# Canned responses
Canned responses (or templates) are pre-written replies to common questions. Instead of typing the same answer repeatedly, you write it once and insert it with a few keystrokes.
In Missive, you can create a collection of canned responses and share them with a team or your entire company. You can also keep responses personal for your own use.
{% hint style="info" %}
Canned responses can also be combined with AI to generate replies based on your existing response library.
{% endhint %}
## Creating a response
{% stepper %}
{% step %}
**Open the responses panel**
Press ⌘/Ctrl + Shift + O. You can also click your avatar in the bottom-left corner of the sidebar and select **Responses**, or use the command bar (⌘/Ctrl + K) and search for "responses".
{% endstep %}
{% step %}
**Create a new response**
Click **Create new response** at the bottom of the panel (second column).
{% endstep %}
{% step %}
**Choose who can access this response**
* **Personal**: Only you can see and use it
* **Organization**: Everyone in the organization can use it
* **Team**: Only members of a specific team can use it
{% endstep %}
{% step %}
**Add content**
Add a title, optional subject line, and body content. You can also add:
* **To, Cc, Bcc fields**: Pre-fill recipient addresses when the response is inserted
* **Attachments**: Drag files into the body (inline) or at the bottom (as attachments)
* **Labels**: Categorize responses using organization labels
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}
## Inserting a response
There are three ways to insert a canned response into a draft:
**Using the # shortcut**
Type **#** followed by your search term anywhere in the draft composer. A dropdown appears with matching responses. Select one to insert it.
{% hint style="info" %}
You can disable the **#** shortcut in **Settings > Composer > Suggest responses while typing**.
{% endhint %}
**Using the composer toolbar**
Click the responses icon in the composer toolbar to open the responses panel.
**Using the keyboard shortcut**
Press ⌘/Ctrl + Shift + O to open the responses panel, then search or browse for a response and press Return to insert it.
## Searching responses
The search matches title, subject, and body content. You don't need to type every character of a word for results to appear:
| Search term | Matches |
| ------------- | ---------------------------------------- |
| "ho bet pers" | "**Ho**w to be a **bet**ter **pers**on?" |
| "pers better" | "How to be a **better** **pers**on?" |
| "person?" | "How to be a better **person?**" |
To narrow down results:
* **Scope by team**: Prepend the team name (e.g., `sales refund policy`)
* **Scope by organization**: Prepend the organization name
* **Personal only**: Prepend `personal` to your search
## Variables
You can customize responses with dynamic content like your recipient's name using the variables templating engine:
```liquid
Hi {{ recipient.first_name | default: 'there' }},
```
If `recipient.first_name` is available, this renders as:
> Hi Philippe,
If not, it falls back to:
> Hi there,
Read the [Using variables guide](https://missiveapp.com/docs/core-features/canned-responses/using-variables) for the full list of available variables and syntax.
## Attachments
You can attach files to responses:
* **Inline**: Drag and drop an image into the body to embed it
* **Attachment**: Drag and drop a file at the bottom to attach it
When you insert a response, its attachments are added to the draft.
## Edit on the fly
Sometimes response content gets outdated. You often notice this when composing a reply and searching for the right response.
No problem! You can edit the response directly from the panel and insert the updated version. Maintaining your responses becomes less of a burden when you can fix them as you go.
## Shortcuts
| Shortcut | Action |
| --------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------ |
| ⌘/Ctrl + Shift + O | Open the responses panel |
| Return | Insert the response |
| ⌘/Ctrl + Return | Insert when in edit mode |
| ⌘/Ctrl + F | Focus the search input |
| ⌘/Ctrl + N | Create a new response |
## Categorization
You can categorize canned responses using [organization labels](https://github.com/missive/docs-guides/blob/main/core-features/labels/README.md). Labels follow the same hierarchical structure as defined in **Settings > Labels**.
