# Check Voicemail Messages

Cloud Voice gives extension users several ways to listen to their messages, whether they are at their desk, on the move, or away from the office. This page walks through each option.

## How users are alerted and where to start

New messages don't have to be discovered manually. Users can receive an [instant voicemail notification](/pbx/administrator-guide/voicemail-notification-overview/) the moment a message arrives, then pick whichever retrieval method suits them:

- From a desk IP phone
- In the Cloud Voice App
- By email
- Through an IVR (Interactive Voice Response, the automated phone menu that answers a call and responds to key presses)

### Feature code

Checking voicemail relies on a feature code, which defaults to `*2`. To review, turn off, or reassign it, open **Call Features > Feature Code > Voicemail > Check Voicemail/Subscribe Voicemail Status** in the PBX web portal.

:::note
The `*2` shown throughout this page is only the default. If the code has been changed or disabled on that same portal page, dialing `*2` will not connect to voicemail. Confirm the current code there before troubleshooting further.
:::

## Retrieve voicemail from an IP phone

### From your own phone

1. Dial the `*2` feature code, or the [voicemail number](/pbx/administrator-guide/global-voicemail-settings/#global-voicemail-settings__section_dd4_gx4_tfc).
2. When prompted, key in your PIN (Personal Identification Number, the secret code that protects the mailbox) and press #.
3. Use the [voicemail menu](/pbx/administrator-guide/voicemail-menu-options/) to play and manage your messages.

### From someone else's phone

1. Dial `*2` immediately followed by the extension whose mailbox you want. For example, dial *21001 to reach extension 1001.
2. Enter your PIN at the prompt, then press #.
3. Work through the [voicemail menu](/pbx/administrator-guide/voicemail-menu-options/) to hear your messages.

### From a group mailbox

When a group voicemail is configured with its **Mode** set to **Shared by Members**, any member can listen to the group's messages.

:::note
Because the mailbox is shared, a message is flagged as read as soon as any one member opens it.
:::

1. Dial `*2` followed by the group voicemail number, such as *26100.
2. Navigate the [voicemail menu](/pbx/administrator-guide/voicemail-menu-options/) to review the messages.

## Retrieve voicemail in the Cloud Voice App

If you have enabled the Cloud Voice App for your extensions, those users can open and listen to their voicemail directly within the app.

## Retrieve voicemail by email

Where you have configured [voicemail-to-email forwarding](/pbx/administrator-guide/forward-voicemail-messages-to-email/) for an extension, the user simply receives each message as an audio attachment in their inbox and can listen to it there.

## Retrieve voicemail through an IVR

If you have permitted extensions to [check voicemail after dialing into an IVR](/pbx/administrator-guide/set-up-an-ivr/#design-and-create-an-IVR__check-voicemial-ivr), users can reach their messages even when they are away from the office.

1. Call the IVR and follow the voice prompts.
2. Dial `*2` followed by your extension number or the group voicemail number, then enter your PIN.
3. Use the [voicemail menu](/pbx/administrator-guide/voicemail-menu-options/) to listen to your messages.