How to Format Messages in Teams (Bold, Lists, Code and New Lines)
A wall of text is easy to ignore. A short message with a bold key point and three bullets gets read. Teams has all the formatting you need; it's just slightly hidden.
Start a new line without sending
Press Shift + Enter. On its own, Enter sends the message, which is how so many half-finished thoughts get posted.
Open the formatting toolbar
Click Format (the A with a pen) under the message box. The box expands and a toolbar appears with bold, italics, lists, headings and more. Now Enter adds a new line, and you send with the Send button or Ctrl + Enter.
Keyboard shortcuts
These work whether the toolbar is open or not:
| Format | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Bold | Ctrl + B |
| Italic | Ctrl + I |
| Underline | Ctrl + U |
| Strikethrough | Ctrl + Shift + X |
| Link | Ctrl + K |
On a Mac, use Command instead of Ctrl.
Markdown-style shortcuts
Teams understands a few shortcuts as you type:
• Type text for italics or text for bold.
• Type - or * and a space at the start of a line for a bullet point.
• Type 1. and a space for a numbered list.
• Type `code` with backticks for inline code.
• Type three backticks for a code block.
• Type - or * and a space at the start of a line for a bullet point.
• Type 1. and a space for a numbered list.
• Type `code` with backticks for inline code.
• Type three backticks for a code block.
Lists, headings and quotes
With the toolbar open you can add bullet and numbered lists, pick a paragraph style (headings in three sizes), insert a quote block, add a table and insert a horizontal line. The highlighter and font colour buttons are there too, but go easy on them.
Mark a message as important or urgent
Click Set delivery options (the ! icon) in the toolbar. Important adds a red banner. Urgent notifies the person every two minutes for 20 minutes, so save it for real emergencies.
Code blocks
Sharing a formula, a command or an error message? Click ⋯ > Code block in the toolbar. The text keeps its spacing and nothing is turned into an emoji.
Troubleshooting
My message sent before I finished. Press Shift + Enter for new lines, or open the Format toolbar so Enter stops sending.
The asterisks didn't turn into bold. Make sure there are no spaces just inside them: bold, not * bold *.
I can't see the Format button. On a narrow window it hides under ⋯ beneath the message box.
Wrapping up
Shift + Enter for a new line, Ctrl + B for bold, and the Format button for everything else. A few well-placed bullets turn a long message into one people actually read.
