Reactions
Reactions let you respond to a message with an emoji without sending a separate message. They are a lightweight way to acknowledge, agree, vote, or express sentiment. Reactions appear as small emoji badges below the message, along with a count of how many people used each emoji.
Add a reaction
There are two ways to add a reaction to a message:
Quick reaction
- Hover over the message.
- Click the emoji icon (smiley face) in the action toolbar that appears.
- The reaction picker opens. Select an emoji.
- The reaction is added immediately.
From the message menu
- Hover over the message.
- Click the three-dot menu.
- Select Add Reaction.
- Choose an emoji from the picker.
TIP
Frequently used emojis appear in a "Recent" section at the top of the reaction picker for quick access.
Reaction picker
The reaction picker provides a searchable grid of all available emojis, organized by category:
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Recent | Your most recently used emojis |
| Smileys & People | Faces, hand gestures, people |
| Animals & Nature | Animals, plants, weather |
| Food & Drink | Food items, beverages |
| Activities | Sports, arts, events |
| Travel & Places | Vehicles, buildings, landscapes |
| Objects | Tools, devices, household items |
| Symbols | Arrows, signs, punctuation |
| Flags | Country and regional flags |
Search for an emoji
Type in the search field at the top of the picker to filter emojis by name:
- Type "thumbs" to find thumbs up and thumbs down
- Type "check" to find checkmarks
- Type "fire" to find the fire emoji
- Type "heart" to find all heart variants
The search matches against emoji names and common aliases.
Remove a reaction
To remove your reaction from a message:
- Click on the emoji badge below the message that you previously added.
- Your reaction is removed immediately.
You can only remove your own reactions. You cannot remove reactions added by other members.
WARNING
Removing a reaction is instant and does not require confirmation. If you accidentally remove a reaction, simply add it again.
Reaction counts
When multiple people react with the same emoji, the count appears next to the emoji badge:
- A single reaction shows the emoji with no count (or a count of 1).
- Multiple reactions show the emoji with the total count (e.g., 5).
Hover over a reaction badge to see the names of all members who used that emoji.
Reaction display
Reactions appear in a horizontal row below the message:
[Message content here]
[thumbs_up 3] [heart 2] [check 1] [+]The [+] button at the end of the reaction row lets you add another reaction quickly.
Add the same reaction as someone else
If you see a reaction on a message that you want to echo:
- Click the existing emoji badge.
- Your reaction is added, and the count increments by one.
This is a quick way to agree with or endorse an existing reaction without opening the full picker.
Reactions on different message types
Reactions work on all message types:
| Message type | Reactions supported |
|---|---|
| Regular messages | Yes |
| Thread replies | Yes |
| Messages with attachments | Yes |
| System messages (join/leave) | No |
Common reaction patterns
Teams often develop informal conventions around reactions. Here are common patterns:
| Emoji | Common meaning |
|---|---|
| Thumbs up | Acknowledged, agreed, approved |
| Thumbs down | Disagreed, not approved |
| Eyes | Looking into it, reviewing |
| Check mark | Done, completed |
| Rocket | Excited, launched, shipped |
| Heart | Love it, great work |
| Thinking face | Considering, need more info |
| Party popper | Celebrating, congratulations |
| Warning | Concern, needs attention |
| Plus one | Agree, me too, upvote |
Reactions as lightweight polls
Reactions can serve as quick polls. Post a message with options and ask people to react:
"Which day works for the team retro? React with the corresponding emoji." Monday: calendar Tuesday: memo Wednesday: star
Each member reacts with the emoji for their preferred option, and the counts serve as votes.
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For formal decisions, use a proper voting mechanism or work item. Reactions are best for informal, low-stakes polls.
Reaction notifications
Adding a reaction does not generate a notification for the message author by default. This keeps reactions lightweight and prevents notification overload.
However, reactions do appear in the activity feed on the message, so authors can see them when they view the message.
Keyboard shortcut
When hovering over a message, press + or E to open the reaction picker directly from the keyboard.
Best practices
- Use reactions for quick acknowledgments instead of sending one-word messages like "ok" or "thanks."
- Be consistent with your team's emoji conventions so reactions carry clear meaning.
- Avoid over-reacting — adding five different reactions to every message creates visual noise.
- Use thumbs up as a default "acknowledged" signal when someone shares information and you do not have a substantive reply.
Related pages
- Chat Overview — introduction to SetGet Chat
- Messages — sending and formatting messages
- Threads — focused replies to specific messages
- Channels — conversation spaces for teams
- Collaboration Reactions — reactions on work items and comments