How to Change the Urgency of Your Messages in Microsoft Teams
In today’s fast-paced digital workplace, communication speed and clarity are everything. Microsoft Teams has become the go-to collaboration platform for many organizations, but even the best tools can lose effectiveness if important messages get buried.
Fortunately, Teams allows you to set message urgency levels — helping you highlight what truly matters and ensure your teammates never miss critical updates.
In this post, we’ll walk you through how to mark your messages as Important or Urgent, when to use each option, and a few best practices from the EasyIT productivity experts.
Why Message Urgency Matters
Not every message carries the same weight when managing multiple projects or collaborating across departments. Some updates can wait until later in the day, while others — like a last-minute meeting change or system alert — need immediate attention.
By setting the urgency level in Microsoft Teams, you can:
- Draw attention to key information quickly.
- Reduce missed messages in busy chats or channels.
- Encourage faster responses when timing is critical.
How to Mark a Message as Important or Urgent in Microsoft Teams
Follow these simple steps to change the urgency of your messages:
1. Open Your Chat or Channel
Start by opening the chat or channel where you want to send your message.
2. Type Your Message
Compose your message in the text box as usual.
3. Set Delivery Options
Below the message box, click the exclamation mark icon (❗) or ellipsis (…) to open Delivery Options.
4. Choose Your Urgency Level
You’ll see three options:
- Standard – Sends the message normally.
- Important – Highlights the message with a red banner and exclamation mark.
- Urgent – Sends repeated notifications every two minutes for 20 minutes until the recipient reads it.
Select Important or Urgent depending on your needs.
5. Send Your Message
Click Send, and Teams will display the message with the urgency indicator to stand out in the chat or channel.
When to Use Important vs. Urgent
Important:
Use this for messages that need attention soon but aren’t emergencies — such as project updates, reminders, or meeting notes.
Urgent:
Reserve this for time-sensitive issues that require immediate action — like system outages, last-minute changes, or emergency alerts.
⚠️ Pro Tip from EasyIT: Use “Urgent” sparingly. Overusing it can cause notification fatigue and reduce its effectiveness.
EasyIT’s Best Practices for Teams Communication
- Be clear and concise: Pair urgency with a clear subject line or summary.
- Use mentions (@): Tag the right people to ensure accountability.
- Follow up appropriately: If a message is marked urgent, confirm it’s been seen and addressed.
- Train your team: Encourage consistent message urgency so everyone understands each level’s meaning.
Final Thoughts
Setting the urgency level in Microsoft Teams is a small but powerful way to improve communication efficiency. By marking messages as Important or Urgent, you help your team stay aligned, responsive, and focused — especially when every minute counts.
At EasyIT, we help businesses get the most out of their Microsoft 365 tools through training, optimization, and managed IT support. If your team wants to boost productivity and streamline communication, contact EasyIT today to learn how we can help.
