Microsoft Teams keyboard shortcuts for Teams management

Want to streamline your Microsoft Teams management and improve productivity? Transform your workflow with these game-changing Microsoft Teams keyboard shortcuts and automation tips. Grab your keyboard, and let’s get started!

Every day, your team members execute almost countless tasks in Microsoft Teams, from shooting off quick chat messages to finding a file. Teams also regularly adds and updates shortcuts so users can uplevel their efficiency. As an IT admin, how can you ensure these shortcuts provide a user-friendly experience?

Staying informed about evolving Teams’ best practices can help you empower your team to become power users that capitalize on all of the platform’s possibilities—while making platform management easier for you.

Keep reading to learn your options for keyboard shortcuts in Teams regarding communication, productivity, security management, and team management.

Keep calm and /command using these common keyboard shortcuts in Teams

Slash commands are a keyboard shortcut (a hotkey) that helps users perform mundane actions without navigating through extensive menus. A hotkey lets users access a program’s function quickly or initiate a preprogrammed task. With this system, you can expect a predictable outcome every time you execute the same hotkey.

You can complete the task swiftly by typing slash (/) and then the command into the search bar. In response, Teams will instantly recognize it as a command and then will execute the corresponding action. You can use this method to perform various tasks, whether you want to: start audio or video calls, accept audio calls, enable screen share, start a new chat, and much more.

Shortcuts for meetings, new conversations, video calls, or audio calls

Say goodbye to stressing out over your meeting details! When someone sends you a meeting request or it’s time to start a new conversation with a colleague, these helpful shortcuts can simplify your Teams meeting experience:

• /chat: Send a new chat to a team member.
• /call: Contact someone via audio or video call.
• /meet: Schedule a new meeting with team members or colleagues.
• /mute: Mutes a specific teammate in a meeting or call.
• /unmute: Unmute a specific team member in a meeting or call.

Shortcuts for channels or messages in Teams

We’ve got your back with some Microsoft Teams hidden gems that will revolutionize your communication and collaboration at work:

• /mention: Mention a specific team member or channel in a message.
• /goto: Quickly jump to a specific channel or team.
• /files: Open the Files tab for a specific team or channel.
• /mentionall: Mention all team members in a channel or message.

Quickly search posts and messages

No one wants to scroll through many messages to find what they need. Below, discover a few ways to help you manage your time with the Microsoft Teams app:

• /mentions: Search a message from those that mention you with “@”.
• /unread: Pull up unread items from your feed.
• /saved: View your saved items, including posts from channels and private chats.

Speedy status change

There’s no need to rummage through your profile settings to change your availability status! Instead, set your status with commands like use /away, /available, /busy, or /dnd (do not disturb.) 

Teams shortcuts for productivity

Don’t you hate how tedious it can be to open files or other vital resources on the app manually? Here are some tips to help you quickly check off tasks on your to-do list:

• /task: Create, assign, and manage tasks within a team or channel.
• /join: View a list of public channels within your team and jump to the one you want to join.
• /files + file name: Open a specific file from Teams or OneDrive.

Shortcuts to manage Teams users, roles, and settings

IT administrators have enough on their plate, so these timesavers will help you streamline user management:

• /who: Open a chat conversation with the Who chatbot, which pulls up information on someone, like who they report to or their posts and channels.
• /activity: Show a team member’s recent public activities.
• /org: Reveal someone’s organization and position.

Shortcuts for staying updated on Teams

Don’t let helpful information slip through the cracks! Microsoft is constantly fine-tuning its features. Here’s how you can efficiently access the latest best practices and insider tips:

• /whatsnew: View the latest Teams updates and changes.

Where to find Microsoft Teams’ keyboard shortcuts

It’s easy to view your existing Microsoft Teams shortcuts. The methods below apply to both the desktop and web app.

• Select the “…” (Settings and more) button in the upper-right corner of Microsoft Teams, and then select Keyboard shortcuts.

• From there, you will find the shortcuts you can use to execute specific commands.

Tips for customizing your shortcuts for better Microsoft Teams management

Whether you want to personalize how you conduct a video call, open a new chat, toggle background blur, or access your device’s camera, customizing your shortcuts can boost your efficiency.

Here are our tips for optimizing your personalized workflow:

• Avoid using the same hotkey and choose unique key combinations you don’t already use on other platforms and web apps.
• Consider which actions and commands you use most frequently in Teams. Then, assign shortcuts to those actions for maximum efficiency!
• Test out your new shortcuts to ensure they work as expected and feel comfortable when using them daily. For example, you don’t want to create a shortcut to open calls, leading to more barriers and complications.

Why we love keyboard shortcuts for Microsoft Teams

Every second counts, so you need a workflow that empowers effective communication and collaboration. Every video call, audio call, and screen share impacts your time. Simplifying them helps keep you focused on critical tasks!

Here are a few reasons why we love keyboard shortcuts. You can:

• Save time by eliminating the need to navigate menus with a mouse.
• Increase your efficiency with the ability to perform actions quickly and easily.
• Reduce strain on your hands and wrists by minimizing repetitive mouse movements.

Best practices that we live by for using Microsoft Teams keyboard shortcuts

Following best practices needs to be your top priority to use Teams productively. You’ll also save resources when you avoid disrupting your operations. No one wants to try to toggle video only to perform an unexpected action that causes further problems—creating a mess when you just wanted convenience.

Some tips for memorizing shortcuts

With so many time-saving options, it can be overwhelming to keep track. You’ll always have the same hotkeys ready to go with the right strategies!

• Practice regularly: The more you use keyboard shortcuts, they’ll be easier to remember.
• Group shortcuts by function: You can more easily remember your shortcuts when you organize them based on a related purpose, like messaging or meetings.
• Create a cheat sheet: Write down the same hotkeys you use most frequently and keep the list nearby for reference. (Or bookmark this post, and share it with your team!)

Expand your knowledge further with this guide on how to use Microsoft Teams channels (including best practices).

When to use keyboard shortcuts versus mouse navigation

You might wonder, “When should I use keyboard shortcuts, and when should I rely on mouse navigation?” When you understand the strengths of each, you can prioritize which suits a specific task better.

• Use keyboard shortcuts for actions you perform frequently or quickly.
• Use mouse navigation for actions that are more complex or require more precision, such as selecting specific text or files.

Now that you’ve learned how to master keyboard shortcuts to use Teams more efficiently, you can use these time-saving tactics to navigate the app effortlessly. We’ve outlined our top picks for shortcuts to simplify your meetings, messages, productivity, user management, security management, and more. You can also use our tips for keyboard customization to transform your workflow to match how you want to work.