## Overview

**Canned responses** are ready-made messages you reuse across conversations. Each one has a short
**shortcut**; when you type **/** followed by the shortcut in the reply box, the list shows the
account's global responses and the private responses you created. Responses can contain text,
variables, attachments and, on supported channels, interactive messages.

The list that opens with **/** is more than a menu: it has a **search field of its own**, highlights
the fragment that matched what you typed, and shows a **preview** of the message exactly as it will
land in the editor.

## Prerequisites

- Agents can create and manage their own **private** responses.
- Only administrators or roles with canned-response management permission can create, edit or delete
  **global** responses.
- Every account user can use global responses when replying.
- The **/** shortcut only opens in **Reply** mode. It is not offered in **Private note** mode.

## Step by step

1. In Administration & Settings, open the **Canned responses** area.
2. Create a response and set the **shortcut** (short and memorable) and message **content**.
3. Under **Who can use this response?**, choose:
   - **Private**: only you can find, use, edit and delete the response.
   - **Global**: every account user can find and use it; only administrators or authorized roles can
     manage it.
4. Add files from your device or the Media Library when needed, then save.
5. In a conversation, in the reply box, type **/** to open the list; start typing the shortcut to filter.
6. Pick the response you want. Text responses enter the editor; interactive responses can be sent
   immediately or reopened for review, depending on the channel.
7. Tweak whatever you need and send.

### Editing content with the keyboard

When creating or editing a canned response, **Space** inserts a space and **Enter** starts a new
paragraph, even when your conversation preference is to send with Enter. Use **Save** to persist
your changes. If saving fails, your text remains available so you can correct it and retry.

Variable and emoji suggestions open inside the editing dialog. **Esc** closes the open picker
first and returns focus to the text. Use **Cancel** to discard the edit and close the dialog.

### How the list's search works

- The search looks at **the shortcut and the message content**, with **the same weight** on both: each
  response gets a similarity score combining the two fields, and the list is sorted from the highest
  score down. Anything below the minimum similarity does not show up at all.
- With **several words**, every word has to match either the shortcut or the content; the item's score
  is the score of its worst-matching word.
- The matching fragment is **highlighted** in both the item's title and its summary line.
- When the term appears further into the text, the summary starts a few characters before the match and
  is prefixed with "…", so you see the context without opening the response.
- With no term typed, the list shows every response available to you.
- With no results, the list says "No items found for the search term" along with the term you used.

### What the preview shows

The panel beside the list (or below it, on narrow screens) shows the selected response with:

- Context badges: **Interactive** (when it is an interactive Quick Reply), the visibility (**Global** or
  **Private**) and the **attachment count**.
- The **rendered** content, with **variables already resolved** for that conversation and with any
  formatting the current channel cannot carry **stripped out**. In other words: the preview is what the
  message will actually be, not the raw saved text.
- On interactive items, a **Review & edit** button, which opens the composer prefilled instead of
  sending straight away.

In the list itself, an icon on the left tells you the item's kind at a glance: a list icon for
interactive ones, a paperclip for the ones carrying attachments.

### Keyboard navigation

| Key | Effect |
|---|---|
| **↑** / **↓** (or **Ctrl + P** / **Ctrl + N**) | Move the selection; the list wraps at both ends |
| **Tab** / **Shift + Tab** | Move the selection down/up |
| **Enter** | Insert (or send, if interactive) the selected response |
| **Esc** | Close the list and hand focus back to the editor |
| **Backspace** with an empty search | Delete the **/** and close the list |

The list is anchored to the spot where you typed the slash and **opens upward or downward** depending
on the room available on screen. The preview sits beside the list when there is enough width, moves
below it when there is enough height, and is omitted when neither fits.

## Settings & options

- **Shortcut**: the short identifier you type after the slash (e.g., `/hours`, `/welcome`). The shortcut
  is **unique within the account**.
- **Content**: can include formatting and, when supported, variables (such as the contact's name).
- **Private visibility**: tied to its author and never returned in another user's search.
- **Global visibility**: shared with the account. An agent without management permission can view and
  use it, but cannot edit or delete it.
- **Authorship**: the management list shows who created the response and who last updated it.
- **Attachments and interactive content**: saved files and interactive structures travel with every reuse.
- **Keyword search**: when you open the list with **/**, you can search by shortcut or by content.
- **Attachment limits**: up to **10 files** per response, each up to **40 MB**. Images, videos, audio
  and documents are accepted.
- **Minimum content**: a response needs text, **or** at least one attachment, **or** an interactive
  structure. A completely empty response is not saved.

### How attachments reach the conversation

When you pick a text response that has saved files, the text goes into the editor **and** the files are
automatically attached to the message you are composing. That only happens when the channel accepts
file uploads (or when you are on a private note); on a channel without attachment support, only the
text is inserted. If a file cannot be loaded, the notice "Could not attach the canned response media"
appears and the text stays in the editor.

### Interactive responses

When a response holds an interactive structure (buttons, list, poll or contact card), picking it
**sends the message straight away** — the content was already built when the response was created. To
check it first, use the **Review & edit** button in the preview: the channel's composer opens prefilled
with the saved structure, and you send after reviewing.

### Browser cache

The canned-response list is **stored in the browser** so it opens instantly instead of waiting on the
server at every **/**:

- When the list opens, the dashboard checks a **validation key** with the server. If the key matches, it
  uses the local copy; if it doesn't (or there is no copy), it fetches the current list and rewrites the
  cache.
- When someone in the account creates, edits or deletes a response, the key changes and the dashboard is
  notified **in real time** — your list refreshes on its own, no page reload needed.
- The cache is **per account**: switching accounts never mixes the lists.
- If the browser blocks local storage (a Firefox private window, for instance), the dashboard simply
  fetches the list straight from the server. Nothing stops working — you only lose the speed gain.

## Use cases

- Answer business hours, deadlines and policies with a consistent message.
- Send standardized step-by-step instructions (e.g., how to submit a receipt).
- Uniform greetings and closings across the whole team.
- Send a ready-made menu of options, with buttons or a list, without rebuilding the structure every time.

## Tips, limits & best practices

- Use predictable, short shortcuts so you remember them without checking the list.
- Use private responses for drafts or personal wording; use global responses for approved content the
  entire team should apply consistently.
- Prefer **topic prefixes** in shortcuts (`/bill-invoice`, `/bill-receipt`): typing the prefix already
  narrows the list to the right set.
- Check the preview before inserting: that is where you see the resolved variables and the final
  formatting for that channel.
- Review responses periodically to keep the content up to date.
- For several actions at once (reply + label + resolve), use a **macro** instead of just the canned response.

## Troubleshooting

- **The slash (/) doesn't open the list**: confirm you're in the **Reply** box (not Note) and that responses exist.
- **I can't find a response**: check the exact shortcut or search for a word from the content.
- **Someone else cannot find my response**: check whether it is **Private**. Change it to **Global**
  with an authorized account when the whole team needs it.
- **I can use but cannot edit a global response**: this is expected for agents without management
  permission. Ask an administrator to update it or grant the appropriate permission.
- **The preview looks different from the text I saved**: that is expected. It already resolves variables
  and strips the formatting the conversation's channel cannot carry.
- **I changed a response and a colleague still sees the old one**: their list refreshes on its own as
  soon as the change is saved; if it persists, reloading the page forces a fresh fetch.
- **The attachment didn't come along with the text**: the conversation's channel may not accept files,
  or the file failed to load — a notice appears in that case and you can attach it by hand.
- **The response won't save**: it needs text, an attachment or an interactive structure; and the
  shortcut cannot repeat another response's shortcut in the account.

## See also

- [Replying, private notes and mentions](/hc/ajuda/articles/conversations-responder-notas-mencoes-en)
- [Macros: automating sequences of actions](/hc/ajuda/articles/conversations-macros-en)
- [Attachments, voice messages, emoji and reactions](/hc/ajuda/articles/conversations-anexos-voz-emoji-reacoes-en)