25 Useful Slash Commands in Microsoft Teams to Boost Your Productivity
Corey McCraw is a staff writer covering VoIP and Unified Communications. Corey has over a decade of experience in marketing, tech writing, and corporate communications and has even penned content for the former First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move initiative.
Marianne is a staff writer at Fit Small Business who covers business phone services, VoIP, and video conferencing tools.
This article is part of a larger series on Unified Communications.
Microsoft Teams offers unique slash commands designed to save users’ time when executing common tasks like finding posts quickly, changing status, and connecting with teams. These specific keys, such as /chat, /call, /saved, /calendar, /join, and /goto, enable you to maximize this platform’s features. However, note that this functionality is only accessible on its desktop and web apps—not on its mobile app. Continue reading below to learn the most useful Microsoft Teams commands available:
By typing slash (/) in the search bar, Microsoft Teams will show a menu of all the commands they currently support. (Source: Microsoft Teams)
1. Slash Commands When Connecting With Teammates
Since the main purpose of Microsoft Teams is to help teammates connect and socialize, it offers dedicated slash commands for chat and call functions.
Slash Command | Functions |
|---|---|
/chat* | Send a quick message to a team member |
/call | Initiate a voice or video call with a certain phone number or Teams contact |
*This feature is only available to 1:1 chat messaging and doesn’t apply to group chats.
2. Slash Commands to Find Posts Quickly
Although Microsoft Teams come with its own search bar, using the slash command helps you specify your search preferences for certain posts.
Slash Command | Functions |
|---|---|
/mentions* | Search posts only that tagged you as an individual and as a part of the team |
/unread | View all unread activities |
/saved | View saved items from channels and private chat |
*This command only works if you are actually tagged. It won’t find posts if someone wrote your name without tagging you.
3. Slash Commands When Changing Your Status
Microsoft Teams enables users to display the status of their availability to their teammates. There’s no need to set up their availability on their profile settings because changing your status is easy with the slash command.
Slash Command | Functions |
|---|---|
/available | Set status to available |
/away | Set status to away |
/busy | Set status to busy |
/brb | Set status to be right back |
/dnd* | Set status to do not disturb |
/online | Set status to online |
/offline | Set status to offline |
/out | Send an out-of-office message |
*You will still get messages when this is enabled, but you won’t get a pop-up notification.
4. Slash Commands to Boost Productivity
Microsoft Teams offers multiple collaboration features to enhance speed and efficiency. With slash commands, it’s easy to create files, jot down personal notes, and even test your call quality. Here are the most common command shortcuts to get things done quickly:
Slash Command | Functions |
|---|---|
/calendar | View and schedule meetings |
/join | Join a new channel; see the list of public channels |
/goto | Jump straight to a specific channel |
/files | Open a specific file uploaded on Teams or OneDrive |
/wiki* | Add a personal note on your wiki |
/keys | View all the available keyboard shortcuts Microsoft Teams supports |
/help | Ask a question about how to do a specific task in Teams; initiate a chat with Team’s help bot |
/whatsnew | View recent product announcements of Microsoft Teams |
/testcall | Check call quality |
*This only works for your personal wiki and doesn’t work on teams or channels.
5. Slash Commands to Get to Know Your Teammates
Microsoft Teams offers a group of slash commands dedicated to getting to know your teammates and what they do. These commands also provide insights into where they fit into the organizational chart and their recent activities in Teams.
Slash Command | Functions |
|---|---|
/who |
|
/org | Shows which organization a contact belongs to, including their position in the org chart, who they report to, their teammates, and who reports to them |
/activity | Shows a contact’s recent public activity on Teams |
How to Work Efficiently Using Slash Commands
As a unified communications solution, Microsoft Teams offers a host of slash commands for enhancing speed and productivity. Since there are plenty of existing shortcuts in this platform, it is recommended that users use the search bar and type in the forward slash “/” to see the available list of commands. Select the command you want, then press Enter, and Microsoft Teams will handle the rest.
Also, commands in Microsoft Teams shouldn’t be confused with keyboard shortcuts. Slash commands are for performing common tasks in Teams, while keyboard shortcuts are key combinations that focus on the overall navigation of the platform. For example, the slash command /chat is used to send a quick message to a teammate. On the other hand, the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Shift + Spacebar is used for viewing the sharing toolbar.
Slash commands are only available in the desktop and web app, which means it’s not supported in its mobile version. You may use these two options to access all the supported commands. Slash commands are available to all users of Microsoft Teams, but if a specific command isn’t working, one possible reason is that your company disabled the feature.
New to remote collaboration? Check out our tips for using unified communications and collaboration tools to help increase your team productivity and efficiency.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if there are new commands available in Microsoft Teams?
In the command box, type “/” to open the command list and see the list of available commands. Microsoft Teams is updating its command library frequently, so always check the menu for updates.
Do Microsoft Teams have custom slash commands?
No. Microsoft Teams offers app customization, but it doesn’t allow customization of slash commands.
Are Microsoft Team users required to remember all slash commands?
No. There’s no need to remember all the slash commands in Microsoft Teams. Microsoft Teams designed slash commands in a way that they’re easy to remember. If you forget these commands, type the forward slash “/” into the search bar, and a long list of all available slash commands will show up.
Bottom Line
Slash commands offer an efficient and productive way to get the most out of your Microsoft Teams experience. Whether you’re working remotely or onsite, Microsoft Teams provides commands to perform all of your tasks with extreme ease. As they work on future updates, we’re looking forward to more command shortcuts added to the list.
If you think Microsoft Teams doesn’t fit your collaboration needs, check out our guide on the best Microsoft Teams alternatives. We provided an in-depth discussion of the most suitable alternatives for businesses needing virtual collaboration tools but don’t prefer Microsoft 365 products.
