# Reply to a message
There are three ways to reply to a message in Zulip: by clicking on a
message, through the message actions dropdown, or by using keyboard
shortcuts.

## Reply to a message by clicking on a message
1. Click on the message you want to reply to.

2. Upon clicking on a message, the compose box will appear with the
**Stream** and **Topic** fields autocompleted to match the message you
selected.

3. Type your reply in the **Compose your message here...** field.

4. Once you have finished completing your message, you can now send your
message to the specified stream under the specified topic by pressing the
Enter key or clicking the **Send** button, depending on your settings.

## Reply to a message through the message actions dropdown
{!message-actions.md!}
{!down-chevron.md!}

2. Select the **Reply** option from the dropdown to reply to the selected
message. A message compose box will appear with the **Stream** (outlined in red
below) and **Topic** (outlined in green below) fields autofilled to match the
message you selected.

3. Type your reply in the **Compose your message here...** field.

4. Once you have finished completing your message, you can now send your
message to the specified stream under the specified topic by pressing the
Enter key or clicking the **Send** button, depending on your settings.

## Reply to a message by using keyboard shortcuts
1. While viewing messages in the message table, you will notice a blue
highlight around one of the messages on your screen. Change the selected
message is highlighted by scrolling through your messages or pressing the
arrow, `j`, or `k` keys on your keyboard.

2. Once you the message you want to reply to is highlighted, press the `r`
key on your keyboard.

2. Upon pressing the `r` key, the compose box will appear with the
**Stream** and **Topic** fields autocompleted to match the message you
selected.

3. Type your reply in the **Compose your message here...** field.

4. Once you have finished completing your message, you can now send your
message to the specified stream under the specified topic by pressing the
Enter key or clicking the **Send** button, depending on your settings.

!!! tip ""
    You can always cancel your message by clicking the x (<i
    class="icon-vector-remove"></i>) icon located at the top right corner of
    your compose box or pressing the `Esc` key.
