Power User Tips

Level up your Matrix skills with these power user techniques.

Message Mastery

Markdown Formatting

**bold** or __bold__
*italic* or _italic_
~~strikethrough~~
`inline code`
```code block```
> quote
[link](https://url)

Advanced Markdown

# Heading 1
## Heading 2
### Heading 3

- Bullet list
- Another item
  - Nested item

1. Numbered list
2. Second item

| Header | Header |
|--------|--------|
| Cell   | Cell   |

---
Horizontal rule

HTML Formatting

Some clients support inline HTML:

<sub>subscript</sub>
<sup>superscript</sup>
<details>
<summary>Click to expand</summary>
Hidden content here
</details>

LaTeX Math (Element)

$$E = mc^2$$
$$\int_0^\infty e^{-x^2} dx = \frac{\sqrt{\pi}}{2}$$

Quick Emotes

Type	Shows
`/shrug`	¯\_(ツ)_/¯
`/tableflip`	(╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻
`/unflip`	┬─┬ノ( º _ ºノ)
`/lenny`	( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
`/me action`	YourName action

Element Web Essentials

Shortcut	Action
`Ctrl/Cmd + K`	Quick room switcher (most useful!)
`Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + U`	Upload file
`Ctrl/Cmd + /`	Show all shortcuts
`Shift + Page Up`	Jump to last unread
`↑` (in empty composer)	Edit last message
`Esc`	Close dialogs/panels

Fuzzy Search Prefixes

In the quick room switcher (Ctrl+K):

@user     → Search people
#room     → Search public rooms
typing    → Fuzzy match room names

Click room name → Room settings
Click member count → Member list
Right-click room → Quick actions menu

Message Actions

Hover message → Reaction bar appears
Three dots (⋯) → Full action menu
Reply arrow → Thread reply
Right-click → Context menu

Room Power Moves

Quick Room Commands

/invite @user:server.com    # Invite user
/kick @user reason          # Kick with reason
/ban @user spam             # Ban with reason
/unban @user:server.com     # Unban user

/topic New room topic       # Change topic
/roomname New Name          # Change room name
/nick My Nickname           # Change your display name (room-specific)
/myroomavatar mxc://...     # Room-specific avatar

Power Levels Explained

Level	Default Role	Abilities
0	Default	Send messages
50	Moderator	Kick, ban, redact others' messages
100	Admin	Everything, including changing power levels

Custom power levels via room settings:

{
  "users_default": 0,
  "events": {
    "m.room.name": 25,        // Trusted users can rename
    "m.room.message": 0,      // Everyone can message
    "m.room.redaction": 10    // Slightly trusted can redact
  },
  "users": {
    "@vip:example.com": 25
  }
}

Quick power level commands:

/op @user:server 75    # Give power level 75
/deop @user:server     # Remove elevated power

Room-Specific Profiles

Different identity per room:

/nick "Work Me"
/myroomavatar mxc://server/media-id

Spaces Organization

Space Hierarchy

🏢 My Company
├── 📢 Announcements (suggested)
├── 💬 General
├── 🛠️ Engineering
│   ├── Frontend
│   ├── Backend
│   └── DevOps
└── 🎉 Social
    ├── Random
    └── Games

Space Tips

Suggested rooms - Admin-marked as important
Nested spaces - Spaces can contain spaces
Multi-homing - Rooms can exist in multiple spaces
Personal spaces - Organize rooms just for yourself
Space-level moderation - Ban lists apply to all child rooms

Quick Space Actions

Drag rooms between spaces
Right-click space → Add existing room
Space settings → Manage rooms list
Leave space doesn't leave rooms

Encryption Best Practices

Key Backup

Always set up secure backup:

Settings → Security → Secure Backup
Choose Security Key (recommended)
Save the key offline (password manager, paper)

Device Verification

Verify new devices immediately:

Start verification from either device
Compare emoji or scan QR
Mark as verified

Why it matters:

Unverified devices show ⚠️
Some rooms reject unverified devices
April 2026: Element requires verified devices for E2EE

Cross-Signing

Enable cross-signing to:

Automatically trust your own devices
Show green shields to others
Simplify verification

Session Management

Regular session hygiene:

Settings → Security → Sessions
Review all devices
Remove old/unknown sessions
Verify new sessions immediately

Search & Discovery

Search Operators

from:@username:server    # From specific user
in:!roomid:server        # In specific room
"exact phrase"           # Exact match
before:2025-01-01        # Before date
after:2024-06-01         # After date

Room Directory Tricks

#:matrix.org          → All public rooms
#gaming:*             → Gaming rooms across servers

Room Discovery

Explore (compass icon) → Public rooms
Server dropdown → Browse other servers
Space directory → Rooms in a space
matrixrooms.info → External directory

Notifications Tuning

Per-Room Settings

Setting	Effect
All messages	Everything notifies
Mentions & Keywords	Only @mentions and keywords
Mute	No notifications, no badge

Global Keywords

Settings → Notifications → Keywords:

your-name
your-project
urgent

Read State Management

Mark all read: Right-click room → Mark as read
Mark unread: Right-click → Mark as unread (SchildiChat, FluffyChat)
Favorite rooms: Star important rooms for quick access

Performance Optimization

When Element Gets Slow

Settings → Help & About → Clear cache
Leave inactive rooms
Disable URL previews in busy rooms
Leave large public rooms (10k+ members)

Room List Management

Favorite important rooms
Low priority for noisy rooms
Leave rooms you don't use

Use Element X

Element X uses Sliding Sync for:

Instant startup
Fast room switching
Lower bandwidth

Developer Tools

Access Developer Tools

In Element: Settings → Help → Developer Tools

Or use /devtools command.

Explore Room State

/devtools
├── Explore Room State
├── Send Custom Event
├── View Source (for events)
└── Explore Account Data

Get Your Access Token

Settings → Help & About → Access Token (click to reveal)

Quick API Calls

# Get your profile
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
  "https://matrix.server/_matrix/client/v3/profile/@you:server"

# Send a message
curl -X PUT -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"msgtype":"m.text","body":"Hello from API!"}' \
  "https://matrix.server/_matrix/client/v3/rooms/!room:server/send/m.room.message/$(date +%s)"

Multi-Account Usage

When to Use Multiple Accounts

Account	Purpose
Personal	Friends, hobbies
Work	Company Matrix
Anonymous	Sensitive topics
Bot/Test	Development

Account Switching

Element: Profile menu → Add account
SchildiChat: Built-in multi-account
FluffyChat: Native multi-account

Privacy Tricks

Read Receipts

Disable in Settings → Preferences:

Others won't see when you read
You won't see when others read

Typing Indicators

Disable to not show "typing..."

Presence

If supported by homeserver:

Appear offline while online
Hide "last seen" time

Hidden Features

URL Schemes

matrix:r/room:server           # Open room
matrix:u/user:server           # Open user profile
matrix:roomid/!roomid:server   # Open by room ID

Direct Message Links

Create a DM link: https://matrix.to/#/@user:server.com

Room Links with Event

Link to specific message: https://matrix.to/#/!roomid:server/$eventid

Community Secrets

Useful Public Rooms

#matrix:matrix.org          - Official Matrix chat
#matrix-dev:matrix.org      - Developer discussions
#synapse:matrix.org         - Synapse homeserver
#element-web:matrix.org     - Element Web chat
#twim:matrix.org            - This Week In Matrix

Finding Niche Communities

Browse matrixrooms.info
Ask in #matrix:matrix.org
Explore Space directories

Quick Reference Card

┌────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│              MATRIX POWER USER                 │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Ctrl+K          → Quick room switch           │
│ ↑ (empty input) → Edit last message           │
│ /topic Text     → Change topic                │
│ /invite @user   → Invite user                 │
│ /op @user 50    → Set power level             │
│ /me action      → Emote                       │
│ **bold**        → Bold text                   │
│ `code`          → Inline code                 │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ 🔐 Always set up key backup                   │
│ ✅ Verify new devices immediately             │
│ 📱 Use Element X on mobile for speed          │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Next: Power Tools →

Message Mastery​

Markdown Formatting​

Advanced Markdown​

HTML Formatting​

LaTeX Math (Element)​

Quick Emotes​

Navigation Shortcuts​

Element Web Essentials​

Fuzzy Search Prefixes​

Room Navigation​

Message Actions​

Room Power Moves​

Quick Room Commands​

Power Levels Explained​

Room-Specific Profiles​

Spaces Organization​

Space Hierarchy​

Space Tips​

Quick Space Actions​

Encryption Best Practices​

Key Backup​

Device Verification​

Cross-Signing​

Session Management​

Search & Discovery​

Search Operators​

Room Directory Tricks​

Room Discovery​

Notifications Tuning​

Per-Room Settings​

Global Keywords​

Read State Management​

Performance Optimization​

When Element Gets Slow​

Room List Management​

Use Element X​

Developer Tools​

Access Developer Tools​

Explore Room State​

Get Your Access Token​

Quick API Calls​

Multi-Account Usage​

When to Use Multiple Accounts​

Account Switching​

Privacy Tricks​

Read Receipts​

Typing Indicators​

Presence​

Hidden Features​

URL Schemes​

Direct Message Links​

Room Links with Event​

Community Secrets​

Useful Public Rooms​

Finding Niche Communities​

Quick Reference Card​