---
key: set-up-a-phone-line
title: Set up who answers a phone line and where calls go
audience: staff
section: settings/communications
routes: ["/settings/communications/phone-numbers"]
permissions: ["communications.inbox.manage"]
features: ["communications.phone-inboxes"]
since: 0.0.1
updated: 0.0.1
status: published
summary: Name a phone line, give it to a branch, choose the teammates who can answer and text from it, record a voicemail greeting, forward calls after hours, and cancel or reactivate a line.
keywords: [phone line settings, who answers calls, assign users to line, voicemail greeting, call forwarding, after hours, cancel a line, ring group, IVR menu]
related: [get-your-texting-number, buy-a-phone-number, transfer-your-phone-number-to-nova, review-calls-and-voicemails]
---

In the sidebar, open **Settings**, then choose **Phone Lines** under **Communications**. The page address is `/settings/communications/phone-numbers`. Every line is a row in the list; the menu at the right end of the row holds its settings.

## Before you start

- Your role needs permission to manage phone lines. If you can only view them, each row reads **Read-only** instead of a menu. If you can only buy or transfer numbers, a note says your role cannot view or edit existing lines.

## Steps

To name the line and set its basics:

1. Open the row menu and choose **Edit line**, or press the row. The **Edit Phone Line** drawer opens.
2. Change the **Display name** and the **Branch**. The number itself cannot be changed.
3. Set **Recording mode** and **Consent mode** for calls.
4. To stop texts going out from this line at night, turn on **Quiet hours enabled** and add the times under **Quiet windows**. Texts sent from the line during those times are refused; calls still ring.
5. Under **Business hours**, set the **Hours source**: the branch's hours, the organization's, or hours for this line only.
6. Press **Save changes**.

To choose who answers:

1. Open the row menu and choose **Assigned users**. The **Assigned Users** drawer opens.
2. Under **Add organization user**, search for a teammate and press **Assign user**. The person is added right away. Repeat for each person.
3. Under **Current assignments**, press **Remove** beside anyone who should no longer answer calls or send texts from this line.

To set voicemail:

1. Choose **Voicemail** from the row menu and check that **Voicemail enabled** is on.
2. Under **Add a greeting**, pick a **Greeting type**: **Text greeting** (Nova reads your words aloud), **Upload audio** or **Record in browser**. Fill it in, then press **Add text greeting**, **Upload greeting** or **Add recording**.
3. Under **Default greeting**, pick the greeting callers hear. A new greeting becomes the default by itself when none is set, or when **Set this as the default greeting** is on.
4. Press **Save voicemail**. A text greeting is only kept once you save.

To forward calls:

1. Choose **Call forwarding** from the row menu and turn on **Forwarding enabled**.
2. Set the **Mode**: **Always forward**, **Forward outside business hours**, **Forward when unanswered** or **Scheduled forwarding rules**.
3. Enter the **Default forwarding destination**. The scheduled mode ignores it and uses its own rules.
4. Press **Save forwarding**.

## What you see

- The list shows each line's **Phone**, **Name**, **Policy** (recording and consent), **Status** and **Operational access**; **Branch** is a hidden column you can add. Search with **Search phone lines** or narrow with **Filters**.
- The row menu also offers **Announcement** (a message before ringing), **External ring group**, **Hold music**, **Ring & text sounds**, **IVR** for a press-1-for menu, and **Routing simulator** to see where a call would go.
- **Cancel line** asks you to confirm, stops the line ringing and starts a 90-day window to reclaim the number, which may carry provider fees. Until then the menu offers **Reactivate line**, which resumes billing.
- An amber box above the list names lines that need attention, such as an active line with no assigned users or a number the phone company has not verified yet.

## If something looks different

- The amber box says a line has no assigned users, or **Operational access** reads **Unassigned line**: add at least one person under **Assigned users**. With nobody assigned and no forwarding, ring group or IVR, calls go straight to voicemail.
- The menu reads **Reactivation unavailable** instead of **Reactivate line**: the number has been released or its reclaim window has passed. Buy or transfer a number instead. **Reactivation disabled** means reclaiming cancelled lines is not part of your plan.
- A line has a **NovaAI override** entry in its menu: NovaAI is on for your organization and this line can behave differently from the default. See [[turn-on-novaai-for-calls]].

[[route:/settings/communications/phone-numbers|Open Phone Lines]]