6 Various Ways to Start an Instant Message in Microsoft Teams

If you’ve just moved to Microsoft Teams from email or Slack, one of the first things you’ll want to figure out is — how do I just quickly message someone? No meeting, no email thread. Just a quick ping.

Good news: Teams makes this pretty easy once you know where to look. In this tutorial, I’ll walk you through every way you can start an instant message in Microsoft Teams — from the most basic method to some neat shortcuts most people don’t know about.

Why Use Instant Messaging in Teams Instead of Email?

Before we dive in, here’s something worth thinking about. Email is great for formal communication — but for quick questions, status updates, or a fast back-and-forth, it’s overkill. You write a subject line, wait for a reply, and by the time you’re done, you’ve exchanged six emails about something that could’ve been settled in 30 seconds.

Teams chat is built for exactly that kind of conversation. It’s real-time, it keeps history, it works on desktop and mobile, and you can even share files, react to messages, or hop on a call — all within the same thread.

Start an Instant Message in Microsoft Teams

Here I will show you six different methods to start an instant message in Microsoft Teams.

Method 1: Using the “New Message” Button (The Most Common Way)

This is the method you’ll use 90% of the time. Here’s how it works:

1. Open Microsoft Teams on your desktop or browser.
2. At the top of your chat list (on the left side), look for the New message icon — it looks like a small square with a pencil.
3. Click it.
4. In the To: field that appears, start typing the name of the person you want to message. Teams will suggest matches from your organization as you type.
5. Select the person from the list.
6. Type your message in the text box at the bottom.
7. Hit Enter or click the Send button (the paper plane icon).

That’s it — your chat thread is now open, and the other person will get a notification instantly.

Pro tip: 

If the person is busy or in a meeting, Teams will show their status next to their name (Available, Busy, Away, Do Not Disturb). It’s worth glancing at that before firing off an urgent message.

Method 2: Start a Chat from Someone’s Profile Card in Teams

This one’s super handy when you’re already browsing a channel or looking at a meeting participant list and want to message someone directly without leaving what you’re doing.

Here’s what to do:

1. Hover over or click on anyone’s profile picture anywhere in Teams — in a channel post, a meeting, a search result, wherever.
2. A small profile card pops up with their name, job title, and status.
3. Click the Chat icon (speech bubble) on the profile card.
4. This immediately opens a chat window with that person.
5. Type your message and send.

This is honestly one of the fastest ways to reach someone mid-conversation in a channel when you just need to quickly follow up with a specific person.

Method 3: Use the Search Bar to Find and Message Someone in Microsoft Teams

Most people use the Teams search bar to find files or messages. But you can also use it to quickly jump into a chat with someone.

Here’s how:

1. Click on the Search bar at the top of Teams (it says “Search” or shows a magnifying glass icon).
2. Type the name of the person you want to message.
3. Teams will show matching people, messages, and files.
4. Under the People section, click on the person’s name.
5. This opens their profile — from here, click Chat to start a message.

This method is particularly useful when the person isn’t in your recent chats list and you’d have to scroll around to find them.

Method 4: Microsoft Teams /chat Slash Command (Power User Shortcut)

If you like keyboard shortcuts and want to keep your hands off the mouse as much as possible, this one’s for you.

1. Click on the Search bar at the top of Teams.
2. Type /chat and press Enter or Tab.
3. Teams will ask you who you want to chat with.
4. Type the person’s name, press Enter, and a chat window opens.
5. Type your message and send.

You can also try /call if you want to jump straight to a voice call, or /meetnow to kick off an instant video meeting directly from a chat thread.

These commands are a bit hidden, but once you start using them, you’ll wonder how you managed without them.

Method 5: Start a Group Chat in Microsoft Teams

Sometimes you need to loop in more than one person. Microsoft Teams makes group chats just as easy as one-on-one messages.

1. Click the New message icon at the top of your chat list.
2. In the To: field, type the first person’s name and select them.
3. Keep typing more names in the same field — Teams lets you add multiple people.
4. Once you’ve added everyone, type your message and hit Send.

A group chat thread is created, and everyone gets notified. You can also give the group chat a name so it’s easier to find later. Just click on the group name at the top of the chat and edit it.

Note: If you want to add someone to an existing group chat later, click on the participant names at the top of the chat, then select Add people. You can choose how much chat history to share with the new person.

Method 6: Message Someone from a Channel Post in Teams

Say you’re reading through a channel conversation and someone comments on something you want to follow up on privately. You don’t have to go back to the chat section and search for them.

Just hover over their profile picture in the post, wait for their card to appear, and click Chat. Done. You’re in a direct message with them in just a few seconds.

Format Your Teams Message (Don’t Just Send Plain Text)

One thing many people miss is that Teams lets you format your messages like a mini-document. This is really useful when you’re sharing instructions, a list of steps, or a longer update.

To access formatting options:

• Click the Format button (it looks like an A with a pen) just below the message box.
• This expands the message editor and gives you options like: Bold, Italic, Bullet points, Numbered lists, Headings, Quotes, and even code snippets.

You can also type your message, select some text, and formatting options will automatically pop up above it.

Marking Messages as Important or Urgent

Not every message deserves this — but when something genuinely needs attention fast, Teams has two escalation options.

• Important: Adds a red exclamation mark to your message. It signals to the reader that this is worth prioritizing.
• Urgent: This is more aggressive. Teams sends the recipient a repeat notification every 2 minutes for up to 20 minutes, until the recipient reads and responds.

To use this: Click the “…” (More options) or the delivery options icon near the message box before sending, then choose Important or Urgent.

Use Urgent sparingly — it can feel intrusive if overused, and people will start ignoring it.

Schedule a Message for Later in Microsoft Teams

This is a newer, underrated feature. If you’re working late at night and don’t want to ping someone at 11 PM, you can write your message now and schedule it to send the next morning.

1. Right-click the send button.
2. Choose the date and time you want the message to go out.
3. Click Send.

Teams will hold the message and deliver it exactly when you scheduled it. This is great for respecting time zones and working hours when you’re on a distributed team.

Check Someone’s Status Before You Message

One small habit that makes a big difference: glance at the colored dot next to someone’s name before you message them.

Here’s what the colors mean:

• Green = Available (good time to ping them)
• Yellow/Clock = Away (they might be on a break)
• Red circle = Busy or In a Meeting
• Red with line = Do Not Disturb (don’t expect a fast reply)
• Purple circle = Out of Office

If someone is in Do Not Disturb mode, your message will still be delivered, but they won’t get a notification until they change their status. So if it’s genuinely urgent, you might be better off calling them directly.

Reply to a Specific Message in a Chat

Sometimes a conversation gets long, and you want to respond to something specific — not just the last message in the thread. Teams lets you do this cleanly.

1. Hover over the message you want to reply to.
2. Click the Reply icon (a curved arrow) that appears.
3. Your reply will be threaded directly under that specific message.

This keeps conversations organized, especially in busy group chats.

Conclusion

Chat in Microsoft Teams gives you a fast and simple way to talk to people without emails or meetings. Once you know the different methods, it becomes easy to reach anyone in just a few clicks.

You can choose the method that fits your style — button, search, shortcut, or profile card — and use features like formatting, scheduling, and status check to make your messages more effective.

Start with the basic method, try a few shortcuts, and soon Teams chat feels quick, natural, and part of your daily work.

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