# Visitor chat pane

Display the visitor conversation in a separate frame that can open, minimise and adapt to the space available on your website.

*Release 3.3 · developer, visitor*

**Settings › Chat › Themes** · **Settings › Chat › Chat Pane**

## What it is

The chat pane contains the visitor's conversation, message box and available menu actions. INSIDE loads it in a separate frame within your website, with its own styling. Visitors can open or minimise it and use the controls your theme provides.

## Who uses it and why

Visitors use the pane while browsing your website. Developers integrate the entry points and check that the pane fits alongside website navigation, banners and other page controls.

## Where to find it

Visitors open the pane from your chat entry point. Configuration is in **Settings › Chat › Themes**, under **Chat Pane**, for someone with the **Settings** role. Older setups use **Settings › Chat › Chat Pane**.

## How it works

INSIDE prepares the frame, styles and images before revealing the interface. The pane then displays chat, intake forms, offline help or other content appropriate to the visitor's state.

Visitors can minimise the pane and reopen it from the available entry point. Desktop layouts support resizing from the pane corners. If **Draggable Chat Pane** is enabled, visitors can also move it. Resizing and repositioning account for the browser boundaries.

INSIDE remembers open and closed state in browser storage. Restoration also considers the device, availability and active conversation, so an open pane is not restored identically in every situation.

## Configure it

In a theme, use **Chat Pane › Settings** for position, dynamic height and dragging. Use **Chat Pane › Styling** for dimensions and offsets, and **Icons** for header actions.

Developers should use the visitor integration for website-owned controls. Treat removal of the chat interface as a separate integration operation. Minimising the pane is a visitor display action, not a request to remove the integration.

### Settings

| Setting | Where | Applies to | Default | Who can change it | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chat Pane Position | Settings › Chat › Themes › Chat Pane › Settings | website | Right, vertically centred | Settings role | Choose where the pane opens. |
| Fixed Width | Settings › Chat › Themes › Chat Pane › Styling | website | 400 pixels when not set | Settings role | Set the desktop pane width; the editor accepts a minimum of 330 pixels. |
| Fixed Height | Settings › Chat › Themes › Chat Pane › Styling | website | 550 pixels when not set; 1200 pixels for a transparent avatar pane | Settings role | Set the desktop pane height in Chat Pane styling; the editor accepts a minimum of 420 pixels. |
| Dynamic Height | Settings › Chat › Themes › Chat Pane › Settings | website | Off | Settings role | Adjust pane height to its content within the configured limits. |
| Side Offset | Settings › Chat › Themes › Chat Pane › Styling | website | 0 pixels when not set | Settings role | Set the desktop distance from the left or right browser edge. |
| Vertical Offset | Settings › Chat › Themes › Chat Pane › Styling | website | 0 pixels when not set | Settings role | Set the desktop distance from the top or bottom browser edge. |
| Draggable Chat Pane | Settings › Chat › Themes › Chat Pane › Settings | website | Off | Settings role | Allow visitors to move the desktop pane. |
| Expand | Settings › Chat › Themes › Icons | website | Off | Settings role | Show the expand control in the pane header. |
| Close | Settings › Chat › Themes › Icons | website | Off | Settings role | Show the header close control. |
| Use Close Icon for Minimize | Settings › Chat › Themes › Icons | website | Off | Settings role | Use a close-style icon for the minimise action when the separate close control is disabled. |

### Permissions

| Permission | Lets you |
|---|---|
| Settings | Configure pane layout and header controls in Themes or the legacy Chat Pane screen. |

## Limits and good to know

- Minimising the pane does not by itself end the conversation. Ending chat is a separate action.
- Desktop width, height and offset settings do not describe the full-screen mobile layout.
- Slow images or other chat assets can delay the first visible pane.
- Browser storage restrictions can affect remembered display state.
- The separate frame helps keep chat styling apart from website styling; it is not a promise of a security boundary between chat and your page.

## Depends on and works with

### This feature uses

- **Configured in** [Visitor chat themes and branding](VX-003.md): Themes supply the pane layout and controls.
- **Works better with** [Chat tabs for visitors](VX-001.md): A chat tab gives visitors a way to open and return to the pane.
- **Works better with** [Mobile chat](VX-004.md): Mobile layout changes pane size and host-page scrolling.
- **Works better with** [Chat accessibility and keyboard navigation](VX-005.md): Keyboard controls manage pane and menu focus.
- **Works better with** [Visitor chat status and waiting](VX-007.md): The pane displays conversation and connection states.
- **Related** [Legacy chat pane settings](VX-032.md): Legacy panes use separate appearance and layout settings.

### Used by

- **Required by** [Chat tabs for visitors](VX-001.md): The tab opens or returns to the visitor chat pane.
- **Required by** [Mobile chat](VX-004.md): Mobile layout adapts the visitor chat pane.
- **Required by** [Chat accessibility and keyboard navigation](VX-005.md): The visitor pane contains the keyboard-controlled interface.
- **Required by** [Visitor messages and sending feedback](VX-006.md): The visitor pane contains the message box and send control.
- **Required by** [Visitor chat status and waiting](VX-007.md): The pane presents status messages and next actions.
- **Required by** [Pre-chat survey for visitors](VX-008.md): The pre-chat survey is displayed within the visitor chat pane.
- **Required by** [Department selection before chat](VX-009.md): The visitor chat pane displays the department choices.
- **Required by** [Custom fields in visitor forms](VX-010.md): The visitor chat pane displays pre-chat, offline and task form controls.
- **Required by** [Offline help for visitors](VX-011.md): The visitor pane displays the offline experience.
- **Required by** [Visitor tracking consent and communication opt-ins](VX-012.md): The visitor chat pane displays the privacy prompt and pre-chat opt-in controls.
- **Required by** [Chat tasks and topics for visitors](VX-017.md): The visitor chat pane displays guided task steps and related topics.
- **Required by** [Rich content in visitor chat](VX-018.md): The visitor chat pane renders the rich messages or their text alternatives.
- **Required by** [File attachments for visitors](VX-021.md): The visitor chat pane contains the attachment controls and upload progress.
- **Required by** [Email and print transcripts for visitors](VX-022.md): Visitors request email and print transcripts through the chat pane's controls.
- **Required by** [Appointment booking for visitors](VX-023.md): The visitor chat pane opens the appointment intake and booking experience.
- **Required by** [Video Feed for visitors](VX-025.md): The visitor chat pane hosts video browsing and the return-to-chat controls.
- **Required by** [Chat avatars and visitor reactions](VX-027.md): The visitor avatar experience uses the chat pane for its conversation and controls.
- **Required by** [Legacy chat pane settings](VX-032.md): Older panes use the shared visitor chat embedding and loading experience.
- **Required by** [Previous chat history for visitors](VX-033.md): The visitor chat pane displays current messages and permitted earlier chats.
- **Required by** [Add to cart from product cards](COM-016.md): The embedded chat communicates with the current storefront page.
- **Related** [Website domain checks for browser requests](SEC-024.md): Test the embedded visitor chat pane after changing approved website domains.

## FAQ and troubleshooting

### Why does chat reopen after changing pages?

INSIDE can restore an open pane or provide a return path for an active conversation. Check the theme's active-chat tab options as well as pane settings.

### Why is the pane larger on a phone?

Mobile chat uses the available viewport rather than simply copying desktop dimensions.

### Why can I not drag the pane?

Dragging depends on **Draggable Chat Pane** and the device layout. Check the desktop theme configuration.

### Does closing the visible pane end chat?

Minimising does not. Use the conversation's end-chat action when you want to end it; the header icon's appearance alone does not identify its configured action.