schools to remove the Google Chat option from Gmail, helping to create a more focused digital environment for students.   

Remove Google Chat option from Gmail with xFanatical Safe Doc

Remove Google Chat option from Gmail using Safe Doc

How to block Google Chat in Gmail using xFanatical Safe Doc

Step 1: Install Safe Doc: 

The initial step is to install Safe Doc in your Google Workspace environment. Safe Doc is a browser extension that seamlessly integrates with Google workspace, providing enhanced control and security features.

Step 2: Configure Safe Doc settings: 

Once Safe Doc is installed, you can configure its settings to block Google Chat in Gmail.

Step 3: Access Google Admin Console: 

Now, navigate to the Google Admin Console. In the Google Admin Console, click on Devices followed by Chrome. Then, select Apps & Extensions and click on Users & Browsers.

Step 4: Review the Policy: 

Find the policy that you wish to apply and enable it. The policy will show up in a specific format similar to the example provided below:

"BlockGmailChat": {

  "Value": true

}

Step 5: Save the Policy: 

After applying the policy, click the Save button to apply it.

How to configure Safe Doc?

First of all, ensure the deployment of Safe Doc on your students' Chrome browsers, and review the xFanatical Safe Doc Configuration document.

Conclusion

In conclusion, disabling the Google Chat for students from Gmail helps minimizing distractions and keeping students focused on the lesson. By using xFanatical Safe Doc, administrators can impose restrictions to find the right balance between control and accessibility, ensuring that the learning environment effectively meets both instructional goals and students' needs.

To learn more about how xFanatical Safe Doc can help enhance online safety in your educational institution, visit our website  xFanatical Safe Doc.

If you haven’t installed Safe Doc yet, please get a 30 days trial to explore more features.

"BlockGmailChat": {
  "Value": true
}

To restore the Chat feature, remove this policy or set it to false.