How to use Microsoft Teams commands
Microsoft Teams has a lot of features and each feature has several components. It is a complex app and you sometimes have to dig around a bit to make a call in the right channel or find a particular file. It supports keyboard shortcuts which makes it much easier to use.
Microsoft Teams commands
Keyboard shortcuts make it easier to use any app but with an app as complex as Micorosft Teams, shortcuts aren’t enough. You need a quicker way to get to a feature or channel and for that, there are Microsoft Teams commands.
Use Microsoft Teams commands
Microsoft Teams commands are executed from the search bar at the top. You must know what command you want to use; each command is activated with a specific keyword.
- Open Microsoft Teams.
- Click inside the search bar at the top.
- Enter a forward slash:
/. - Enter the command you want to use e.g., away, and tap the space bar.
- Enter a qualifier (not applicable for all commands) and tap Enter.
Useful Microsoft Teams commands
Microsoft Teams has a long, long list of commands. Some are more useful than others. Here are some of the best ones you should learn.
/goto
This one command is more useful than half the keyboard shortcuts. It lets you jump straight to a particular channel.
Usage
/goto channel
When you enter the command, you’ll see a list of channels that you can switch to. Each channel is accompanied by the team it is in. If you have more than one team, it will make it easy to find and jump to the correct one.
/keys
Keyboard shortcuts may be hard to remember when there are a lot of them to remember. This command lets you take a quick look at which keyboard shortcuts Microsoft Teams supports.
Usage
/keys
This command is entered without any qualifiers. Enter it and tap Enter. You will see an overlay appear. Scroll through it.
/files
This command allows you to open a file that was shared. It will list recent files that have been shared and you can select the one you want to open.
Usage
/files
Tap Enter and select a file from the list.
/find
This command allows you to search for a particular word in a chat thread, a group chat thread, or a channel.
Usage
/find channel/group/user
Enter the command and enter the name of the user, group, or channel you want to search. Tap Enter and then follow it up with the word you want to search for.
/chat
This command allows you to quickly jump to or start a chat with a team member.
Usage
/chat TeamMember
Enter the command and then enter the name of the team member you want to chat with.
Conclusion
Microsoft Teams has a modest but useful list of commands. It’s a good idea to learn them all but the search bar does list them when you enter a forward slash, saving you most of the learning.
