Getting started

Getting started

Sign-in to Teams


  1. Start Teams.
    • Go to https://teams.microsoft.com/
    • In Windows, click Start button > Microsoft Corporation > Microsoft Teams.
    • On Mac, go to the Applications folder and click Microsoft Teams.
    • On mobile, tap the Teams icon
  2. Sign in with your Office 365 username and password.


Create a team

  1. On the left side of the app, select:

    • Chat > Teams (combined view), or

    • If you’re using the separate view, select Teams.

  2. At the top of your list of chats or channels, select New items.

  3. Choose New team.

  4. The Create a team window will open:

    • Name your team: Enter the team name.

    • Description (optional): Add a short description.

    • Team type:

      • Private: Only people you add can join.

      • Public: Anyone in the organization can find and join the team.

    • If your organization uses data classification, select the appropriate sensitivity label.

    Note: Teams are created as Private by default (if allowed by the organization). The default sensitivity label will appear automatically if configured.

  5. Name your first channel.

  6. When you're done, select Create.

          Note: If you're a global administrator, consider creating an org-wide team that automatically adds everyone in your organization.


Create a channel

By default, every team includes a General channel, which is useful for announcements and information relevant to everyone. To add additional channels, follow the updated steps below.

From the sidebar

  1. On the left side of the app, select:

    • Chat > Teams (combined view), or

    • If using the separate view: Teams.

  2. At the top of your list of chats and channels, select New items.

  3. Choose New channel.

  4. Select the team where you want to create the new channel.

  5. Enter the channel details:

    • Name: Channel name

    • Description (optional): Short description

    • Channel type:

      • Standard – visible to the entire team

      • Private – visible only to selected team members

      • Shared – allows collaboration with people inside or outside your organization

  6. When you're done, select Create.

Create a Channel from a Team Name

  1. Select See all your teams or See all your teams and channels.

  2. Find the team you want to add a channel to.

  3. To the right of the team name, select More options > Add channel.

  4. Fill in the channel name, optional description, and choose Standard, Private, or Shared.

    

Customize and manage your team

Access Team Management

  1. Go to the team name in the left sidebar.

  2. Select More options (…) > Manage team.
    This opens the main management panel, where you’ll find Members, Channels, Settings, and Apps.

Add or Remove Team Members

  1. Go to the team name and select More options (…) > Manage team.

  2. Under the Members tab, you can:

    • Remove someone: select X next to their name.

    • Change someone’s role: use the dropdown to switch between Owner or Member.

    • Add someone: select Add member.

      • To add someone inside your org: type their name and select Add.

      • To add a guest: enter their email address, select the pencil icon to add a display name, and then select Add.


Create and format a post             

 You can start a new conversation in a channel by creating either a standard post or an announcement.

  Start a New Post

  1. Select New conversation in the channel.

  2. Type your message.

  3. Select Format (Expand) to open formatting options.

  4. To create an announcement, select Post type > Announcement and add:

    • Headline

    • Optional subhead

    • Color scheme or background image

  5. Format your post (font size, bold, lists, insert link).

  6. Select Send.

  7. To edit a message, select More options (…) > Edit.

Get attention with @mentions

Send a co-worker or entire team a notification to get their attention when you use @mention.

Get one person's attention

  1. Start a new conversation or reply to a message.

  2. Type @ and begin typing the person’s name.

  3. Select the correct name from the list.

  4. Finish your message and select Send.

    • The person will receive a notification and be taken directly to where they were mentioned.

Get an entire team or channel's attention

  1. Start a new conversation or reply to an existing one.

  2. Type @team or @channel.

  3. Select the team or channel you want to mention.

  4. Finish writing your message.

  5. Select Send.

Save a post or a message

  1. Hover over the message or post.

  2. Select More options (···) > Save this message.

  3. The message is now added to your Saved section.

View your saved messages

  1. Go to the top of your chat and channel list.

  2. Select Saved to see all your saved items.

    • You can filter by Chats or Channels.

  3. To view a message in context, select it from the Saved list—Teams will open the original chat or channel.

You can also access saved items by typing /saved in the command box at the top of Teams.

Remove a saved message

  1. Hover over the saved message.

  2. Select More options (···) > Unsave this message.

    • You can also unsave directly from the Saved section.

Activity feed basics


Select Activity Activity button  to view your Activity feed, a summary of everything that's happened in the team channels you follow. Select Filter Filter button  to show only certain types of messages such as unread messages, @mentions, replies, and likes.

When a red circle appears next to Activity Activity button , you have a notification–such as an @mention or a reply–in your feed. These notifications remain in your feed for 14 days. After that they expire and no longer show up in your feed.

                Notes: Another way to check your notifications is to use the command box at the top of Teams.

  • Type /unread to see your unread channel notifications.

  •                 

  • Type /mentions to see all your @mentions.

Activity button with two notifications

For a more specific feed, go to the Feed menu and select My activity. You'll get a list of everything you've been up to lately in Teams.

Activity feed symbols

We attached unique symbols to different types of notifications in your feed. That way, you can look through your feed and prioritize based on the following:

At mention button

@mentions of you specifically.

Teams button

@team mentions for teams you're on.

Channel mention button

@channel mentions in teams you're on.

Reply button

Replies to your posts.

Like button

Posts you liked.

Add people to team button

You were added to a team.

Team owner button

You were made a team owner.

Trending button

Trending posts.

Suggested Feed Item Button

Suggested posts.


Manage notification settings

You have full control over what notifications you receive, how they appear, and where they show up.

  1. Click More options (···) next to any notification.

  2. From the menu, you can:

    • Mark as read or unread

    • Follow or unfollow the channel or team the notification came from

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