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Suggested replies are normally enabled in Microsoft Teams. On the desktop app, open Settings and more (…) > Settings > Chats and channels, find Suggested replies, and switch it on. On a phone, open Settings > Chats and channels and enable the same toggle. If the control is absent or locked down, a Teams administrator may have disabled it through the organization’s messaging policy.
The feature offers short, context-based responses above the compose box for some incoming chat messages. Review the wording before selecting one: tapping or clicking a suggestion sends it immediately.
What Suggested Replies Do in Teams
Suggested replies are quick response options generated for a conversation. Instead of typing a short confirmation or acknowledgment, you can select one of the choices displayed above the reply box. Teams may show the options after another person sends several messages in a row.
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The feature is intended for routine, low-risk replies such as confirming that you saw a message or acknowledging a request. It is not a replacement for reading the entire conversation, checking names, dates, links, attachments, or technical details, and then writing a precise answer when the subject needs one.
Enable Suggested Replies on the Teams desktop app
Use this path in the current Teams desktop interface:
- Open Microsoft Teams and sign in to the account where you want to change the setting.
- Select Settings and more (…) near your profile area.
- Choose Settings.
- Open Chats and channels.
- Scroll until you find Suggested replies.
- Turn the toggle on. If it is already on, no further change is required.
Return to a chat and wait for a message that supports the feature. When Teams generates options, they appear above the compose box. Selecting one posts it as your reply immediately; there is no separate editing step after the click.
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Check that you are looking under Chats and channels, rather than the notification, privacy, or general settings pages. The control can also be unavailable because your organization’s administrator has turned off the capability in a Teams messaging policy. In that case, changing local settings cannot override the tenant-level restriction.
Enable Suggested Replies on Teams mobile
The mobile path is similar, although the entry point depends on the version of the Teams app and the device layout:
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- Open Teams on your phone.
- Open your profile menu or the app’s Settings.
- Choose Chats and channels.
- Find Suggested replies and turn on its toggle.
Go back to a chat to use the feature. Suggestions are shown above the reply area when Teams generates them for an incoming message. Tap a suggestion only after checking that its wording and recipient are appropriate, because the selected text is sent at once.
Desktop and mobile settings at a glance
| Client or control | Where to change it | What the setting controls |
|---|---|---|
| Teams desktop | Settings and more (…) > Settings > Chats and channels > Suggested replies | Your local preference for the desktop app |
| Teams mobile | Profile or app Settings > Chats and channels > Suggested replies | Your local preference in the mobile app |
| Organization policy | Teams administrator’s messaging policy | Whether the capability is allowed for users in the organization |
The desktop and mobile toggles are user-facing controls. An administrator’s policy is a separate, higher-level control that can prevent the feature from being available at all.
When suggestions appear—and when they do not
Turning the toggle on does not force a suggestion to appear for every message. Teams evaluates the conversation and may offer choices only for messages it considers suitable. Microsoft describes suggestions appearing after someone sends a few messages in a row. A single short message may therefore produce no options, even when the setting is enabled.
Situations that can receive suggestions
- Routine one-to-one chat messages that can be answered with a short acknowledgment.
- Some group-chat messages, including messages that mention you with @.
- Messages containing a quote, where a short response is likely to be useful.
- Conversations in which Teams has enough recent context to propose a relevant response.
What the user experience looks like
When suggestions are available, they are displayed above the compose box. Each option is selectable. Choosing one sends the suggested text as your message, rather than placing it into the editor for later approval. If none of the choices fits, ignore them and type your own response in the normal compose area.
Why Suggested Replies may be missing
There are two broad causes: the feature is not allowed for your account, or Teams has not generated suggestions for that particular message. Work through the checks below in order.
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1. Confirm the local toggle
Reopen the relevant settings page and verify that Suggested replies is on. On desktop, the path is Settings and more (…) > Settings > Chats and channels. On mobile, use Settings > Chats and channels. If the switch is off, enable it and return to a chat.
2. Check whether the message is a suitable trigger
The feature is selective. It may not produce options for a complex question, a message with insufficient context, or a conversation in which Teams does not identify a short response. Look for it after another participant has sent several messages, and check both one-to-one and group conversations if you need to verify that it works.
3. Determine whether an administrator has restricted it
Microsoft Support directs users who cannot see Suggested replies to contact their administrator. A Teams administrator can control the capability with a messaging policy, so a hidden or unavailable control may be intentional for the whole organization or for your assigned policy. Provide the administrator with your account, client (desktop or mobile), and the settings path you checked.
4. Separate a policy block from a generation decision
If the toggle is visible and enabled but no options appear in one conversation, that is different from an organization-wide restriction. The first case can simply mean that Teams did not generate a suggestion for that message. If the toggle itself is missing, disabled, or consistently unavailable across clients, ask the administrator to verify the messaging policy.
5. Try the other supported client as a diagnostic
When practical, check the same account in the desktop and mobile apps. A setting that is present in one client but not the other can indicate a client-specific issue; a missing control in both is more consistent with an account or policy restriction. This comparison does not bypass policy, but it helps identify where to direct the support request.
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How administrators control the feature
Suggested replies are not controlled solely by an individual’s preference. Microsoft Learn lists Suggested replies as a Teams messaging-policy setting that enables suggested replies for chat messages. An administrator can therefore allow or prohibit the capability for users covered by that policy.
The PowerShell setting
Microsoft documents the AllowSmartReply setting for PowerShell administration:
| AllowSmartReply value | Effect on chat messages |
|---|---|
TRUE |
Enables suggested replies for chat messages. |
FALSE |
Prohibits suggested replies for chat messages. |
The value is an administrative control, not a command that an ordinary chat user can change. If the organization sets AllowSmartReply to FALSE, turning on a local app preference will not restore the feature. An administrator must change the applicable messaging policy and allow time for that policy change to reach the client.
Information to include in an administrator request
- Your Teams sign-in or work account.
- Whether you tested the desktop app, mobile app, or both.
- The exact location you checked: Chats and channels > Suggested replies.
- Whether the toggle is missing, off, locked, or on but produces no suggestions.
- One example of the conversation type tested, such as a one-to-one chat or a group message with an @mention.
This detail helps an administrator distinguish an assigned-policy restriction from normal selective behavior.
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Privacy and machine-learning behavior
Microsoft Support states: “Teams uses a machine learning model to continually improve the suggested replies you see.” The same support information says the model runs on the systems that provide Microsoft 365 services to the organization and that no message content is transmitted or stored outside the organization.
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That statement describes where the model operates and how Microsoft characterizes message handling for this feature. It does not mean every proposed reply is appropriate for every situation. Treat the suggestion as generated text: read it, verify its meaning and audience, and replace it with your own wording when the conversation involves confidential details, commitments, approvals, or sensitive tone.
Use suggestions safely and efficiently
Review before sending
A suggestion can be selected with one click or tap and is sent immediately. Pause long enough to check the complete sentence, the intended recipient, and whether the response actually answers the message. A short confirmation can be misleading if the sender asked multiple questions or included an exception.
Use your own reply when precision matters
Type manually when you need to include a specific value, explain a decision, acknowledge a risk, or address several points. Suggested replies are most useful for routine confirmations, not for detailed instructions or formal commitments.
Use the feature selectively in group chats
In a group conversation, verify that the suggestion is responding to the right message or @mention. If several people are speaking at once, a generic response may appear to fit while actually addressing a different participant’s point.
Turn Suggested Replies off
If you prefer to write every response yourself, use the same setting path and switch the feature off:
- On desktop, open Settings and more (…) > Settings > Chats and channels.
- On mobile, open your profile or app Settings, then Chats and channels.
- Turn off Suggested replies.
Disabling the local toggle stops the suggestions for that client preference. An administrator may still prohibit the capability for the organization, in which case the setting can remain unavailable regardless of your personal choice.
Decision guide: keep it on or turn it off?
| Your situation | Practical choice | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| You often send short acknowledgments in active chats. | Keep it on. | One-tap responses can reduce typing for routine messages. |
| Your work requires carefully worded or complete answers. | Keep it available, but type manually when precision is needed. | The feature is optional for each message; ignoring a suggestion leaves the compose box available. |
| You do not want generated wording in your reply workflow. | Turn the local toggle off. | Suggestions will no longer be offered by that client preference. |
| The control is missing or blocked. | Contact your Teams administrator. | A messaging policy may set AllowSmartReply to FALSE or otherwise prohibit the capability. |
Quick checklist
- Open Chats and channels in Teams settings.
- Turn on Suggested replies for desktop or mobile.
- Test in a conversation where someone has sent several messages.
- Look above the compose box for response options.
- Read the proposed wording before selecting it.
- Remember that selecting a suggestion sends it immediately.
- If the setting is missing, ask an administrator to check the Teams messaging policy and
AllowSmartReply.
Bottom line
For most users, enabling Suggested replies takes one setting change under Chats and channels. The feature only appears for messages Teams considers suitable, and its availability can be controlled by an organization-wide messaging policy. Keep it on for quick, routine acknowledgments, but review every suggestion before sending because the selection is posted immediately.
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