Microsoft Teams: Top 15 Tips & Tricks

Microsoft Teams: Top 15 Tips & Tricks

Microsoft Teams is an online communication and collaboration tool that is part of Microsoft Office 365. Accessible through various operating systems, including iOS, Android, Mac, and Windows, Teams combines features that support video conferencing, audio calls, chats, group messaging, and file storage.

With so many organizations turning to Microsoft Teams to facilitate their collaboration and communication needs, having an easier and faster way to access and use tools and features on the app has become crucial.

Check out our latest video to learn the top tricks and tips for Microsoft Teams:

Top Tricks and Tips for Microsoft Teams

Keyboard Shortcuts

Microsoft Teams on Windows and the web application using a PC keyboard supports keyboard shortcuts to make it easier for you to move to Teams’ main options.

To get access to a list of keyboard shortcuts supported by Teams, press Ctrl +Period(.). You can also access the list of shortcuts by keying in /keys on the search tab.

To learn more about Microsoft Teams keyboard shortcuts and how they vary between the web app and the Windows app, click here.

Navigation Shortcuts

These keyboard shortcuts help you navigate between teams, chat, calls, and search for information quickly. To navigate up and down the left navigation tab;

• Pressing Ctrl + 1 takes you to the activity feed
• Pressing Ctrl + 2 takes you to chats
• Pressing Ctrl + 3 takes you to Teams
• To get access to your Teams calendar, press Ctrl + 4
• To get access to calls, press Ctrl + 5
• To get access to your files, press Ctrl + 6

These shortcuts will vary depending on the order of the tabs.

Changing Your Status

Teams allows you to share your status with your colleagues to let them know when you are away, busy, or available. Since Teams is synced with your Outlook calendar, it will automatically set your status for you. You can also change or update your status from the command box. You can change your status to available, busy, be right back, do not disturb, away, or offline.

In addition to changing your status, you can also set a status message and set for how long it will display.

The Command Box

The command box in Teams that appears at the top of the screen helps you launch applications, search, and take quick actions.

• To search using the command box, type in what you are looking for on the search bar, select one of the suggestions presented, and press enter.
• To perform tasks using the command box, type in a / to see the list of commands, select the command you want, and press enter.

@Mentions

To get a colleague’s attention in a team conversation, a channel conversation, or a chat, @mention them. Type @ before their name and then select the person’s name from the menu that appears. To get the attention of a whole team or a specific channel, type @team or @channel.

Managing a Team

As the team owner, you can change your team name and picture, add new team members, remove members, make members team owners, and manage team settings.

Searching in Teams

You can search for persons, Teams, and channels from the command box or within chats. In addition to this, Teams has a filter option that can be accessed by going to the funnel or using the Ctrl + Shift + F shortcut.

Editing a Message

Teams allows you to edit the messages you’ve sent to a channel or chat. To edit your message, click on the message and select More options> Edit. Make changes to your message, then press Enter to save the update.

Creating Private Channels

If you’re looking to have more secluded conversations, create a private channel. To create a private channel, create a new channel, and set the privacy level to private.

Turning a File into a Tab

To change a file into a Microsoft Teams tab, open the location of the file, on the file name, click on the ellipsis (visible three horizontal dots) and from the list of options presented, select the  ‘make this a tab’ option.

Adding a Poll

Using Microsoft Forms in Teams allows you to create instant and real-time polls in seconds. You can share these polls in your Channels and Teams and quickly gather feedback. To create a poll in Teams:

• Open the chat or channel in which you want to include a poll. At the bottom of your Teams window, select Forms.
• Add your questions and answer options.
• Select Save and send the poll.

Switching to the Dark Mode

To switch to dark mode, go to your profile and select Settings. In the theme section, select the Dark theme.

Saving Messages

To save a message, look for the message, click on the ellipsis, and select save this message.

Pinning Important Conversations

Pinning a chat or conversation is a great way to keep track of it. To pin a chat or conversation, highlight the chat, then select More options and select Pin.

Formatting and Making Conversations Fun

Teams offers you a lot of formatting options. These options include; highlighting, italicizing, underlining, and making text bold. These options are present in the compose box.

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Do you have any questions regarding Teams?

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Consult with us today, or call us on (416) 256-9928 and let us help you integrate and customize Microsoft Teams solutions to fit your business’s needs.