How to Format Messages in Microsoft Teams (Desktop, Web and Mobile)

Microsoft Teams hides most message-formatting controls until you open the expanded editor. That is useful for quick replies, but easy to miss when you need headings, lists, links, quoted text or a message that does not send the moment you press Enter.

The short version is:

• On desktop or the web, select Format beneath the compose box.
• On mobile, tap Plus, then Format.
• For code, use a code block rather than the retired code-snippet composer.

This guide covers messages written by people in Teams chat and channel conversations. Bot and adaptive-card formatting follow different rules.

Fact-checked against current Microsoft Support documentation on 7 August 2026.

Open the full formatting editor

Desktop and web

Start a new chat message or channel reply, then select Format beneath the message box. The icon may appear as an A with a pencil or as a formatting/expand control, depending on the client Microsoft has rolled out to your account.

The message box expands and exposes the rich-text toolbar. Microsoft documents options including bold, italic, underline, text highlighting, font size and lists. Additional controls may sit under More options.

The expanded editor is also the safest place to write a multi-paragraph announcement. You can press Enter for a new paragraph without treating every line break as a send command.

iPhone, iPad and Android

The old version of this article said Teams mobile had no full formatting editor. That is no longer correct.

Microsoft's current instruction is to tap Plus > Format beside the compose box. The mobile editor supports bold, italic, underline, highlighting and text colour, and lets you start new paragraphs without accidentally sending the message.

Client layouts change, so follow the label in your installed Teams app rather than relying on an old screenshot. If Format is missing, update the app and check whether you are composing in a standard chat/channel message rather than a specialised surface with fewer controls.

What each option is good for

Formatting is most useful when it helps a reader scan the message. A giant wall of bold text simply creates a louder wall.

Bold, italic and underline

Use bold for the decision, deadline or action. Use italic sparingly for nuance. Underlining can look like a link, so reserve it for cases where that ambiguity will not matter.

A practical update might look like this:

Decision needed by Thursday: choose Option A or B.
Owner: Priya
Background: linked below

Headings and paragraphs

For a longer post, give the reader a one-line summary first, then use short headings such as Decision, Why and Next step. This works better than reproducing an email memo inside a chat thread.

Bulleted and numbered lists

Use bullets when order does not matter. Use numbers when the sequence does matter or when you expect people to reply to “item 2”.

Keep each bullet to one idea. If a bullet grows into a paragraph, it probably needs its own heading.

Links

Select the text that should become a link, then use the link control and enter the destination. Give the link a meaningful label such as deployment checklist, not click here.

Before sending, make sure the intended readers have access. Formatting a beautiful link to a private SharePoint page does not fix its permissions.

Quotes

Use quote formatting when replying to a specific part of a long message, policy or incident update. Keep the quoted section short and add your response underneath it.

Do not use quote styling merely as decoration; it implies that the text came from somewhere else.

How to share code in Teams now

Microsoft retired the ability to create new messages with the older code snippet composer after 30 May 2025. Existing snippets can still be viewed, but new code should use code blocks.

On desktop or the web you can create a code block in several documented ways:

• Type /code and press Enter.
• Type three backticks.
• Open the formatting controls and choose Code block.
• Use Ctrl+Shift+Alt+B on Windows/web or Cmd+Shift+Option+B on Mac.

Choose a language when useful so the block can apply syntax highlighting. You can also wrap long lines. Code blocks created on desktop render on mobile, although Microsoft says they can only be created on desktop.

Use inline code styling for a short name such as NotificationSent. Use a code block for an expression, script or configuration that readers may need to copy.

Never paste passwords, access tokens, connection strings or customer data into a channel simply because the block looks like a safe developer tool. The normal chat and channel access rules still apply.

Quick formatting without the toolbar

Teams recognises some Markdown-style input, and Microsoft specifically documents triple backticks for code blocks. Support varies by feature and client, so use the visible toolbar when the exact rendering matters.

This distinction is important: Microsoft's bot-formatting tables describe messages sent by apps and bots. They are not a reliable specification for everything a person can type into the current Teams composer.

For a critical announcement, compose it, send it to a test chat if necessary, and check desktop and mobile rendering. Do not assume an old Markdown cheat sheet is still a contract.

Chat message or channel post?

Formatting does not solve a placement problem.

Use a chat for a small, known group and a fast exchange. Use a channel post when the information belongs to a team workspace, should remain discoverable with the project and benefits from a threaded conversation.

For a channel announcement, open the expanded editor and look for the post-type control available in your client. Announcements can add a headline and stronger visual hierarchy, but they should be reserved for genuinely important messages.

If the goal is structured participation rather than prose, use the right object. A Teams poll or quiz is better than asking 40 people to reply with A, B or C.

Five message patterns that are easy to read

1. Decision request

Decision needed: approve the pilot by 3pm Friday.
Recommendation: proceed with Group A.
Reason: it covers the highest-risk workflow with the smallest permission scope.
Reply with: approve, reject or question.

2. Incident update

Status: investigating
Impact: new requests are delayed; existing records are safe
Next update: 14:30
Owner: Operations

Do not decorate an incident update with unnecessary colours or emoji. Consistent labels make it easier to scan under pressure.

3. Handover

Completed

• Flow deployed to test
• Three normal-user runs passed

Still open

• Guest-user check
• Support owner confirmation

Next action: Sam to run the guest test by Wednesday.

4. Meeting follow-up

Start with the decision, not a transcript. Then list owners and due dates. Link to the recording or notes only for people who need the detail.

5. Technical question

State the observed behaviour, expected behaviour and smallest reproducible example. Put the expression or error in a code block. Add screenshots only if they expose something the text does not.

Common formatting problems

Pressing Enter sends before the message is ready

Open Format first when writing multiple paragraphs. The expanded editor is designed for richer composition and lets you create paragraph breaks more deliberately.

The message looks different on mobile

Not every client exposes or renders every feature identically. Test important posts on the devices your audience actually uses. Keep the structure understandable even if colour, indentation or a decorative element changes.

A pasted list loses its layout

Paste as plain text where possible, then apply Teams list formatting. Content copied from Word, Outlook or a webpage can carry invisible styling that produces odd spacing.

The old code-snippet button has gone

That is an intentional product change. Use a code block; Microsoft says new code snippets stopped being available after 30 May 2025.

Formatting options are missing

Check that you are in a normal chat or channel compose box, update Teams, and try the web client to separate an account/policy issue from a local-client problem. If the control is missing for everyone in a managed tenant, your Teams administrator should check policies and service health.

A useful final check before Send

Ask four questions:

1. Is the action or decision in the first two lines?
2. Can the reader scan owners and deadlines?
3. Do all links open for the intended audience?
4. Would the message still make sense if the decorative formatting disappeared?

Good Teams writing is not about using every toolbar button. It is about making the next action unmistakable.

Make Microsoft 365 easier to run

The Teams, SharePoint & Intranet Mastery Space collects current, practical guidance for the everyday Microsoft 365 work that rarely fits into a product announcement.

Sources used

• Format a message in Microsoft Teams
• Use code blocks in Microsoft Teams
• Code snippet retirement note

Source boundary: Microsoft documents the available formatting and code-block controls. Client layouts and staged product rollouts can differ, so test important messages in the clients used by your audience.