An entire guide to replying to chat messages in Microsoft Teams.
Chat is an excellent way to work together with colleagues in Microsoft Teams. Channels are also great however, you don’t necessarily have to or desire to speak to everyone in the channel. For private conversations chats, 1:1 and group chats are the best place to be.
However, when you use chat for communication messages can accumulate. One of the features that will ensure that you are able to continue communicating efficiently without any confusion is the reply function. Being able to respond to specific messages eliminates any confusion that may occur when there are several messages to be exchanged. Although it may seem to be a straightforward option, Microsoft Teams has made things more complicated. Let’s find out what all the fuss is about.
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Can You Reply to Messages in Chat in Microsoft Teams?
The answer to this one is a roller coaster ride. So, you better buckle in. You can respond to chat messages within Microsoft Teams, but how you’d respond to messages will depend on a variety of factors. If you’re using a personal or an organizational one, or whether you’re using the web/desktop application or mobile version.
Microsoft Teams does have a reply feature in the web or desktop apps however, only when you’re using an individual account. If you have an organization account there’s no option to reply however there are solutions.
If it’s a mobile application It doesn’t matter what kind or account type you’re using. You can respond to chat messages in one swipe.
NOTE: This article is about the reply feature of Chat within Microsoft Teams and not channels. Channels have been able to reply since the time we can remember.
Replying to Messages in Personal Accounts
Microsoft Teams introduced a personal account for family and friends in the past. If you’re among those who have the personal profile, you’ll be able to quickly respond to messages via chat in Microsoft Teams.
Log in into your account personal via Microsoft Teams. Microsoft Teams desktop or web application. Go to the tab ‘Chat’ in the navigation menu to the left side and then open the chat you wish to respond to.
Click on the message and hover over the message to hover over it. There are a few options. Select the menu ‘three dots’.
Click on the “Reply” option.
The message will be displayed in the textbox as quoted. Enter your response and hit Enter to respond in response to this message.
Replying to Messages in Organization Accounts
There’s no reply button available for chats on the desktop or web application when you’re using an organizational account. However, there are a handful alternatives to emulate this feature.
The Manual Method
There might not be a simple reply button, but you are able to manually respond to messages within Microsoft Teams. To begin, open the message box, and then press the Shift + > key combination once your cursor is inside the box. A gray-colored quote box will be displayed.
NOTE: This method doesn’t work for personal accounts.
Click on the message you wish to respond to and copy the message. To get the full effect of responding to or quoting messages make sure you copy the name of the sender and the time stamp. After that, you can insert this into the grey box.
Then you then press then the Enter key two times. The cursor will move out of the grey box and move into your normal composition box. Enter your message, then hit Enter for sending the email.
This isn’t the most efficient method of replying to an exchange however it’s an acceptable alternative. If you’re thinking this isn’t the best way to go for you take a look at a different method to respond to messages.
Use the Quote Master App on Teams
Microsoft Teams has a lot of third-party applications that can be one of the main reasons for its popularity. It is possible to use an application to make up for the absence of this feature within Microsoft Teams. Quote Master is an app that allows you to quote and reply. Quote Master app adds an option to reply to messages in any chat you have within Microsoft Teams.
To begin, you must open Microsoft Teams Desktop. To begin, open the Microsoft Teams Desktop app or go on teams.microsoft.com in your browser and sign into your account. After that, click on the icon ‘Apps’ to the left of the Teams main screen.
In the “Search All” textbox on the left side of the Apps screen, type in ‘Quote Master’.
The “Quote Master application will instantly appear beside the search bar when you type in the app’s name. Click on it.
In the pop-up window in this Quote Master app, click the Add button to add the app within the account of your Microsoft Teams account.
Once you have installed after installing the Quote Master app, you can quickly quote and respond to messages in a private chat, an in-meeting chat, or even a team chat within channels.
When you’re in a chat window Go to the message that you wish to reply to and quote. After that, click the three-dot icon which appears at the right-hand side on the text.
In the options menu, shift your mouse over to the ‘More Actions option, and then select “Quote” from the expanded choices.
When you use the Quote Master initially, you will need to enter certain details such as your email address and name to begin a trial period for the software. Following the trial time you are able to continue using Quote Master with certain limitations.
When you click Quote, the message that you have selected previously will be displayed in quotation marks. Below, you will view a text box, as well as the toolbar for messages to include a reply to the message.
Responding to messages from the Mobile App
If you’re using Microsoft Teams from the iOS or Android mobile applications and you’re looking for the easiest method of responding to messages. Like every other instant message application, Microsoft Teams mobile app allows you to reply to chat messages quickly.
The best part is that with this is that it doesn’t matter whether you’re using your personal account or an account for your organization. The interface and accessibility of the feature are identical applicable to both, just as it should be.
Start your Teams Mobile app, and sign in using your account. After that, click the chat tab in the menu navigation at the lower right of the screen to access your chats in private.
Start the chat, and navigate to the message you wish to reply or quote. After that, swipe left on the message. Continue to swipe until you see an arrow.
The message will be included within the compose field.
Write your message and then tap the ‘Send’ button successfully respond on the email.
When you chat to your leader of the team or other members, there’s often the need to respond to questions or request clarification on a particular message. To accomplish this you can easily respond to and quote an individual message in Microsoft Teams.
The feature is currently being developed at Microsoft and the company will likely simplify things in the near future. For now this is what it is. This guide is aimed at making things easier for you.