Become a pro with these Microsoft Teams shortcuts
If you are using Microsoft Teams daily (and if you are not now, you will be soon!), then keyboard shortcuts are going to be a huge timesaver for you. Understanding how to use Microsoft Teams is a good start, but mastering shortcuts will help increase productivity as you navigate to your most used Teams features.
Workstream collaboration apps are accessible to 55% of knowledge workers, and by the end of 2022, 70% of teams will rely on workstream collaboration as the primary means of communicating, coordinating and sharing information between teams, displacing email. Your use of workstream collaboration apps seems to be inevitable, and it is never too early to master how to use Microsoft Teams and become a power user of keyboard shortcuts.
To start: What is Microsoft Teams?
Teams is a new breed of unified communications (UC) tools that are part of the emerging workstream collaboration category. It allows you to communicate with your fellow employees, partners, clients and others, regardless of location. It provides a common workspace to share information and has baked-in features, like document sharing, personal messaging, team and group chats, conferencing and even telephony.
What’s more, Microsoft Teams also comes fully integrated with other Office 365 productivity tools, such as Skype for Business, SharePoint, Exchange and Yammer, making it the productivity hub software for all your communication and collaboration needs.
Microsoft Teams shortcut categories
Teams shortcuts are broken up into several categories, including general, navigation, messaging, and meetings and calls. They allow you to move throughout Teams without reaching over for the mouse and progressing through a series of clicks to reach your destination or outcome. These shortcuts are also critical for users with mobility or vision disabilities, as shortcuts can be easier than using the touch screen. Below is an itemized list of how to use Microsoft Teams shortcuts for each category:
General
Microsoft Teams shortcuts for Windows
| To do this | In the desktop app, press | In the Web app, press |
|---|---|---|
| Show keyboard shortcuts | Ctrl+Period (.) | Ctrl+Period (.) |
| Go to Search | Ctrl+E | Ctrl+E |
| Show commands | Ctrl+Slash (/) | Ctrl+Slash (/) |
| Go to | Ctrl+G | Ctrl+Shift+G |
| Start a new chat | Ctrl+N | Alt+N |
| Open Settings | Ctrl+Comma (,) | Ctrl+Comma (,) |
| Open Help | F1 | Ctrl+F1 |
| Close | Esc | Esc |
| Zoom in | Ctrl+Equals sign (=) | No shortcut |
| Zoom out | Ctrl+Minus sign (-) | No shortcut |
Microsoft Teams shortcuts for Mac
| To do this | Mac | Web |
|---|---|---|
| Show keyboard shortcuts | Command+Period (.) | Command+Period (.) |
| Go to Search | Command+E | Command+E |
| Show commands | Command+Slash (/) | Command+Slash (/) |
| Go to | Command+G | Command+Shift+G |
| Start a new chat | Command+N | Option+N |
| Open Settings | Command+Comma (,) | Command+Shift+Comma (,) |
| Open Help | F1 | Command+F1 |
| Close | Esc | Esc |
| Zoom in | Command+Equals sign (=) | No shortcut |
| Zoom out | Command+Minus sign (-) | No shortcut |
| Return to default zoom | Command+0 | No shortcut |
Navigation
Microsoft Teams shortcuts for Windows
| To do this | In the Desktop app, press | In the Web app, press |
|---|---|---|
| Open Activity | Ctrl+1 | Ctrl+Shift+1 |
| Open Chat | Ctrl+2 | Ctrl+Shift+2 |
| Open Teams | Ctrl+3 | Ctrl+Shift+3 |
| Open Meetings | Ctrl+4 | Ctrl+Shift+4 |
| Open Calls | Ctrl+5 | Ctrl+Shift+5 |
| Open Files | Ctrl+6 | Ctrl+Shift+6 |
| Go to previous list item | Alt+Shift+Up arrow key | Alt+Up arrow key |
| Go to next list item | Alt+Shift+Down arrow key | Alt+Down arrow key |
| Move selected team up | Ctrl+Shift+Up arrow key | No shortcut |
| Move selected team down | Ctrl+Shift+Down arrow key | No shortcut |
| Go to previous section | Ctrl+Shift+F6 | Ctrl+Shift+F6 |
| Go to next section | Ctrl+F6 | Ctrl+F6 |
Microsoft Teams shortcuts for Mac
| To do this | Mac | Web |
|---|---|---|
| Open Activity | Command+1 | Command+Shift+1 |
| Open Chat | Command+2 | Command+Shift+2 |
| Open Teams | Command+3 | Command+Shift+3 |
| Open Meetings | Command+4 | Command+Shift+4 |
| Open Calls | Command+5 | Command+Shift+5 |
| Open Files | Command+6 | Command+Shift+6 |
| Go to previous list item | Option+Up arrow key | Option+Up arrow key |
| Go to next list item | Option+Down arrow key | Option+Down arrow key |
| Move selected team up | Command+Shift+Up arrow key | No shortcut |
| Move selected team down | Command+Shift+Down arrow key | No shortcut |
| Go to previous section | Command+Shift+F6 | Command+Shift+F6 |
| Go to next section | Command+F6 | Command+F6 |
Messaging
Microsoft Teams shortcuts for Windows
| To do this | In the Desktop app, press | In the Web app, press |
|---|---|---|
| Go to compose box | C | C |
| Expand compose box | Ctrl+Shift+X | Ctrl+Shift+X |
| Send (expanded compose box) | Ctrl+Enter | Ctrl+Enter |
| Attach file | Ctrl+O | Ctrl+Shift+O |
| Start new line | Shift+Enter | Shift+Enter |
| Reply to thread | R | R |
| Mark as important | Ctrl+Shift+I | Ctrl+Shift+I |
Microsoft Teams shortcuts for Mac
| To do this | Mac | Web |
|---|---|---|
| Go to compose box | C | C |
| Expand compose box | Command+Shift+X | Command+Shift+X |
| Send (expanded compose box) | Command+Enter | Command+Enter |
| Attach file | Command+O | Command+Shift+O |
| Start new line | Shift+Enter | Shift+Enter |
| Reply to thread | R | R |
Meetings and Calls
Microsoft Teams shortcuts for Windows
| To do this | In the Desktop app, press | In the Web app, press |
|---|---|---|
| Accept video call | Ctrl+Shift+A | Ctrl+Shift+A |
| Accept audio call | Ctrl+Shift+S | Ctrl+Shift+S |
| Decline call | Ctrl+Shift+D | Ctrl+Shift+D |
| Start audio call | Ctrl+Shift+C | Ctrl+Shift+C |
| Start video call | Ctrl+Shift+U | Ctrl+Shift+U |
| Toggle mute | Ctrl+Shift+M | Ctrl+Shift+M |
| Toggle video | Ctrl+Shift+O | No shortcut |
| Toggle full screen | Ctrl+Shift+F | Ctrl+Shift+F |
| Go to sharing toolbar | Ctrl+Shift+Space | Ctrl+Shift+Space |
Microsoft Teams shortcuts for Mac
| To do this | Mac | Web |
|---|---|---|
| Accept video call | Ctrl+Shift+A | Ctrl+Shift+A |
| Accept audio call | Ctrl+Shift+S | Ctrl+Shift+S |
| Decline call | Ctrl+Shift+D | Ctrl+Shift+D |
| Start audio call | Ctrl+Shift+C | Ctrl+Shift+C |
| Start video call | Ctrl+Shift+U | Ctrl+Shift+U |
| Toggle mute | Ctrl+Shift+M | Ctrl+Shift+M |
| Toggle video | Ctrl+Shift+O | No shortcut |
| Toggle full screen | Ctrl+Shift+F | Ctrl+Shift+F |
| Go to sharing toolbar | Ctrl+Shift+Space | Ctrl+Shift+Space |
While these shortcuts are great for desktops or web apps, there are no shortcut functions on mobile.
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