Teams Adds Slash Commands to the Message Compose Box

Slash Commands Designed to Speed Access to Common Functions

For many years, Teams clients have supported shorthand commands invoked with the slash (/) key in the command box at the top of the screen. The idea behind these commands is to speed access to essential features. Originally, the set of commands focused on setting the online status for a user. Over time, Microsoft added more commands to the set, including fast access to apps like GitHub.

Now, announced in message center notification MC785024 (24 April 2024, Microsoft 365 Roadmap 120469), Teams supports slash commands in the compose message box for both chats and channel conversations. The feature is supported in the desktop, browser, and mobile clients and is scheduled for release in mid-May. General availability is expected to complete deployment to all tenants by the end of June 2024.

Available Slash Commands

As the name implies, slash commands are invoked by entering a forward slash in the message compose box. This action causes Teams to list the available commands, which are different to the set available in the command box (the same commands to set a user’s status are available):

• Apps: Add an app.
• Available: Set your online status to Available.
• Away: Set your online status to Away.
• Brb: Set your online status to Be right Back.
• Busy: Set your online status to Busy.
• Code: Insert a code block.
• Dnd: Set your online status to Do not Disturb.
• Loop: Add a Loop paragraph component.
• Offline: Set your online status to Offline.
• Settings: Open the settings app.
• Shortcuts: Open a screen to show details of available keyboard shortcuts.

The slash command only works if it is the first element in a message. For instance, Figure 1 shows the slash commands revealed when composing a channel message. The command works because nothing precedes it in the message. If you insert a forward slash after the text, it has no effect, and you won’t see the commands.

Despite what’s stated in MC785024, there’s no way to mute a conversation using a slash command. Also, while the list of commands mentions inserting a Loop paragraph, the other components supported by Teams are available and can be selected after inserting the paragraph component (Figure 2). Only a single Loop component can be inserted into a message.

A code block can be inserted into a message along with a Loop component. This is the Teams code block which is a static component. If you want to share code, you’re better off inserting Loop and choosing its code component because people can then adjust the code as necessary.

No Administrative Control

There’s no administrative control available to enable or disable slash commands. They are part of the base Teams client user interface. Of course, if you don’t want people to use slash commands, don’t tell them that the facility exists. It’s unlikely that someone will find that slash commands exist through a process of inserting random characters in messages. Or maybe that’s not true.

Will People Use Slash Commands?

Nice as it is to have slash shortcut commands, I doubt this will make much difference to the average user. If people want to set their online status, they’ll probably continue to do this using the command box. There are options to insert a code block or Loop component into a message, and I don’t think that many add an app to a message. I’ve been known to be wrong before, and clearly Microsoft believes that the demand exists for this feature. Maybe the demand comes from internal Microsoft users. Who can say?

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