Message actions

The actions next to a message

Hover over any message, or click the … next to it, to see what you can do. Click … to keep the actions open.

On a phone, press and hold a message to see its actions. Tap a message to see when it was sent.

Your messages

Action	What it does
Edit message	Change what you wrote and send it again.
Copy message	Copy the text.
Reply	Quote this message above the message box.
Pin message	Show it in a banner at the top of the chat.

The bot's messages

Action	What it does
Copy message	Copy the text.
Show raw markdown / Show rendered markdown	See the reply with its formatting characters (like `**` and `#`), for example to paste it somewhere that understands Markdown.
Regenerate response	On the bot's latest reply: ask again and get a fresh answer.
Branch from here	Start a new thread that picks up from this point. See below. Desktop app only.
Reply	Quote this message above the message box.
Pin message	Show it in a banner at the top of the chat.

To copy a table from a reply, hover it and click Copy as CSV in its corner. It pastes straight into a spreadsheet.

Edit a message

Use this when the bot misunderstood you, or you want to try a different request.

Hover your message and click Edit message (the pencil). Or, with the message box empty, press ↑ to edit your last message.
Change the text. Shift+Enter adds a new line.
Press Enter to send, or Esc to cancel.

Editing rewinds the conversation

When you edit a message, the conversation goes back to that point and the bot answers your new version. Your old message and every reply after it are replaced: they aren't kept, so copy anything you still need first. You can only edit plain-text messages without attachments, and only when the bot isn't working. If you see "Open this thread live before editing a message", open the thread, wait for it to finish loading, then try again.

Regenerate a response

Not happy with the bot's latest reply? Hover it and click Regenerate response. The bot answers your last message again from scratch, the same way an edit does. This only works on the most recent reply, when the bot isn't working. The earlier answer is replaced, not kept, so copy it first if you might want it back.

Branch from here

The actions under a bot's reply, with Branch from here (the branching-line icon) highlighted

Want to try a different direction without losing this thread? Hover any of the bot's messages (or click … under it) and click Branch from here, the branching-line icon.

A new thread opens for the same bot.
Its message box already holds the conversation up to that message (the last dozen or so messages, trimmed if they're long), ending with "From here: ".
Type where you want to take it, and send.

The original thread stays exactly as it was. Branch from here is on the desktop app only.

Reply to a message

Hover a message and click Reply.
A Replying to … quote appears above the message box. Click × to cancel.
Type and send. Your message shows the quote; click it to jump to the original.

Pin a message

Hover a message and click Pin message. It appears in a banner at the top of the chat. Click the banner to jump to it, or × on it to unpin.

Comment on part of a reply

To point at one specific part of a long reply:

Select the text

Drag your mouse over the part of the bot's reply you mean.

Click Comment

A Comment button appears next to your selection. Click it.

Write your note

Type what you want, like "Make this more formal" or "Is this number right?". Press Ctrl+Enter (⌘Enter on Mac) or click Add. Esc cancels.

Send

Your comment is attached to your next message as a NOTE chip, quoting the part you selected. Add more comments if you like, then send.

This works on the desktop app.

Mark up an image

To show a bot exactly which part of an image you mean, like a button in a screenshot or a spot in a design:

Click the image in the chat to open it.
Click Annotate a region.
Drag a box around the part you mean.
Type your comment.

The cropped picture and your comment are attached to your next message.

@mentions

In a group chat, @mentions choose which bot answers.

Type @ at the start of a word. A list of bots appears (Tag a bot).
Keep typing to filter, use ↑ / ↓ to choose, and press Enter or Tab.
Mention several bots and they answer in the order you wrote them. @everyone asks all of them.

Mentions show in color in the message box and in the sent message.

On a This PC thread, @ also lists files in the folders you've shared, marked File on this PC. Pick one to insert its full location, so the bot knows exactly which file you mean.

Thread links

To refer to another conversation:

Right-click that thread in the sidebar and choose Copy link.
Paste it into your message.

It turns into a #Thread title link that you and your teammates can click. The bot can't read the other thread, so paste in anything it needs to know.

Messages from other bots

Bots can talk to each other. When another bot writes into this chat, its message sits on the bot's side, under that bot's name and avatar, with a short label saying how it arrived:

Label	Meaning
asked via ask_bot	The other bot asked this one a question.
delegated a task	The other bot handed this one a job to do.
opened this thread	The other bot started this conversation.

See Group chats for bots working together.

Slash commands

The Commands menu after typing / in the message box

Type / at the very start of the message box to see the Commands menu. Keep typing to filter: the menu matches both the command name and its description, so /memory finds /remember and /forget. Use ↑ / ↓ and Enter or Tab to pick one, or Esc to close the menu.

Setup commands

These two change how the bot works with you:

Command	Menu text	What it does
/setup	Have this bot interview you and set itself up	The bot asks what you want it to do, then sets itself up: its role, instructions, and more. Use it when you've just made a bot, especially a Blank bot.
/learn	Draft a reusable skill from this conversation	The bot looks back at this conversation and drafts a reusable skill from what worked, for you to review. Use it when a bot just did a task well that you'll want again.

You can add notes after either one, for example "/learn — always use last week, Monday to Sunday." See Skills and memory.

/setup is only offered in a bot's own chat, not in group chats.
/learn only appears when Settings → Experimental → Bots may draft skills for your review is on (it is by default).

Shortcut phrases

The rest are shortcuts for things people ask a lot. Picking one doesn't send anything: it puts a ready-made sentence in the message box for you to finish (or send as it is). They work with every bot, and in group chats too.

Command	Menu text	Puts this in the box
/plan	Plan first: it lays out the steps and waits for your OK	"Before you do anything, write a short plan for this and wait for my OK: "
/remember	Save something to its memory	"Remember this from now on (save it to your memory): "
/forget	Remove something from its memory	"Forget this: remove it from your memory and stop using it: "
/brief	What happened, what's next, and what needs you	"Give me a short brief: what happened since we last talked, what's coming up, and what needs me."
/undo	Take back what it just did	"Undo what you just did and put things back the way they were."
/split	Split a job across your other bots, in parallel	Asks the bot to split the job into parts, hand each to the best of your other bots at the same time, and bring the results together.
/teach	Watch me do it on This PC, then learn it as a skill	Asks the bot to watch what you do next on This PC, write down each step, show you the steps to check, then save them as a skill.
/call	Phone somewhere to book or ask (Inkbox)	Asks the bot to phone a place for you with its Inkbox number and tell you how it went. Needs Inkbox phone calls set up.

Type the rest after the sentence, for example after /plan: "Before you do anything, write a short plan for this and wait for my OK: redesign the pricing page."

Message actions, mentions, and commands