Microsoft Teams is packed with little-known features that can save you valuable time, reduce interruptions and make it easier to find information. Here are 8 features you should know about, with practical examples of how to use them in your day-to-day work.
1. Schedule a message to be sent
Have you drafted a message for 6.30 pm but don’t want to bother your colleague after they’ve finished work? Schedule it to be sent the following morning.
How do I do that?
In a Teams conversation, type your message and then use the option to schedule/plan the dispatch. Select your preferred date and time, then confirm.
Example: You finish a file on Friday evening. Instead of sending a message straight away saying «The file is ready for approval», schedule the message for Monday at 9 am.
💡 Tip: This feature is particularly useful when working with colleagues who have different working hours or are based in other time zones.
2. Pin important conversations
When conversations pile up, useful exchanges quickly disappear from the list. Pin the ones you visit often.
How do I do that?
In your conversation list, open the menu ... associated with a conversation and look for the option to pin it or add it to your favourites, depending on your version of Teams.
Top priorities:
- your team or your manager; ;
- your main project; ;
- an active working group; ;
- a conversation containing information that you refer back to regularly.
💡 Tip: Avoid pinning too many. If everything becomes a priority, pinning loses its point!
3. Collaborating with Microsoft Loop
Do you need to draw up a list of tasks with several colleagues? There’s no need to create a separate document every time.
The Loop components enable several people to edit shared content directly in Teams: lists, tables, checklists, etc.
Example:
| Action | Manager | Due date |
|---|---|---|
| Finalise the presentation | Léa | Tuesday |
| Check the figures | Karim | Wednesday |
| Send to the customer | Sophie | Thursday |
Anyone can update the table without flooding the thread with messages such as «I’ll take this task» or «It’s done».
💡 Tip: Use Loop at the end of a meeting to immediately create a shared list of actions with those responsible and deadlines.
4. Use shortcuts and quick commands
Do you find yourself repeating certain tasks all day long? Teams offers keyboard shortcuts and, depending on the version you are using, commands accessible via the search/command box.
Rather than navigating through several menus, get into the habit of using the search function and shortcuts to carry out an action more quickly.
💡 Tip: display the list of keyboard shortcuts using Ctrl + . on Windows or Cmd + . on a Mac. Just pick out the three or four shortcuts that correspond to the actions you perform most often and learn them bit by bit.
5. Translate a message without leaving Teams
Has a colleague sent you a message in English, German, Spanish or another language? There’s no need to copy the message into an external translation tool.
How do I do that?
Hover over or select the message, then open the menu ..., then select Translate where this function is available in your environment.
Teams displays the translation directly within the conversation.
Example: A colleague from abroad sends you a long report in English. You can have it translated whilst retaining the context of the discussion.
💡 Tip: This is very useful in international teams, but when it comes to contractual, legal or particularly sensitive wording, always check the translation before relying on it.
6. Customise notifications
Being notified of everything is rarely synonymous with productivity. Between messages, reactions, mentions and channel activity, notifications can quickly become overwhelming.
In Settings > Notifications and Activity, tailor the alerts to suit your way of working.
In particular, you can prioritise notifications that are genuinely important and minimise those from secondary conversations or channels.
💡 Tip: Start by keeping the alerts relating to direct messages and @mentions, then gradually reduce the number of notifications that do not require your immediate attention.
Objective: that every notification actually means «something deserves my attention».
7. Use the search filters
Do you remember that a colleague sent you «the Excel file with the final figures», but you just can’t seem to find it?
Use the search bar at the top of Teams, then narrow down the available results: messages, people, files, conversations, dates or other criteria offered by Teams.
Instead of simply searching for:
budget
Try combining the details you can remember: a person’s name, a word from the message, the approximate time period, or the type of content you’re looking for.
💡 Tip: You don’t need to remember the exact title of a document. A a distinctive word contained in the conversation accompanying the file may be enough to re-establish the conversation.
8. Using Copilot after a meeting
Are you running late for a meeting, or do you want to look up a decision made during a discussion? If your organisation has the necessary Copilot features, you can use it to to ask questions about and summarise the content of a meeting according to the available data.
Rather than simply asking for a general summary, ask specific questions, such as:
- «What decisions were taken during that meeting?»
- «List the tasks to be carried out, along with the person responsible and the deadline, where applicable.»
- «Which issues have not yet been resolved?»
- «Summarise the points that directly concern my team.»
💡 Tip: ask Copilot to distinguish between Decisions / Actions / Responsible parties / Deadlines / Outstanding issues. You end up with a report that is far more useful than a simple summary.
