Microsoft Teams: 51 keyboard shortcuts for better navigation

Microsoft Teams is the collaborative platform from Microsoft.
In these exceptional times, when remote working is a priority, Teams is becoming an almost indispensable tool .

The application is integrated within the Office 365 suite, which will change its name to Microsoft 365 from April 21, 2020.
It enables live communication between colleagues and collaborators via a shared workspace.

What could be more effective than using keyboard shortcuts to make your daily use of this tool more efficient ?

That’s why we’ve come up with 51 shortcuts that can be used both on Windows for the desktop version of Microsoft Teams and for the web version of the application (variants in brackets or using the Ctrl key followed by “+”).

Tip for Apple pros: to reproduce these keyboard shortcuts on the Mac, simply replace Ctrl with the Apple key and press Option instead of Alt.

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General Microsoft Teams shortcuts

Get quick access to various general functions in Microsoft Teams, such as :

To access the search: Ctrl + E
Display commands: Ctrl + /
Open filter: Ctrl + Shift + F
Access: Ctrl + G (Ctrl + Shift + G in the web application)
Open the application flyout menu: Ctrl + `.
Start a new conversation: Ctrl + N (ALT left + N in the web application)
Open parameters: Ctrl +,
Open Help: F1
Close: Escape
Zoom in: Ctrl + = (or Ctrl followed by the + key in the desktop version, no shortcut in the web application)
Zoom out: Ctrl + – (no shortcut in the web application)
Restore zoom level: Ctrl + 0

Shortcuts for internal navigation in Microsoft Teams

Open the different sections of Microsoft Teams to optimize your navigation within the application with just two clicks:

Open the Activity section: Ctrl + 1 (Ctrl + Shift + 1 in the web application)
Open the Conversation section: Ctrl + 2 (Ctrl + Shift + 2 in the web application)
Open the Teams section : Ctrl + 3 (Ctrl + Shift + 3 in the web application)
Open the Calendar section: Ctrl + 4 (Ctrl + Shift + 4 in the web application)
Open the Calls section: Ctrl + 5 (Ctrl + Shift + 5 in the web application)
Open the Files section: Ctrl + 6 (Ctrl + Shift + 6 in the web application)
Move selected team up: Ctrl + Shift + ↑ (no shortcut in web application)
Move selected team down: Ctrl + Shift + ↓ (no shortcut in web application)
Return to the previous item in the list: Alt left + ↑
Move to the next item in the list: Alt left + ↓
Go to previous section : Ctrl + Shift + F6
Go to next section: Ctrl + F6

Microsoft Teams messaging shortcuts

When replying to messages received in your conversations on Microsoft Teams, you can use shortcuts that will save you time and efficiency:

Go to editing area: C
Expand the editing area: Ctrl + Shift + X
Send a message (when the editing area is expanded) : Ctrl + Enter
Line feed (when the editing area is not expanded) : Shift + Enter
Select a message already sent: Ctrl + Enter + ↑ or ↓
Add an emoji in reaction to a message already sent (it will appear above the corresponding message): Ctrl + Enter + Enter + ← or →
Attach a file: Ctrl + O (Ctrl + Shift + O in the web application)

Shortcuts for Microsoft Teams calls

If you are receiving or making an audio or video call, you can optimize your time by using the following list of keyboard shortcuts:

Accept video call : Ctrl + Shift + A
Accept audio call: Ctrl + Shift + S
Reject call: Ctrl + Shift + D
Launch an audio call: Ctrl + Shift + C
Start a video call : Ctrl + Shift + U
To activate or deactivate the microphone: Ctrl + Shift + M
Start a screen-sharing session: Ctrl + Shift + E
Activate or deactivate video : Ctrl + Shift + O (no shortcut in the web application)
Activate or deactivate full screen: Ctrl + Shift + F
Access the sharing toolbar: Ctrl + Shift + Space
Accept screen sharing: Ctrl + Shift + A
Decline screen sharing: Ctrl + Shift + D
Activate or deactivate background blur: Ctrl + Shift + P