Microsoft Teams Tips and Tricks: Use MS Teams Like a Pro
Cody Krissberg
Business Owner at Sirius Office Solutions | Phoenix Managed IT Services
Microsoft Teams is a powerful collaboration platform that offers a wide range of features designed to help teams work together more efficiently and productively. Teams has everything from chat and video meetings to file sharing and project management. This article will explore some of the top Microsoft Teams tips and tricks to help you get the most out of this great app.
Use Keyboard Shortcuts
One great Microsoft Teams app feature is keyboard shortcuts. Keyboard shortcuts can help you navigate Microsoft Teams much more efficiently. Let’s review a list of all the different Microsoft Teams shortcuts to use to improve efficiency. You can also see a list of all commands within teams by pressing Ctrl and . (period) to open the commands list.
General Keyboard Shortcuts
The following keyboard shortcuts are general and work across all Teams channels and chats:
Chat Keyboard Shortcuts
The following keyboard shortcuts are specific to Teams chats:
Channel Keyboard Shortcuts
The following keyboard shortcuts are specific to Teams channels:
Meeting Keyboard Shortcuts
The following keyboard shortcuts are specific to Teams meetings:
Use @Mentions to Get Someone’s Attention
In Microsoft Teams, @ mentions are a quick and easy way to get someone’s attention in a chat or channel. When you use an @ mention, Teams sends a notification to the person you mentioned, alerting them to the fact that you’ve addressed them directly.
Type “@” in a Chat or Channel
To use an @ mention in a chat or channel, simply type “@” followed by the person’s name. As you type, Teams will provide suggestions for people you may want to mention, based on the people you’ve worked with most recently or that are in the same team as you. You can also search for other team members by typing their name in the search bar that appears when you start typing the @ symbol.
Choose the Person You Want to Mention
Once you’ve typed the @ symbol and the person’s name, select the team member you want to mention from the list of suggestions. Teams will highlight their name in the chat or message threads, and they will receive a notification that they’ve been mentioned, as long as they have notifications turned on.
Customize Your Notifications
Teams allows you to customize your notifications so that you only receive notifications for the things that are important to you such as being mentioned in a chat or new messages in general.
Access Your Notification Settings
To begin customizing your notifications, you’ll first need to get to the notification settings in Microsoft Teams. Simply click on your profile picture in the top right corner of Teams and select “Settings.” From there, select “Notifications.”
Choose Your Notification Preferences
Once you’re in the Notifications settings, you can choose which types of notifications you want to receive. You can customize notifications for the following:
For each type of notification, you can choose to receive notifications for all activity, only when you’re mentioned or replied to, or to turn off notifications entirely.
Choose Your Notification Method
In addition to choosing which notifications you want to receive, you can also choose how you want to receive them. You can customize the following notification methods:
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Set Quiet Hours
Finally, you can set quiet hours to mute notifications during specific times of the day or week. This is especially useful if you don’t want to receive notifications outside of work hours. To set quiet hours, click on “Quiet hours” in the Notifications settings and select the times that you want to mute notifications.
Use The Search Bar for Quick Access
The command box in Teams allows you to quickly access a variety of features, including files, apps, and commands. Simply navigate to the Microsoft Teams search and then type in what you’re looking for. For example, you can type in “files” to access all your files, or hit the “/” button for a list of commands.
Simple Search Queries
The most basic search command in Teams is a simple keyword search. You can enter a keyword or phrase into the search at the top of the app, and Teams will show you all the messages, files, and other content that match your query. For example, if you search for “project update”, Teams will show you all the messages and files that contain those words.
Filter by Type
If you want to narrow down your search results to a specific type of content and filter messages, you can use the “Type” filter. To use this filter, type your search query into the search bar, and then click on the “Filter” button. From there, you can choose to filter your search results by type, such as messages, files, people, or teams.
Search by Author
If you know who sent a message or file that you are looking for, you can use the “From” filter to search for content from a specific person. To use this filter, type your search query into the search bar, and then click on the “Filter” button. From there, you can choose to filter your search results by author and select the person you want to search for.
Search by Date
If you are looking for content that was shared during a specific time period, you can use the “Date” filter to narrow down your search results. To use this filter, type your search query into the search bar, and then click on the “Filter” button. From there, you can choose to filter your search results by date and select the date range you want to search for.
Search for Mentions
If you want to see all the messages and notifications that mention your name or someone else’s name, you can use the “@” symbol followed by the person’s name in the search bar. For example, if you search for “@John”, Teams will show you all the messages and notifications that mention John.
Use Boolean Operators
If you want to create more complex search queries, you can use Boolean operators such as “AND,” “OR,” and “NOT” in your search query. For example, if you search for “project update AND budget”, Teams will show you all the messages and files that contain both “project update” and “budget.”
Collaborate on Files in Real-Time
Teams allows you to collaborate on files in real-time, which can help you save time and increase productivity. Simply upload a file to Teams and invite others to collaborate. Everyone can edit the file simultaneously, and changes are saved automatically.
Create a Team
In order to collaborate on files within Microsoft Teams, you first need to make sure you have a team created. A team is a collection of people, content, and tools that you work with in Teams. Within the teams there are team, communications and files associated with those teams that can be used with other team members. To create a new team or channel, click on the “Teams” icon on the left-hand side of the Teams interface and select “Join or create a team” at the bottom. After that you can go ahead and create a team to start collaborating!
Upload a File
Once you have created a team or channel, you can upload files to it. To upload a file, click on the channel where you want to upload the file and click on the “Files” button at the top next to the team name. Then, select “File” and choose the file you want to upload.
Collaborate on the File in Real Time
Once you have uploaded a file, you can collaborate on it in real time with your team. Anyone who has access to the file can make changes to it, and those changes will be instantly visible to everyone else who is working on the file. You can use the “Chat” feature in Teams to discuss changes and ideas as you work on the file.
Use Co-Authoring
Teams also has a co-authoring feature, which allows multiple people to work on a document at the same time. This feature is available for Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files. When you’re working on a co-authored file, you’ll be able to see who else is working on the file and where they’re making changes in real time. This feature is incredibly useful for teams that need to work together on complex documents or spreadsheets.
Microsoft Teams Tips and Tricks Conclusion
In conclusion, these are just a few of the many tips and tricks that can help you get the most out of Microsoft Teams. By customizing your settings, using keyboard shortcuts, and collaborating in real-time, you can work more efficiently and productively with your team. With Teams, the possibilities are endless.
If you are looking to get started with Microsoft Teams you can go to our?Microsoft 365?page here to purchase licensing and have a M365 account provisioned. If you already have teams or simply have some questions for us, feel free to reach out using our?contact form here.