Microsoft Teams now lets you customize shortcuts to save time and reduce repetitive tasks. The August 2025 update introduced features like tailored keyboard shortcuts, expanded slash commands, and improved navigation tools. These upgrades help users perform actions faster, whether it’s switching channels, muting during meetings, or searching for files.
Key updates include:
- Custom Hotkeys: Modify or create shortcuts to match your workflow.
- Slash Commands: Use commands like
/filesor/goto [team name]for quick access. - Improved Navigation: Jump between apps or teams with shortcuts like
Ctrl + 1toCtrl + 5. - New Features: Open windows, start recordings, or manage settings directly from shortcuts.
These tools work across Windows, macOS, and the web version, making daily tasks faster and easier. Pairing shortcuts with tools like nBold templates further automates team setup and ensures compliance with organizational policies. Start by focusing on shortcuts you use most often, and customize them to fit your habits for maximum efficiency.
Configurable Keyboard Shortcuts in Microsoft Teams – Evolve 365 Play of the Week 6/26/25
Microsoft Teams Shortcuts Explained
Microsoft Teams offers three main types of shortcuts designed to make your workday smoother and more efficient. Each type serves a distinct purpose, helping you save time by reducing the need to navigate through menus for routine tasks.
3 Types of Microsoft Teams Shortcuts
Keyboard shortcuts are the quickest way to get things done in Teams. These are specific key combinations like Ctrl + N to start a new chat or Ctrl + Shift + M to mute or unmute during calls. They work across both the desktop and web versions, though the exact keys may vary between Windows and Mac. Once you’ve memorized them, these shortcuts allow for lightning-fast actions.
Slash commands act like a built-in command-line tool. You type these commands directly in the search bar or message box to perform tasks quickly. For instance, /available updates your status, /goto [team name] takes you to a specific team, and /gif lets you insert animated images into messages. These commands keep you in the flow by letting you access features without breaking your focus.
Clickable icons provide a visual way to access shortcuts. These are buttons scattered throughout the Teams interface, such as the pop-out chat button or the instant meeting button. While they require a mouse, they offer one-click access, making them ideal for users who prefer visual navigation.
| Shortcut Type | Description | How It Boosts Workflow Efficiency |
|---|---|---|
| Keyboard Shortcuts | Key combinations (e.g., Ctrl+N, Command+Shift+M) to perform actions instantly. |
Speeds up common tasks like starting chats, muting calls, or navigating apps, cutting down on mouse clicks. |
| Slash Commands | Text commands typed in the search bar or message box (e.g., /available, /goto, /gif). |
Lets you update status, navigate Teams, or add details to messages without interrupting your workflow. |
| Clickable Icons | Graphical buttons in the Teams interface (e.g., pop-out chat, instant meeting). | Provides simple, one-click access to features, perfect for visual users. |
These three types of shortcuts work together to create a more streamlined Teams experience.
Why Custom Shortcuts Save Time
The real advantage of Teams shortcuts shines when you customize them to fit your own workflow. Instead of sticking to the default key combinations, you can adjust commands to match shortcuts you already use in other apps. This eliminates the need to mentally switch gears when moving between different tools during the day.
Custom shortcuts also reduce the mental effort required to remember how to perform tasks. By aligning Teams with your habits, you can rely on muscle memory to handle repetitive actions. This means you’ll spend less time figuring out how to do something and more time focusing on what you need to accomplish.
Think about how often you mute or unmute during meetings, switch between channels, or start new chats. While each action may only take a few seconds with a mouse, those seconds add up. Multiply that by dozens of interactions each day, and the time savings become significant. Teams shortcuts simplify these repetitive tasks, turning them into quick keystrokes or commands.
To get started, focus on the shortcuts you’ll use most often, like muting/unmuting, searching, or starting new conversations. You can also customize your Teams interface by rearranging the app bar, making your most-used sections easier to access. For example, you can use Ctrl + 1 to jump to the first app in your bar.
How to Set Up Custom Hotkeys in Microsoft Teams
Custom shortcuts can be a game-changer for saving time in Microsoft Teams. Here’s how you can set up your own hotkeys using the customization feature introduced in August 2025.
Opening the Shortcut Menu
You have two simple ways to access the keyboard shortcut customization menu:
- Press
Ctrl + Period (.)if you’re on Windows orCommand + Period (.)on a Mac. This is the quickest method to bring up the menu. - Alternatively, click the "Settings and more" (•••) button in the top-right corner of Teams, then select "Keyboard shortcuts" from the dropdown.
Once you open the menu, you’ll see a list of current shortcuts and options to modify them or pick from preset layouts.
Step-by-Step Hotkey Setup
To set up your hotkeys:
- In the menu, either select a preset layout or click on an existing shortcut to edit it. Enter your preferred key combination, making sure it doesn’t overlap with other shortcuts.
- If you use multiple apps, you can enable the "Use shortcuts from other apps" option to keep things consistent across platforms.
After setting up your shortcuts, test them right away. Some changes will take effect immediately, while others might need you to restart Teams or refresh your browser. Once you’re done, you can explore even more shortcuts to streamline your daily tasks further.
New Microsoft Teams Shortcuts for 2025
Microsoft Teams is stepping up its game in 2025 with updated shortcuts designed to make collaboration quicker and more efficient. These new features aim to reduce repetitive actions and simplify navigation, saving users time and effort.
Latest Shortcut Additions
The updated slash command library now allows users to open new windows, access settings, and start recordings directly from any chat or channel. Context-aware shortcuts have been introduced to make managing meetings and sharing files even smoother. Plus, the quick action bar has been enhanced, enabling users to assign custom shortcuts to their most-used features for faster access.
Faster Chat and Channel Navigation
Navigating between conversations and channels has never been easier. New shortcuts streamline movement, while a unified search tool combines contacts, files, and conversations into a single, easy-to-use interface. Additionally, an improved team switcher offers a more intuitive way to jump between teams, cutting down on unnecessary clicks and boosting productivity.
How Updates Reduce Daily Clicks
These enhancements are all about efficiency. Tasks like starting recordings, switching between chats, and sharing files now take fewer steps. By simplifying these actions, the new shortcuts let users spend more time collaborating and less time navigating the platform. It’s all about making work flow smoother and faster.
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Real Examples of Custom Shortcuts at Work
Microsoft Teams shortcuts can make your daily workflows smoother and faster. When you see them in action, it’s clear how these custom hotkeys can save time and reduce the hassle of navigating through menus.
Quick Tab Switching with Hotkeys
Switching between different sections in Teams becomes second nature once you get the hang of the core navigation shortcuts. For example:
- Ctrl + 1: Opens your Activity feed
- Ctrl + 2: Takes you straight to Chat
- Ctrl + 3: Jumps to Teams
- Ctrl + 4: Opens your Calendar
- Ctrl + 5: Brings up Calls
These shortcuts allow you to seamlessly move between tasks like checking your calendar and responding to chats without missing a beat.
Need to search for something quickly? Ctrl + E lets you perform a universal search from anywhere in Teams, making it easy to find files, people, or conversations without interrupting your workflow. If you want to start a new conversation, just press Ctrl + N, and a fresh chat window will pop up instantly.
Want to jump directly to a specific team? Use Ctrl + G to navigate there in no time. And for Mac users, simply swap out Ctrl for Cmd.
Fast Team Creation with nBold
Shortcuts don’t just speed up navigation – they can also simplify more complex tasks, like creating new teams. Pairing shortcuts with tools like nBold templates makes team creation almost effortless.
For example, you can use Ctrl + G to quickly move between existing teams, then leverage nBold’s Collaboration Template Builder to set up a new team in seconds. These templates come pre-configured with channels, file structures, Planner boards, and even third-party app integrations.
Organizations using nBold can also ensure consistency by applying governance policies, such as security settings, naming conventions, and compliance requirements, automatically during the team creation process.
Once your new team is ready, you can immediately access files with Ctrl + 6 or open chat details using Alt + P (or ⌘ D on Mac).
Shortcut Comparison Table
Here’s a quick breakdown of how different shortcut types perform in real-world scenarios:
| Shortcut Type | Real-World Performance | Best Use Cases |
|---|---|---|
| Keyboard Shortcuts | Fastest execution, instant action | Frequent tasks like mute/unmute or navigation |
| Slash Commands | Context-aware, feature-specific | Accessing unique features or updating statuses |
For quick actions, keyboard shortcuts are unbeatable. For example, Ctrl + Shift + M lets you mute or unmute yourself during meetings in a flash. Need a refresher on available shortcuts? Press Ctrl + . (period) to pull up the full keyboard shortcuts menu.
Formatting messages? Ctrl + K is your go-to for cleaning up hyperlinks – just highlight the text, press the shortcut, and paste the URL.
The best way to optimize your workflow is by combining keyboard shortcuts for frequent actions with slash commands for more specific, context-aware tasks. This mix ensures you’re always working efficiently.
Using nBold for Workflow Automation
Microsoft Teams shortcuts are great for handling simple tasks, but when it comes to more intricate processes like setting up entire teams, nBold steps in to automate and simplify the work.
nBold Templates for Team Setup
Setting up a new team in Microsoft Teams can be tedious. You need to create channels, organize files, configure Planner boards, and set permissions. With nBold’s Collaboration Template Builder, all of this can be automated using pre-configured templates.
By combining keyboard shortcuts with nBold’s templates, you can launch a fully structured workspace in just seconds. These templates handle everything – organizing channels, arranging file structures, setting up Planner boards, and even adding custom lists. This approach ensures every team starts with the same structure, reducing the mental effort for team creators and maintaining consistency across your organization.
For companies juggling multiple projects, this system is a game-changer. You can spin up new teams quickly while ensuring everything adheres to your organizational standards. Beyond saving time, these templates also lay the groundwork for governance and compliance, making it easier to manage workflows efficiently and securely.
Governance and Compliance with nBold
While Teams shortcuts help speed up tasks, they can sometimes bypass important organizational rules, leading to issues with naming conventions, security settings, or compliance. That’s where nBold shines – it integrates governance policies directly into the workflow.
When you use nBold templates to create collaboration spaces, the system automatically enforces your organization’s governance rules. This includes:
- Applying consistent naming conventions
- Configuring the right security settings
- Setting retention policies
- Ensuring compliance with industry regulations – especially critical for regulated sectors
This governance layer works harmoniously with Teams shortcuts. For example, you can still use Ctrl + N to start a conversation or Ctrl + 6 to access files, but when creating a new team with nBold, you can rest assured that every workspace is aligned with your organization’s policies right from the start. By automating governance, nBold ensures that your teams meet both efficiency and compliance requirements without added effort.
Third-Party App Connections
Teams shortcuts are excellent for native functions, but they don’t extend to third-party integrations. This is where nBold steps in, bridging the gap by connecting external apps during the template creation process.
When you set up a new collaboration space with nBold, it can automatically integrate with your existing tools – like CRMs, project management platforms, or document repositories – without any manual setup. For instance, nBold’s CRM-focused plans let you create templates that connect new teams directly to customer relationship management systems or other essential applications. What once required extensive manual configuration now becomes a one-click process.
These integrations complement Teams shortcuts seamlessly. You can still use Ctrl + E for universal search while enjoying the added benefit of instant access to third-party tools. By integrating these apps into your workflow, nBold elevates Teams shortcuts into a more comprehensive automation system, streamlining every aspect of team collaboration.
Conclusion: Get More Done with Custom Shortcuts
Custom shortcuts in Microsoft Teams are set to redefine how you work in 2025, simplifying tasks and embedding governance right from the start. By combining these shortcuts with advanced automation, you can unlock new levels of efficiency.
Teams’ built-in navigation, communication, and action shortcuts create a solid foundation for smoother collaboration. But the real game-changer happens when you integrate these shortcuts with nBold’s template-driven automation. This pairing allows you to set up workspaces instantly while ensuring compliance with your organization’s governance policies. It’s a powerful way to balance speed and consistency, as every new collaboration space is automatically aligned with your standards.
Whether you’re leading a small team or managing multiple departments, these tools help eliminate repetitive tasks, slash setup time, and ensure uniformity across all workspaces. By implementing essential shortcuts and leveraging automation, you can reclaim valuable time and maintain a seamless workflow.
The payoff is clear: workflow automation quickly proves its worth by boosting productivity and streamlining administrative tasks. The future of collaboration in Microsoft Teams lies in this smart combination of shortcuts and automation, freeing you up to focus on the work that truly matters. Together, they pave the way for a more efficient and productive Teams experience.
FAQs
How do I customize shortcuts in Microsoft Teams to work more efficiently?
To tweak shortcuts in Microsoft Teams, head over to Settings, choose General, and click on Keyboard Shortcuts. Here, you’ll find a list of existing shortcuts and the option to assign new ones. Simply pick a command, press the key combination you want, and it’s set. This feature lets you remap shortcuts or create ones that fit your workflow perfectly.
Customizing shortcuts can help you cut down on repetitive actions, speed up tasks like switching between channels, starting meetings, or sending messages, and make your Teams experience smoother and more efficient.
What are the advantages of using slash commands in Microsoft Teams instead of navigating through menus?
Slash commands in Microsoft Teams provide a quick and straightforward way to handle common tasks without digging through menus. Just type a forward slash (/) in the search bar, and you can instantly access options like changing your status, starting a call, or finding files. It’s a simple trick that saves time and cuts down on unnecessary clicks.
These commands are great for keeping your workflow smooth and uninterrupted. For instance, instead of navigating through menus to set your status to "Away", you can just type /away and press enter. It’s a small but effective feature that boosts productivity and makes the platform easier to use – whether you’re a seasoned pro or just getting started.
How can nBold templates and Microsoft Teams shortcuts improve team setup and ensure compliance?
Integrating nBold templates with Microsoft Teams shortcuts makes setting up teams a breeze. With just a few clicks, you can roll out standardized, pre-configured team structures. This approach keeps things consistent across your organization, speeds up onboarding, and reduces the chances of setup mistakes.
The no-code customization offered by nBold templates is a game-changer for administrators. It allows them to align team configurations with organizational policies effortlessly. This not only helps maintain compliance with regulatory requirements but also simplifies ongoing team management, saving time and effort for everyone involved.
