How to get voice communication (party chat) between Xbox and PC

Gradually, the panel world is opening upwards to crossplay, with gamers from different platforms joining together to go hunting in games similar Minecraft Dungeons, State of Decay ii, Sea of Thieves, and many more.

This shiny new globe of crossplay, however, has presented new challenges. Back in the day if everyone was on Xbox, jumping onto political party conversation for voice comms was a relatively straightforward affair. These days, people are using Discord for voice comms about frequently in the gaming customs, but Xbox doesn't yet have a native official app for Discord on its platform. Certain, i of you could just spring onto Discord via your phone, just that might interfere with your power to, y'know, hear your game if information technology isn't coming through the same output. Thankfully, at that place is an easier manner to go about it, at to the lowest degree if 1 of you is playing on Windows 10 or Windows eleven. And don't worry, you don't need Xbox Game Laissez passer or Xbox Live Gold or anything like that.

How to cross-platform voice chat between Xbox and PC

If one of y'all is on Xbox, and one of you is on a Windows ten or xi PC, y'all tin can join the same Xbox Live party relatively easily, although if the person on Windows PC hasn't all the same signed up for Xbox Live, they'll accept to go and catch a free account over here first.

Add together a friend on an Xbox One, or Xbox Series Ten|South console

The first step is to add each other every bit a friend on Xbox Alive. If you know how to do this, you can skip to the next section.

On Xbox, navigate to the guide by hitting the nexus (Xbox) button on your controller.

Source: Windows Key
Navigate to the People section, and select Observe someone using the A button on your controller.

Source: Windows Fundamental
Search for your friend'due south Gamertag; they will have created it while signing up for an Xbox Live account.
In one case they popular up from the search, select Add friend.

At present, the PC friend should go a notification on Windows 10 or Windows 11 that they were added. Adjacent, the PC user can add together an Xbox Live friend in a couple of means. Y'all can either use the Windows x/11 congenital-in Xbox app, or the Xbox Game Bar found on Windows cardinal + Grand. The quickest way is to just utilise the Xbox Game Bar, and here's how that works.

Add together an Xbox Live friend on a Windows 10/xi PC

Press Windows primal + Thousand to open the Xbox Game Bar.
On the right should be the "Xbox Social" panel. Blazon your friend's Gamertag into the search box "Find Friends."

Source: Windows Central
Correct-click on their name, and select Add friend.

Invite your friend to an Xbox party

Next step is to start a voice comms call, otherwise known equally an Xbox Live party. Only one of you needs to get-go the party, then invite the other friends to join. The person who creates the party is the party owner and can configure access rights for the group.

Start an Xbox Live party on Xbox One or Xbox Series X|South

Open the Xbox guide again using the Xbox button on your controller.
Navigate to People and select Friends online.
Find the friend yous desire to invite, and select their profile.

Source: Windows Key
Select Invite to party.

Start an Xbox Live party on Windows ten/11 PC

Open the Xbox Game Bar by pressing Windows key + 1000.
Notice your friend in the correct-paw social console.

Source: Windows Cardinal
Right-click on them and select party then invite to party.

Configuring audio on PC

Sound is pretty simple on Xbox, and the console volition detect what mic you want to use automatically (typically since you lot only have one connected), but if you're using a PC or specially a laptop, Windows won't ever detect the device you want to use straight off the bat. So as an addendum, here'southward where you control audio settings easily for an Xbox party.

Press Windows key + G to open the Xbox Game Bar.
On the left panel, past default, is the Sound panel.
Click on the vocalization tab as shown beneath. Hither, you lot tin can select where your game audio outputs, your voice comms output, and your microphone inputs.

Source: Windows Central

Party on, dudes

If any of these instructions are unclear, hit the comments and I'll effort to answer your questions and result some updates to this article. Naturally this won't aid if your friends are gaming on a PlayStation or Nintendo Switch, sadly, but betwixt Xbox and mod Windows platforms, it'southward a pretty handy tool. Sometimes I use it to chat with people who are gaming while I'grand at piece of work too, like right at present, as I write this commodity. How meta.