Google Talk is  one such IM client that has a minimalist interface which focuses on the basic function of IM i.e. chatting. As compared to other IM clients like Yahoo Messenger, its interface is quite simple.

But here are 5 tweaks that’ll let you get maximum out of your Google Talk client and achieve some of the functions, you might not have thought it could perform.

1. Sign in to Multiple Accounts Simultaneously

What if you have two Google accounts which have altogether different contacts and you want to chat with two of your friends each from those different Google Accounts at the same time. Here is the solution to above problem, Multiple instances of Google Talk client.

To start another instance of Google Talk, go to run (Window+R) and type in

“C:\Program Files\Google\Google Talk\googletalk.exe” /nomutex

If you are on Windows Vista, you’ll have to enter

“C:\Users\[Username]\AppData\Roaming\Google\Google Talk\googletalk.exe” /nomutex

If you have installed Google Talk in a different location than default, then change the path to googletalk.exe accordingly. Remember to type the path in quotes on Run Dialog.

Press Enter after typing above command and a new instance of Google Talk will start which you can use to sign in to another Google Account.

2. Format the Text you Type

Though Google Talk doesn’t allow changing font and font-size of the text but it does support making text Bold and Italic.

• To type bold text, type your message between two asteriks like *your message*
• And for italic text, enclose your message between two underscores.

You can also change the font-size of the text you type by focusing your cursor on typing window and then holding down Ctrl and scrolling from your mouse to adjust the font-size. The change will only reflect on your typing window and won’t be applicable in reading pane.

And If you really can’t stand the boring text formatting of Google Talk, then you can try a Google Talk add-on GPlus which will allow you to change the font styles as you want and will also turn the smileys into nice graphics.

3. Desktop Shortcut to Direct Chat

If you chat with one of your friends frequently, then you can create a desktop shortcut to directly open the chat window to chat with your friend. Here’s how to do it:

1. Right click on Desktop and select New > Shortcut.
2. In the location field type in gtalk:chat?jid=yourfriend@gmail.com, Replace yourfriend with your friend’s Gmail ID.
3. Click Next and then on Finish.

You can also create a shortcut to directly call your friend, use gtalk:call?jid=yourfriend@gmail.com as the shortcut location.

4. Set Status to Always Idle

One of the features that Google Talk lacks is the ability to set status to invisible. Though this feature is available if you use Google chat within Gmail but it is not yet available to Google Talk users.

However, there’s another way out. Instead of being invisible, you can set your status to Always Idle using an add-on gAlwaysIdle.

5. Miscellaneous

• Drag n Drop to Send file : While chatting with your friend on Google Talk, you can just drag n drop the file onto the chat window to send it to your friend.
• Hide Message Notification : To hide a notification message from Google Talk, simply Right Click on it. Alternatively, you can set when to receive notification using Settings panel in Google Talk.
• Change The Theme : You might also wish to change how the chat window looks and displays messages, you can customize it using some inbuilt themes from Settings in Google Talk. If you want more cool themes, then you might want to check out this page.

Know some more Google Talk Tweaks? Let us know via comments.

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