Collaborate and meet with Teams

Connect, communicate, and collaborate more effectively with Microsoft Teams. With Microsoft Teams on your PC, Mac, or mobile device, you can:

  • Pull together a team.

  • Use chat instead of email. 

  • Securely edit files at the same time.

  • See likes, @mentions, and replies with just a single tap.

  • Customize it by adding notes, web sites, and apps.

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Choose an option below to learn more how to setup and get the most out of Teams.

Sign in to Teams

  1. Start Teams.

    • In Windows, click Start Start buttonMicrosoft Teams.

    • On Mac, go to the Applications folder and click Microsoft Teams.

    • On mobile, tap the Teams icon.

  2. Sign in with your Microsoft 365 username and password.

Signing in to Teams

Pick a team and channel

A team is a collection of people, conversations, files, and tools — all in one place. A channel is a discussion in a team, dedicated to a department, project, or topic.

The best way to get familiar with teams and channels is to pick a team and channel and start exploring!

  1. Select Teams Teams button on the left side of the app and then pick a team.

    If you're not on a team and want to create one, see Onboard your teams.

  2. Select a channel and explore the Conversations, Files, and other tabs.

    For more info, see Teams and channels.

Teams and channels in Teams

Start a new conversation...

...with the whole team

  1. Select Teams Teams button, then pick a team and a channel.

  2. Select New conversation.

  3. In the box where you type your message, say what's on your mind and select Send Send button.

...with a person or group

  1. Select Chat New chat .

  2. In the To field, type the name of the person or people you want to chat with.

  3. In the box where you type your message, say what's on your mind and select Send Send button.

Reply to a conversation

Channel conversations are organized by date and then threaded. The replies in threads are organized under the initial post so it's easier to follow multiple conversations. 

  1. Find the conversation thread you want to reply to.

  2. Select Reply, add your message, and select Send Send button.

Have fun with emoji, memes, and GIFs

Express yourself and impress your coworkers!

  • Select Sticker Sticker button under the box where you type your message, then pick a meme or sticker from one of the categories.

The Sticker Sticker button catalog contains a wide variety of customizable stickers and memes — you can even upload your own! Check out Emoji Emoji button for smiley faces and Giphy GIF button for animated GIFs.

Share a file

Sometimes words aren't enough, and you need to post a file to a channel conversation.

Tip

Teams works particularly well with Microsoft Office documents.

  1. In your channel conversation, select Attach under the box where you type your message.

  2. Select from these options:

    • Recent

    • Browse Teams and Channels

    • OneDrive

    • Upload from my computer

  3. Select a file > Share a link.

    If you're uploading a file from your computer, select a file, select Open, and then select Send Send button.

You can always see all the files you post to a channel by going to the Files tab.

@mention someone

An @mention is like a tap on the shoulder—a way to get someone's attention in a channel conversation or a chat.

  1. In the box where you type your message, type @, then type the first few letters of the person’s name. You can also @mention entire teams and channels.

  2. Select the person. Repeat for as many people as you want to @mention.

Each person you @mention gets a notification in their Activity feed. Check for a red circle next to Activity Activity button right now to see if someone has @mentioned you!

Stay on top of things

Notifications let you know when someone @mentions you, likes something you’ve posted, or replies to a thread you started. The Activity feed helps you stay on top of all your notifications.

  1. Select Activity Activity button.

  2. Feed shows you a summary of everything that's happened in the channels you follow.

    • Select Filter Filter button to show only certain types of notifications such as @mentions or reactions.

    • Select Feed > My Activity to see a list of everything you've been up to lately in Teams.

Activity feed in Teams

Search for messages, people, or files

Searches cover your entire organization — all the teams and channels that you're part of.

  1. Type a phrase in the command box at the top of the app and press Enter.

  2. Select the Messages, People, or Files tab.

  3. Select an item in the search results to expand and learn more about it.

Files list in Teams

Get to your files from anywhere - at work, at home, or on the go.

Set up the Office apps on your mobile device.

For more info, see Set up Office apps and email on a mobile device.

Choose your mobile device

Get help

Got a question about Teams? We've got you covered!

Click Help Help button on the left side of the app, then pick one of the following:

  • Topics to see what's already out there.

  • What's new to see the latest and greatest.

Teams help and training

Get started with Microsoft Teams

Connect your team

Achieve more together

Teams Help

What's new in Teams

Need more help?

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